Hegseth's confirmation is awful news for global security, esp in a 50-50 tie. Cannot emphasise enough how unusual this is for Defense Secretary. Biden's Lloyd Austin got 93 votes to 2. A misogynist drunk, with little experience, now in charge of 3m personnel + $1Tn budget with a paper-thin mandate. - ThreadSky

sturdyalex.bsky.social • 112 days ago

Hegseth's confirmation is awful news for global security, esp in a 50-50 tie. Cannot emphasise enough how unusual this is for Defense Secretary. Biden's Lloyd Austin got 93 votes to 2.

A misogynist drunk, with little experience, now in charge of 3m personnel + $1Tn budget with a paper-thin mandate.

Comments

horningtoft.bsky.social•112 days ago

I've not yet seen much commentary on how this appointment might affect NATO given that the last time he was in power, Trump often whined about how he thought Europe wasn't paying its fair share.

romylangford.bsky.social•112 days ago

Hegseth also ground two small veteran charities into the ground financially. So Trump thought 'let's give him the largest military in the world & $trillions '.

mrdw98.bsky.social•112 days ago

Employ a clown you get a circus

alex-harvey-1960.bsky.social•112 days ago

I’ll just leave this here then:

agaland2dogs.bsky.social•112 days ago

Which means anyone will be able to tell him anything and he'll act out of ignorance. And/or be compromised within months. A perfect sock-puppet.

yorkshirepaddy.bsky.social•112 days ago

The Republicans are now little more than a cult. The GOP is dead and those taking its name are the most lily-livered sycophants in history.

ceruleanman.bsky.social•112 days ago

5-Eyes exchange will be restricted. A loose cannon will be in charge of defence.

mulvihill.bsky.social•112 days ago

Just give him a “control room” with a drinks cabinet and buttons that aren’t connected to anything.

agendaforreform.bsky.social•112 days ago

Ukraine being thrown under a bus will happen sooner rather than later.

spoonfidget.bsky.social•112 days ago

How can any responsible government share sensitive information with the US from now on‽

sturdyalex.bsky.social•112 days ago

Tulsi Gabbard will be amuch bigger problem in that respect.

spoonfidget.bsky.social•112 days ago

Trump's belief that he can override the normal vetting procedures to give his chosen people top secret/cosmic clearance is not compatible with various MOAs and other agreements with other members of NATO regarding the protection of shared sensitive data.

perahlberg.bsky.social•112 days ago

Do you think they will?

spoonfidget.bsky.social•112 days ago

I think it's problematic.
Sharing of sensitive data is covered by agreements, typically "Memoranda of Understanding" which set out the protection that will be given to various classifications of information or their equivalents under each signatories control.
If the standards can't be guaranteed...

spoonfidget.bsky.social•112 days ago

..because the vetting standards in the USA do not match those previously in place, other NATO countries may choose to limit how much they're prepared to share due to the risk of the information being diverted to hostile states.

drpaulitious.bsky.social•112 days ago

That's no mandate.

beegleboy.bsky.social•112 days ago

Let's hope he doesn't let soldiers shoot on protesting US citizens. That would be the end of the Union.

crungeoneer.bsky.social•112 days ago

he's been picked among other things, because he would 100% shoot american civilians with no hesitation

suegenevanana.bsky.social•112 days ago

The military could carry out a mass resignation and stop all this insanity.

juneussell.bsky.social•112 days ago

How does the narrow vote matter, going forward?

sturdyalex.bsky.social•112 days ago

Well, he will be ordering around five-star generals and staff with decades' service and experience. There are three possible routes to their respect: his experience and pedigree; his character and personal qualities; his political mandate. Two are non-starters and the third is hanging by a thread.

juneussell.bsky.social•112 days ago

Ah, I see. Thanks.

frusie.bsky.social•112 days ago

No mandate.

asaltyspice.bsky.social•112 days ago

What’s our safe word going to be? Bets on how long it’ll be till we need it. I’m going elevenses on his first day.

demoisellechaton.bsky.social•112 days ago

That whole admin is on a paper-thin mandate.

denkoryushin.bsky.social•112 days ago

Yup, ain't things just peachy. I'm going mad with anger.
I don't know where to put it. Fuck this sucks.

antonyp182.bsky.social•112 days ago

Super, not like the world could be destroyed with the press of a button or anything...

gxro6883.bsky.social•112 days ago

friedo90423867.bsky.social•109 days ago

Heros vs. Drunkards! What would Mrs. Rossevelt say to this nomination?

jameswoodfield.bsky.social•112 days ago

This whole sorry setup is like a ridiculous, over-the top Spitting Image caricature of the late Tory government.
And we thought that was a case of reductio ad absurdam.

thinkitthrough.bsky.social•112 days ago

Very very very bad.

smtuffy.bsky.social•112 days ago

How does the 50/50 vote make the news any worse?

eekyrich.bsky.social•112 days ago

I remind you the UK had Grant Shapps

marwoodwithnail.bsky.social•112 days ago

The UK is a pretend force in the world. No cunt fears us after the absolute state of what leaves our borders.

brokenbanker.bsky.social•112 days ago

the 50/50 makes no odds as Vance was always going to decide Trump. nor is it 'interesting' as I've seen suggested, that McConnell voted against; that repugnant geriatric old 💩head had the chance to do the right thing re Jan6th at the time, and refused to do so.

sturdyalex.bsky.social•112 days ago

I disagree.

https://bsky.app/profile/sturdyalex.bsky.social/post/3lgkz4x23w22h

brokenbanker.bsky.social•112 days ago

think you've missed my point, tbh, but thanks for your contribution

sturdyalex.bsky.social•112 days ago

Thanks for my contribution? You replied to me.

eekyrich.bsky.social•112 days ago

I don’t disagree with your point Alex but it’s not a counter to the point broken banker made

sturdyalex.bsky.social•112 days ago

I don't agree. "Makes no odds" suggests that it is irrelevant. It is not. It erodes the only source of legitimacy PH has, shallow as it was. And with people like Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard, and RFK Jr coming up, it sets up much more interesting confirmations that I would have anticipated last week.

debsyn.bsky.social•112 days ago

50:50 means he hasn't really got a democratic mandate either, to qualify him to order professionals around.

eekyrich.bsky.social•112 days ago

Nor tuffys

realcaptainhaddock.bsky.social•112 days ago

McConnell is one of the hand maidens of all this. That he’s suddenly had some sort of Damascene conversion and realised what he’s enabled is pure Face Eating Leopard Party. Fck him.

uncertainworld.bsky.social•112 days ago

Grant Shapps is a lot of things, but he's not, as far as I'm aware, a nazi.

eekyrich.bsky.social•112 days ago

But Michael Green may have been

mickeyhynes.bsky.social•112 days ago

He is horrifically under qualified and of poor character, but my experience with C-Suite characters is that you can get very far by blagging it. So long as he can keep up appearances, he might survive it. Might.