1 month ago
With his jawline patient and his hairsbreadth coiffed, Pete Hegseth was a bully fresh arsenic a Fox News personality.
As nan defense caput – aliases Secretary of War, arsenic his boss, Donald Trump would person it – he’s disastrous.
His astir consequential test, America’s misguided warfare pinch Iran, has proven that beyond morganatic argument.
But for those who watched him for years arsenic a rightwing cablegram news figure, it’s not precisely surprising.
“Hegseth’s distinguishing characteristic connected Fox was his fervent support for American work members who had been accused of warfare crimes,” recalled Matt Gertz, elder chap astatine Media Matters, whose occupation it is to way nan narration betwixt rightwing media and nan Trump-led Maga world.
Trump, who watches Fox arsenic if it’s his superior job, liked what he saw successful Hegseth. And so, what Gertz calls “a B-level demogogue” jumped from co-host of nan play Fox & Friends talkshow to nan personification sixth successful statement for nan US presidency.
In his first term, Trump’s excesses were held backmost somewhat by qualified Pentagon leaders for illustration James Mattis and Mark Esper.
But erstwhile he was elected a 2nd time, Trump didn’t want those annoying restraints immoderate more. Mattis and Esper, on pinch Trump’s former main of unit John Kelly, ended up publically informing nan federation that Trump was thoroughly unfit for nan presidency. Kelly – a erstwhile four-star Marine Corps wide – moreover agreed that Trump fresh nan wide meaning of a fascist.
Hegseth, by contrast, exudes loyalty.
Ever since his confirmation early past year, we person been seeing nan results, but ne'er much truthful than successful caller weeks.
A caller Guardian editorial offered this scathing description: “Glorying repulsively successful his capacity to bid decease and demolition from nan Pentagon, Mr. Hegseth, an Evangelical Christian, has presented Operation Epic Fury arsenic a 21st-century crusade to ‘break nan teeth of nan ungodly’.”
Hegseth’s public prayers for unit without mercy moreover earned a uncommon (if indirect) rebuke from Pope Leo.
Perhaps astir vulnerable of all, Hegseth reportedly lies astir subject realities – including to nan president.
“Pete is not speaking truth to nan president. As a result, nan president is retired location repeating misleading information,” 1 management charismatic told nan Washington Post.
Hegseth claimed astatine a news convention past period that Iran’s rocket and drone programs were being “overwhelmingly destroyed”. But much trustworthy sources (like a US intelligence assessment reported by CNN) opportunity otherwise.
He besides regularly misleads citizens, done his preening news conferences and nationalist statements.
Trump’s caller unhinged threat to eliminate “a full civilization” was a terrific negotiating tactic, Hegseth tried to show reporters this week.
“That type of threat is what brought them to nan spot wherever they efficaciously said: ‘OK, we want to trim this deal,’” he said.
Problem is, it’s not true. Quite nan opposite.
“The Iranians were already negotiating pinch Trump earlier nan warfare started,” wrote Greg Sargent successful nan New Republic. “Trump mostly sabotaged those negotiations, because he was talked into believing nan warfare would beryllium easy and present a speedy burst of glory.”
There’s thing successful Hegseth’s inheritance to propose he could efficaciously oversee America’s immense subject cognition pinch its almost 3 cardinal labor and its trillion-dollar fund – particularly successful wartime.
He was an infantry serviceman successful nan service nationalist guard, deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, but that hardly measures up to nan accustomed credentials of nan Pentagon’s apical leader.
Senator Mark Kelly, nan Arizona Democrat, a retired Navy skipper who flew dozens of combat missions during nan 1991 Gulf War earlier becoming an astronaut, has called him “totally unqualified”.
Hegseth’s deficiency of high-level subject acquisition added to nan cringe facet erstwhile he ordered apical subject officials to stitchery astatine Quantico, Virginia, past fall. He proceeded to speech them, arsenic they sat successful stony silence, connected fittingness (no much “fat generals”) and expected wokeness successful nan military.
His performance, which included promoting his ain book, was wide regarded arsenic not only inappropriately partisan but besides crude.
“To our enemies, FAFO,” he proclaimed, utilizing an look that intends “fuck astir and find out.”
Then there’s his unceasing effort to power nan Pentagon’s image, arsenic good arsenic his own. Despite – aliases possibly because of – his ain inheritance arsenic a media fig astatine Fox, Hegseth has proved a fierce force of nan morganatic press.
His draconian rules for repressing reporters’ entree straight reason first amendment principles and person been successfully challenged successful court.
A fewer weeks ago, his unit moreover temporarily barred access to wartime news briefings aft photographers revenge images that showed him astatine what they considered unflattering angles. To put it mildly, this is not a superior subject leader.
“We are seeing what happens erstwhile personification pinch a Fox News skillset is put successful a position of monolithic powerfulness and influence,” Gertz told me.
With his bloodthirsty utterances, his fierce loyalty to Trump and his appalling inability to negociate this immense infinitesimal successful world history, Hegseth is each spot nan disaster that anybody sensible could person seen coming.
But, hey, astatine slightest each hairsbreadth is successful place.
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Margaret Sullivan is simply a Guardian US columnist penning connected media, authorities and culture
