33 Comments
User's avatar
james (seenitbefore)'s avatar

Soooooo, Our DoD and DoS and all the NS establishments have been run by experts for the past 35 years; how has that worked out? I could pick someone off the street and run these agencies as well as the current suspects. The baby needs to be thrown out with bath water so that we can start over. Putin has said no first strike; if Trump says no first strike then no fear of nukes. Lets talk about conventional losses such as the Abraham Lincoln returning to San Diego.

Expand full comment
Lee Sanders's avatar

Are they going to stop the chemtrails?

Expand full comment
Jeff Cook-Coyle's avatar

You might find the Hegseth interview on the Shawn Ryan Show to be helpful. Hegseth is no fool. He is focused on the mission. He sees our military engagements since the turn of the century as folly. So focusing on the mission means focusing on clearing out those focused on secondary issues. It means raising standards to remove women from combat roles.

The only thing he contradicted himself on was women-integrated combat units. He started by saying no way, those are inherently complicated for no benefit. But later he said that women who can pass the standard (circa 1995) requirements should be allowed in.

Expand full comment
Retired FL LEO's avatar

Bingo, ok so he hasn’t mastered the Beltway double speak, but his position that DOD is for defense of the US not foreign adventurism correct. I like the pick, MIC board members and old generals have gotten us nowhere in the last couple of decades.

Expand full comment
Chuck l's avatar

I think our views split over these nominations. Maybe I’m so pro trump I don’t see the concern. I’m excited for the team. I’ve sent my cv to Elon. I want to burn corruption to the ground.

Expand full comment
AmericanCardigan's avatar

I saw where Elon said it’ll be a stressful tedious job with zero pay. He and Vivek will only review the top 1% applicants. Not clear yet on the process to be a 1%er or criteria to make the cut.

Expand full comment
AmericanCardigan's avatar

Also read where Musk is looking for super high IQ which leaves me out. I suggest one of you all commenters try.

Expand full comment
Chuck l's avatar

I’m a retired Marine. Just retired from a second career. I don’t need money. A parking space would be nice.

Expand full comment
Mark Wauck's avatar

The US government now spends as much on debt service as on defense, per Bloomberg:

Expand full comment
Nutmeg's avatar

I believe it's more on debt service than defense. Just over a trillion in debt service and $850 billion or so for defense. Those numbers are off the top of my head, so they might be a little off.

Expand full comment
Mark Wauck's avatar

Michael Tracey

@mtracey

Tulsi Gabbard said Trump had instigated a "state of war" with Iran by drone-strike assassinating Soleimani. She accused Trump of committing an "illegal and unconstitutional act of war" that had "no justification whatsoever." ...

Expand full comment
dissonant1's avatar

It is good that she will now be in his administration as a check against those who would prompt him to order similar acts, especially through the use of biased or false intelligence reporting.

Expand full comment
Mark Wauck's avatar

Michael Tracey

@mtracey

Steve Witkoff, Trump's pick for "Special Envoy to the Middle East," is a prolific "pro-Israel" donor and fundraiser for the Israeli military

Expand full comment
james (seenitbefore)'s avatar

Its pretty difficult to appoint someone who is not influenced by the Anglo-Jewish lobby AIPAC. Trumps appointees except for Treasury have no blood ties to Israel; that is an improvement.

Expand full comment
Mark Wauck's avatar

Neither did Biden and he was CinC.

Expand full comment
Mark Wauck's avatar

Michael Tracey

@mtracey

According to Israeli media, Trump has conveyed to Israeli government officials that on his first day in office, "right after the inauguration ceremony," he will escalate arms shipments to Israel and remove whatever minor constraints the Biden Administration may have imposed

Expand full comment
It's Just Me's avatar

Not good, if true.

Expand full comment
aDoozy's avatar

I trust Israeli media as much as I trust US mainstream media: ZERO

Expand full comment
Mark Wauck's avatar

Mearsheimer: Russia has won and they will demand terms that recognize that fact.

Expand full comment
Cosmo T Kat's avatar

I'm surprised with just what I read from the Hegseth interview that you posted here. It's not just shallow, it's outdated and shallow. So many people hold this outdated view of Russia and conflating it with cold war Soviet Union. I have come to embrace the idea the West has painted Putin horribly wrong, do not understand the Russian people and what drives them because the West always needs an enemy they can paint as the really bad guy on the world stage. This is just projection. So, through constant propaganda and social engineering they can fool the American people all the time. The Ukraine conflict has opened many peoples eyes to the lie that Russia is and always has been the aggressor.

Expand full comment
aDoozy's avatar

Exactly.

Over decades Russia has been painted to the American people as the enemy monster. It is Communist still, Putin is a dictator...we all have heard it. If an enemy is painted, he is a target to be vanquished.

War. Money to be made.

So it goes with Iran, too.

I do not want the US to attack other sovereign countries! NO!

Expand full comment
Mark Wauck's avatar

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/trump-nominates-rfk-jr-hhs-secretary

This, of course, is another one that Dems will fight tooth and nail.

Expand full comment
AmericanCardigan's avatar

Do you rate RFK Jr. above or below Xavier Becerra aptitude wise?

Expand full comment
Mark Wauck's avatar

I'm sure Kennedy is a very smart guy, aptitude wise. My concern--because he's a died in the wool prog in many areas--is that he'll fill HHS with kindred spirits.

Expand full comment
dissonant1's avatar

I don't care who he gets to do it as long as he is able to get rid of regulatory/agency capture by Big Pharma.

Expand full comment
AmericanCardigan's avatar

so kindred spirits similar to Xavier Becerra's? May not need to see much change in the HHS labor force then. OR a different type of progressive... one that is skeptical of gov't.? Thinking out loud... are progressives skeptical of gov't.?

Expand full comment
Candis's avatar

Only if being skeptical of government serves their purpose in the moment.

Expand full comment
Texas Khaan's avatar

EXCELLENT!!!

Expand full comment
ML's avatar

Yes! Resoundingly good news! I just have to believe that Trump is intent and focused on getting the right people around him - those whom he can trust, and those whose expertise and experience qualify them to serve…it’s good to hear the various reactions Mark has assembled - Freeman, LJ, Doctorow - the SecState decision seems to be a tough one - I do hope Trump selects wisely and we can blow the Blinken/Sullivan taco stand sky high.

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment removed
Nov 14
Comment removed
Expand full comment
AmericanCardigan's avatar

I disagree. Pompeo was everywhere. Always on foreign trips. I thought he was a fairly effective SoS. He was not trustworthy though.

Expand full comment
Cosmo T Kat's avatar

Was Pompeo everywhere to make sure his tribute arrived on time? /sarc

Expand full comment