Incompetents and Morons, One and All, but One Stands Out From the Rest

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart

On fact no one with average intelligence can deny, Trump’s cabinet, closest advisers, and leaders of critical agencies including the EPA, are the least qualified and incapable men and women in our nation.

However, one slightly stands out from the rest.

A COMPARISON BETWEEN PETE HEGSETH AND JAMES, “MADDOG,” MATTIS

We know the stories about disgraced former Homeland Security Director, Kristi Noem, and her counterpart, Attorney General Pam Bondi. We have watched the failures and incompetence of HHS Director Robert Kennedy and FBI Director, Kash Patel. However, Pete Hegseth is in a critical position as Secretary of Defense to cause greater harm to America and the world than any of the others. (I will never call his position “Secretary of War,” because the American people are opposed to all wars.)

To understand how dangerous Hegseth is, lets compare his resume to that of James, “Maddog,” Mattis, Trump’s first Secretary of Defense between 2017 and 2019.

JAMES MATTIS: SECRETARY OF DEFENSE 2017-2019

James Mattis was born on September 8, 1950 in Richland Washington. He enlisted into the United States Marine Corp Reserve at the age of 18. After graduating from Central Washington University in 1971, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corp.

Mattis served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. His non-combat assignments included serving as Senior Military Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense; as Director, Marine Corps Manpower Plans & Policy; as Commanding General, Marine Corps Co mbat Development Command; and as Executive Secretary to the Secretary of Defense.

Mattis served in every area of the military gaining experience and a reputation as an accomplished member of the United States military.

He retired from the Marine Corp in 2013 as a respected and decorated four-star general.

Just before Christmas in 2019, Mattis resigned his position as Secretary of Defense in protest after Trump announced that he was removing all U.S. forces from Syria.

PETE HEGSETH: SECRETARY OF DEFENSE 2025-PRESENT

Peter Hegseth was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 6, 1980. He graduated from Princeton in 2003 with a B.A, and from Harvard with an M.P.P. in 2013.

He served in the Army National Guard from 2002-2021, retiring with the rank of Major. He served in Iraq for a short time as an infantry officer, but taken off of combat duty and placed in a clerical position. Hegseth never completed e Ranger School, Airborne School, or Air Assault School.

His time spent in the military was less than outstanding. His personal opinions were frequently controversial, including his unconstitutional support of using United States military forces to prevent protests and mass protests within our nation’s shores.

From 2007-2012, he served as Director of the military charity, Vets for Freedom. He was fired from the agency after accusations came forward that he was embezzling funds from the organization.

In 2012, he failed to receive the Republican Party’s U.S. Senate nomination in Minnesota.

In 2013, he joined the right-wing propaganda machine, calling itself Fox News.

Throughout his private life, he was known as an alcoholic who made a spectacle of himself in public, including strip clubs. His own mother referred to him as a sexual predator.

In November of 2024, Trump nominated him for the position of Secretary of State. In that same month, he was accused of sexual assault by a woman in Monterey California. She claimed he attacked her in her hotel room.

On January 24, 2025, Hegseth was barely confirmed by the United States Senate with the smallest margin possible, 51-50. The deciding vote was cast by Vice-President J.D. Vance.

YOU MAKE THE DECISION

Would you prefer a professional, decorated, respected man to lead our nation’s armed forces or Pete Hegseth? A short examination of Hegseth’s failures over the last 15 months will influence your answer. Your decision is obvious.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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Sources: pbs.org: James Mattis on why he left the Trump administration but won't criticize it

war.org: James N. Mattis Former Secretary of Defense

cnn.com: Pete Hegseth Fast Facts

reddit.com: What's the deal with Pete Hegseth? Am I the only veteran that recognizes this guy's personality?