The Three Amigos of Government Demolition - Trump 47 Style

Topic: Perspective

I recently outlined some of my favorite picks for President Trump’s administration, and in doing so, did what I could to try and manage the extremely lofty expectations of many who may not be considering that any selection requiring Senate confirmation needs 51 votes to get through the process. Unfortunately, we must deal with political and bureaucratic realities when it comes to navigating this chapter of seeking to undo decades of ignorance, neglect, and political malpractice.

Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense and Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence are two of the picks I focused on, and I believe both are excellent picks in line with Trump’s agenda who also stand as a confirmation that Trump does indeed remember his pledge to do things differently. Skeptics will point out the selection of career politicians for certain posts, or perhaps even under-qualified or seemingly poor choices for positions like Surgeon General, but I remain convinced that some positions are of greater use to the Trump 47 administration than others are. To use a sports analogy, this would be like keeping a sub-par punter on the roster when your gameplan is to go for every fourth down you face all season long.

Last night, President Trump announced his intent to have Kash Patel serve as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Current Director Chris Wray will need to step down from that position or be shitcanned by Trump as soon as he takes office, but either way, Wray is near the end of the line, and that is long overdue. Patel will need to be confirmed by the Senate, and I expect any day now we will find strategically planted media outlining specifically how “Republican” Senators Lisa Murkowski and/or Susan Collins are offended by the selection, and while they have no issue confirming radical left-wing Biden judges at the eleventh hour, the easily offended people they represent simply will not allow for them to confirm someone who appears solely focused on going on offense against the thieving, corrupt bureaucrats that have brought America to the brink of extinction (sarcasm intended).

My article today summarizes precisely why I’m so frustrated with people who do nothing but find things to be upset about, when the most important tenets of the Trump agenda are brilliantly staffed and planned for. You have Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., leading the charge to reduce the landwhale population and rid us of dependency on vaccines and big pharma, Tom Homan in a position that doesn’t require Senate confirmation leading the world’s biggest catapult manufacturing rush because he can’t wait to start un-assing squatters from America, and other high-quality picks for positions you didn’t think we had. Sure, there are some B and C choices in the Cabinet – but you must decide how many months out of a 48-month presidency you want Trump to spend trying to get his team in place and work from there.

Intelligence (not the type between your ears, but the military and/or strategic type) is a topic I’ve always found fascinating. Many who read this column are probably on heightened alert when they hear the term intelbecause they’ve been conditioned to believe that all intelligence professionals are deep staters who spy on the public and report back to their masters who must control them through coercion or blackmail; however, military intelligence has been a thing since men first threw sticks and stones at one another in anger. Wars and conflicts are won or lost based upon the quality of the intelligence by which mission plans are created, and all three of Hegseth, Gabbard, and Patel, if confirmed, will be deeply immersed within the intelligence picture and play a key role in crafting it for good, and turning it away from being weaponized against American citizens. Most specifically, two of these choices (Gabbard and Patel) will play a key role in shaking things up in such a way that Americans will be able to spend much less time worrying about domestic spying, surveillance, and foul play than they do today.

These are the key roles I expect each to play in their new positions with regard to what Americans need most:

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Pate Hegseth

Pete Hegseth is facing the strongest headwinds of the three at present, with the military industrial complex throwing everything it can at him to dissuade the spineless Senate body from confirming him as the next Secretary of Defense. One of these days, I truly hope political observers will learn to separate a man’s personal life from his prescribed role in government. I would rather have someone of a strong will and sound core belief system who has taken his share of lumps and made his share of mistakes leading a critical unit like the Department of Defense than I would a squeaky-clean weakling who will cave to pressure in how he oversees the military and advocates for its use.

Moderation isn’t easy for most people, and it is understandable given how frequently they’ve been stabbed in the back by so-called “moderates.” I’m not calling for anyone to moderate sincerely held beliefs; I am, however, calling for people to understand that while in no way should we support pointless, unjust, and endless wars of empire, it is essential that we maintain a strong defense force (as opposed to an expeditionary military that fights wars of choice at the behest of the world’s elite).

When my father came home from his war, another pointless one fought in the jungles of Southeast Asia, the military was in shambles. A decade of fighting had spawned internal problems in the service branches (does that sound familiar?), and in the 1970s, the military was riddled with drugs, alcoholism, and wanton substance abuse. We were in no position to defend our own country if we were invaded – which ultimately is the primary function of any military.

Today’s military is a freakshow of epic proportions, made up of subpar recruits and overweight service members that can’t pass the standard PT test, politically chosen commanders (yes men) starting as far down on the totem pole as the battalion level (O-5), and the random collection of tailor-made soldiers and relics hanging on for a pension. While I am thankful I served even when my service took me to a deployment that illuminated the truth about the military industrial complex, there is no way in hell I would join the military today if I were once again a college student figuring out where to make my mark. Once you understand the wars that have been waged since World War II have been unwinnable, you never look back. This view is clearly shared by a wide swath of young Americans, who are avoiding military service even if they belong to the dwindling population of young people who can meet minimum fitness standards for enlistment.

A Secretary Hegseth will be forced to radically reinvent the military culture in a short period, instilling a sense of discipline while not totally splintering the existing force, which must remain in some capacity for continuity, manning, and operational readiness. The culture has, unfortunately, gone weak. When I put my uniform up to hang in my closet for the last time more than a decade ago, soldiers and officers were already being forced to sit through kinder, gentler Army briefings about how to not offend women and minorities, when in reality, military units are the most diverse racial, ethnic, economic, and geographic arrays of personnel found anywhere and in any industry, and as such, arguably the least bigoted. Training like that is a waste of time.

For those of you wondering “Why Hegseth?” – look at his record of commentary on wokeism and the negative impact it has made on society and our institutions, particularly the military. While I am nearly a full isolationist and not in support of shedding blood on behalf of any nation, I am no pacifist, either. If we are to have conflict or war, especially thanks to the maintenance of an open border allowing in military-aged men from over 100 countries, then we must have the most capable fighting force possible. A capable fighting force cannot be maintained when it is choking on the viruses of wokeism, cultural Marxism, weakness, and politicking. Secretary Hegseth’s selection for this role is meant to unleash him as a hammer of reform on a once-proud institution collapsing under the weight of “everyone gets a trophy” and lifelong bureaucrats like Mark Milley.

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Tulsi Gabbard