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This morning I live-streamed Pete Hegseth’s testimony before the House Armed Services Committee — and it did not disappoint, for all the wrong reasons.
Before Hegseth even opened his mouth, the hearing’s opening statements set the tone. Democratic ranking member Adam Smith delivered what I called a killer opening — methodical, surgical, and devastating, even if it lacked the kind of emotional heat that would make for a viral clip. Smith tore apart the administration’s claim that its foreign policy constitutes “realism,” pointing out that starting a full-scale war in the Middle East, going it alone, burning alliances, gutting the State Department, and dispatching Jared Kushner and a real estate lawyer to negotiate with Iran is the furthest thing from a realist strategy. His Princess Bride analogy — “you keep using that word; I don’t think it means what you think it means” — was the line of the morning.
Then Hegseth took the mic. And the spin machine kicked into overdrive. “Historic” — a word he apparently cannot stop using — appeared so many times I started counting. He boasted about 70,000 new defense jobs while the broader U.S. economy has added zero net jobs since Trump took office. He bragged about military success against Iran while Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missiles, and control of the Strait of Hormuz remain entirely intact. And the president, we were reminded, actually announced a week ago that Iran had agreed to everything — a statement that turned out to be completely fabricated, as a humiliated J.D. Vance discovered at the airport.
My frustration peaked, though, not at the Republicans — I’ve long since stopped expecting anything from them — but at the Democrats, who squandered moments to land real punches. I wanted them to hammer Hegseth on the Geneva Convention violations, the Pentagon prayer services, and the Pulp Fiction psalm incident — yes, that actually happened. Instead, they went for safer ground.
The hearing went on recess. I took a breath. We’ll see if the second half delivers what the first half promised.
