Pete Hegseth, to whom shall you compare thyself? John Wayne as Marine Sgt. John Stryker in Sands of Iwo Jima? Or maybe Robert Duvall as Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse Now, or as Lt. Col. Bull Meacham in The Great Santini? Perhaps George C. Scott as General George Patton in Patton? You may fancy yourself as a descendant of Mars, the Roman god of war, but alas, you’re not. You like to believe that you’re the roughest, meanest, fighting-est sombitch that ever strode the halls of the Pentagon. Well, that’s at least partly right.
No, Pete, I compare thee to uber-gung-ho ROTC Officer Douglas C. Neidermeyer from Animal House. Or perhaps the absurd, delusional Gen. Jack D. Ripper from Dr. Strangelove. Then there’s the hypocritical Major Frank Burns from M*A*S*H. Oh, and let’s not forget the villainous usurper Staff Sgt. Robert Barnes from Platoon.
Pete is a pretender, as in one who pretends.
Pete is a pretender, as in one who pretends. An adult by chronology, his arrested development places him in the same category as an adolescent boy lacking a fully-formed pre-frontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for reasoning and judgment. I picture him sitting on the carpet in his office at the Department of Defense (not War), moving toy troops and toy war assets all over his make-believe world, cruelly crushing enemies with ease, marching before adoring crowds at victory parades, receiving numerous medals and high commendations, and having beautiful women paw his puffed-out chest and squeeze his biceps. And best of all for him, in his make-believe world he doesn’t have to abide by the Constitution, The United States Code of Military Justice, silly rules of engagement, or human decency.
In the real world, this delusional man-child, swaggering around like some rugged badass, is really a deeply disturbed man who lacks the capacity to weigh and balance the real costs of war: the loss and destruction of human lives and families; the financial strain on the U.S. treasury; a suffering national economy; and the collateral geopolitical harm throughout the world. He doesn’t need to care about any of that because he’s just a boy sitting on the floor with his toys and fantasizing about being a hero in a war movie.
Finally, he lacks the capacity to think strategically about war itself: its objectives, how to achieve them, and when and how to exit. For him, it’s Epic Fury today, and let tomorrow figure out what the hell to do next.
Pete Hegseth, what are you good for? Oh, I know.
*In case you’re wondering, this is a variation on the opening to Edwin Starr’ 1970 hit “War.”
AMEN Bro!!!!
You have added / included to my list of hidden dangers: AI
Hi Jim:
Of course Peter is a rapist, too, and a White Nationalist pseudo-christian and grifter who’s been forced to step down from both of the two nonprofit advocacy groups that he ran due to mismanagement of funds, sexual impropriety and reports of intoxication.
Oh, and by the way, as someone who quit drinking almost 39 years ago, I can state with certainty that his claim that “I’ll quit drinking if you make me Secretary of Defense” is the most alcoholic statement I’ve ever heard anyone utter.
This is a kakistocracy, i.e., government by the worst possible people. We need to use that word, repeatedly and universally.
Steve