One further comment on Conoboy’s article: Read today’s online addition of Jane Mayer’s article in the New Yorker, detailing Hegseth’s sordid track record of managerial incompetence, drunkenness, and sexual harrassment (and allegedly worse) against women in his employ.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/pete-hegseths-secret-history

Thanks to Dick Conoboy for asking the “Duh!” obvious question, why are manifestly unqualified candidates for cabinet jobs not mortified with shame? Many commentators have lambasted Hegseth and Gabbard as unqualified, but to the best of my knowledge, only Conoboy has asked the most basic meta-question. 

Additionally, let’s look at would have been (in a normal world) a showstopper for Hegseth and Gabbard. That is, ability to have a security clearance. I had a Q clearance for 35 years of my career. Nobody with Hegseth’s drinking problem and behavioral issues, and nobody with Gabbard’s well documented entanglements with countries doing us harm, would have had a chance of a snowball in Hell of getting a security clearance back in the day of normalcy.

Thanks again Dick for saying the previously unsaid.