Outside the Beltway

Source: The White House

McConnell Votes Against Hegseth

Yet again, too little, too late.

Steven L. Taylor
25

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Source: The White House

Pete Hegseth has been confirmed to be the next Secretary of Defense on what has to be the record for the lowest percentage of the chamber’s vote for SecDef in the history of the country. Three Republicans voted against Hegseth: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. This meant that a 50-50 vote had to be broken by Vice President Vance.

I was surprised to read of McConnell’s vote. According to the NYT:

In a statement, McConnell hit at Hegseth’s lack of strategic credentials as among his reasons for opposing him, saying, “Mr. Hegseth provided no substantial observations on how to defend Taiwan or the Philippines against a Chinese attack, or even whether he believes the United States should do so. He failed, for that matter, to articulate in any detail a strategic vision.”

To which I can only say, yet again: too little, too late, Mitch.

Rather than do too much repeating, I will just point to these posts:

And, indeed:

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25 responses to “McConnell Votes Against Hegseth”

  1. JohnSF Avatar
    JohnSF

    And here was me, thinking McConnell was smart.
    Well, maybe he was, in the pre-Trump DC ecosystem.
    But now the comet has impacted, and his entire presumptions are up in smoke.
    If only someone had told ye, eh, Mitch?

    2
  2. rondo1342 Avatar
    rondo1342

    *Sniff* *SSSSSSSSNNNNNNNNNNIIIIIIIFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF*

    Aaahh, that’s the smell of another Trump nominee being confirmed. Trump could have nominated my right* big toe as SecDef and had it been confirmed it would have been an improvement over the (temporarily) AWOL Lloyd Austin.

    https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/4400832-more-questions-about-secretary-austins-absence/

    * I had to have a procedure on my left big toe a few years back, ingrown toenail, so it wouldn’t have been quite as capable as my right big toe. In any case, I didn’t hide my absence from my employer for the procedure like Austin did his

    1
  3. Eusebio Avatar
    Eusebio

    This is what we get after Pennsylvania elects a carpetbagging former hedge fund CEO over the incumbent Democratic senator by a whisker. And Montana elects a former Navy SEAL who served honorably but later lied about a gunshot wound that resulted in a bullet lodged in his arm, saying it occurred during military duty in Afghanistan despite the evidence showing that it was an accidental discharge of his personal handgun while he was on vacation; he beat the incumbent Democratic senator and working rancher by a more significant margin.

    And then there’s Ernst–she voted yes in exchange for a commitment that the Pentagon will select an official to address and prevent sexual assault in the military. That’s good, of course, but most everyone who’s been associated with the Department of Defense in the last decade or so would probably wonder how that differs from or adds to the existing sexual harassment and assault response and prevention programs that have been part of the organizational fabric for years.

    3
  4. Mikey Avatar
    Mikey

    @rondo1342: The smell is the reek of booze Hegseth will be sweating out when they carry his drunk ass out of the Pentagon.

    I do have to say your toe is probably more qualified to be SecDef than Hegseth is.

    13
  5. DrDaveT Avatar
    DrDaveT

    @rondo1342:

    Aaahh, that’s the smell of another Trump nominee being confirmed.

    Yep. The smell of America going up in smoke. 250 years of noble purpose down the toilet.

    9
  6. Winecoff46 Avatar
    Winecoff46

    @rondo1342: I, for one, disagree, for about 100 reasons, many of which have been, or will be, expounded upon by others.

    2
  7. Paine Avatar
    Paine

    Before we erect a statue in Mitch’s honor for his brave stance there’s speculation out there that he only voted that way because he knew Hegseth was going to have the votes anyway: it was a token show of defiance that in no way prevented Trump from having his way.

    3
  8. DrDaveT Avatar
    DrDaveT

    @rondo1342:

    My gripe with Austin is he didn’t let anyone know he was medically out of pocket for a day or two…as SECDEF….the duration doesn’t matter….military, civilian, whatever, you always let the higher-ups know you are temporarily out of the loop.

    It’s a legitimate gripe. And yet, you seem to think that it somehow is not as bad as a totally incompetent lush being in charge, every day, for years. Care to explain that?

    12
  9. wr Avatar
    wr

    @rondo1342: Guess you’re another big fan of rapists. Well, good for you, team sexpest wins another day.

    And just remember, when the American military is falling apart, you can reassure yourself that at least there’s a white guy in charge.

    6
  10. DK Avatar
    DK

    Racist Trump conservatives to a T. A black man being temporarily AWOL = catastrophically unqualified.

    But they’ll slavishly defend this white trash: a wife-beating drunk like Hegseth, a crackhead pimp like Matt Gaetz, an Epstein-bestie rapist like Trump, a Nazisaluting thug like Musk. And RFK Jr., who sounds like a dying frog from years of heroin + steroid abuse.

    To be expected from the slaves whose faces stay in covered in orange fake tan from licking Trump’s rear end all day.

    Trump and his Defense Secretaries had four years to complete the imaginary perfect Afghan withdrawal. But they didn’t; the right’s war profiteering oligarchs wouldn’t allow it.

    Now, instead of addressing the egg prices that hit an all-time high this week, Trump’s billionaire owners have him threatening WW3 with Canada, Mexico, Panama, and Greenland/Denmark. Doubtful the MAGA White House’s rapists, druggies, pedos, and alcoholics can make that work any better than Bush’s endless Afghan War that conservatives wanted to continue forever.

    Thank you Joe Biden for putting an end to yet another Republican-initiated crisis.

    6
  11. Jen Avatar
    Jen

    @rondo1342: You may recall quite a few people on this forum were upset by that and felt it was inexcusable.

    2
  12. becca Avatar
    becca

    Even crypto fans are calling DT’s meme coin a scam. I don’t think DT has done an honest deal in his life.

    Uh, wrong thread. Sorry.

    4
  13. Steven L. Taylor Avatar
    Steven L. Taylor

    @Paine: Which very much hits the “too little” part of “too little, too late,” yes?

    2
  14. Jay L Gischer Avatar
    Jay L Gischer

    Interestingly enough, nobody held a vote recently to confirm Lloyd Austin as SecDef. As far as I can see, discussions of him aren’t relevant at all.

    I would like to see folks who are bringing up Austin say why they think Pete Hegseth would make a good SecDef.

    2
  15. just nutha Avatar
    just nutha

    @Paine:

    it was a token show of defiance that in no way prevented Trump from having his way.

    Well duh! He had a chance to give a real show of defiance 4 years ago, and didn’t even step up to the plate.

    Except at the Senate cafeteria.

    3
  16. a country lawyer Avatar
    a country lawyer

    @rondo1342: The problem with this is that at the time of the withdrawal the American forces had been withdrawn from Bagram. To stage the withdrawal from there would have required its reoccupation.

    2
  17. al Ameda Avatar
    al Ameda

    This was a Profile In A No Consequences For A ‘No’ Vote.
    This was a freebee for Mitch. He always counts votes. Once he saw that Joni Ernst had caved in, he knew that Collins and Murkowski would be the only other ‘No’ votes. JD Vance would be the backstop. get it.

    5
  18. Kathy Avatar
    Kathy

    @becca:

    It seems applicable to just about every thread this week.

    I mean, it’s not like this is a thread about parasitic worms.. Oh.

    1
  19. just nutha Avatar
    just nutha

    @Jay L Gischer: I’m not a supporter, but I’ll give it a try:

    BECAUSE HE’S NOT A QUkkkllaaaannngggv-LOVING, NIkkkllaaaannnggg REFUGEE FROM A DEI PROGRAM.

    So, rando, did I cover all the points?

    3
  20. Kathy Avatar
    Kathy

    @Jay L Gischer:

    The definition of “good” is highly dependent on context and point of view.

    For instance, was Mussolini a good German ally? I say he was, for the US, UK, France, etc.

    Hesgeth might be the bestest ever US SecDef Mad Vlad could want.

  21. Steven L. Taylor Avatar
    Steven L. Taylor

    @rondo1342: It is an odd flex to brag about a president getting a nominee confirmed, especially in a situation wherein he couldn’t even get all the votes in his own party and had to rely on a tie-breaker from the VP.

    But, sure, a most impressive victory!

    6
  22. Daryl Avatar
    Daryl

    @rondo1342:
    I understand your cult supports rapists. Cool.
    Austin was confirmed 93-2. And I gather he took a couple sick days.
    With Diaper Donnie and his Cabinet of Dunces now in charge China must be looking at Taiwan the way I look at a nice juicy filet.

    2
  23. Just nutha ignint cracker Avatar
    Just nutha ignint cracker

    @Daryl: Golly… I wonder if Sec. of State’s Little Marco declaration stopping US foreign aid immediately sent any sort of a message?

  24. steve Avatar
    steve

    It would have been easier to maintain security at Bagram, but then you would have had to transport everyone out to the middle of nowhere, with a lot of those coming from Kabul. They would have vulnerable on the roads with the Afghan army disbanded. As to Hegseth, he actually is likely to be worse. He has no experience managing a large budget and dealing with inter service rivalries over many. He has never articulated any kind of strategic vision about anything, mostly talking about DEI stuff. I dont know if you were an office or enlisted but I was both. We always used to say no matter how bad things are they can always get worse and in the case of Hegseth there is every indication it could.

    Steve

  25. Gavin Avatar
    Gavin

    Trump stopped DEI, but Hegseth is a DUI hire

    2

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