Dem
55
Ties
1
GOP
44
We don't mean that headline literally, of course. Figuratively. If Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth were literally to be spanked by a soldier... well, who knows what would happen.
In any event, when it comes to the military, Hegseth is very concerned with performative stuff, like ranting and raving about how much testosterone each soldier has. He does not seem to care much for the soldiers themselves, whether active-duty or retired. And as if on cue, given that we had just written an item about why the Democrats should impeach him when they have a chance, Hegseth and several cronies put on a public display of their feelings.
The site was the Tomb of the Unknowns, and Hegseth and several friends/underlings traveled there on Veterans Day in order to perform "respect" for veterans, particularly those who paid the ultimate price. While they were visiting, someone in the group told some sort of joke, and Hegseth & Co. began laughing. As anyone who has ever visited the Tomb of the Unknowns knows, this is a no-no. And if you violate the rules, the specialists who guard the tomb will make sure to let you know it. So it was with Hegseth's crew, and video of them being reprimanded quickly went viral:
For anyone having trouble making it out, what the soldier barked was: "All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times."
Looking to head off another PR crisis, Hegseth took lemons and made lemonade. That is to say, the next day, he invited the soldier in question to the Pentagon, and awarded him a Joint Service Commendation Medal. That's a pretty good recovery, but it does not change the fact that millions of people have seen the Hegseth party disrespecting America's war dead. (Z)