Of character

Written by

April 4, 2026

Hegseth continues his campaign to rid the US military of competent people.

Ousted Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Randy George, told Pentagon officials in an outgoing email that U.S. soldiers deserve “courageous leaders of character,” after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asked him to step down and take immediate retirement.

CBS News exclusively reported earlier this week on the general’s ousting, with one source saying Hegseth wants someone in the role who will implement his and President Trump’s vision for the Army.

Their vision for the Army is that all brass will wear too-small jackets the way Hegseth does, because he thinks it makes him look muscular as opposed to ridiculous. All the wars will be won in an hour or less!

Hegseth has fired more than a dozen senior military officers, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife and the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse.

Their jackets fit them too well.

Comments

9 responses to “Of character”

Dave Ricks

Apr 4, 2026 8:45 PM

Suits give men with ordinary bodies more powerful shoulders. (I forgot if I read that in the Paul Fussell book on Class in America, or in a John Malloy book on Dress for Success or Live for Success.)

I imagine Hegseth has a body with powerful shoulders, and he seems to be doing something wrong with suits.

If I was him, I would look at photos of athletes in suits, and see how they look comfortable.
Ophelia Benson

Apr 5, 2026 5:27 AM

I was so curious about his hideous bulging-jacket look that I googled it, and learned that he does it on purpose and it’s a thing that fools like him do because it makes them look MuscuLar. Well, yes, it does, sort of, but it much more makes them look like a damn fool.
Papito

Apr 5, 2026 6:19 AM

Would it be unfair to our Teutonic chums to call him “Pee Wee German?”
Acolyte of Sagan

Apr 5, 2026 7:24 AM

It makes him look like he’s wearing hand-me-ups.
Bjarte Foshaug

Apr 5, 2026 7:56 AM

To describe Hegseth as an empty suit, is to give him too much credit. An empty suit would be a step up in his case.
iknklast

Apr 5, 2026 9:15 AM

It never makes them look more muscular to me; it makes them look fat.
Ophelia Benson

Apr 5, 2026 9:57 AM

But it also makes them look like people with no aesthetic judgement.
maddog1129

Apr 5, 2026 9:59 AM

Yes, bursting buttons is not a flattering look.
Your Name’s not Bruce?

Apr 5, 2026 1:59 PM

This “administration” , more than most, relies on image rather than actuality. We have the example from the top, with Darth Cheeto and his Atomic Combover who lies about his intelligence, health, cognitive ability, and just about everything else. Being “Secretary of War” does not require any personal strength or physical capacity. Looking like you might split a seam at if you bend over or reach for a drink does not make you “tough” or “dangerous”. Nobody thinks you’re going to Hulk out on them because you’re dressing a size smaller than you should. It makes you look like a posturing windbag who thinks appearance is more important than ability. But if you have no ability, the only kind of facade you can present is an empty one.

It seems that Hegseth has to fire everyone who has more talent, skill, knowledge and experience in order to feel secure about himself. That’s a big list of pople. Doing this just before, or during a war, is not really a very good idea. Just ask Stalin. (I suppose we should be greatful that Trump and Hegseth aren’t killing those officers they’re removing.) If all your experts and advisors tell you that going to war is a bad idea, removing them and replacing them all with a staff of yes men is not going to turn it into a good one. It’s only going to make things worse, by turning a bad idea into a poorly executed bad idea.But, purgers gotta purge. If racial purity, male supremacy, and loyalty to the Leader becomes more important than doing your actual job, be prepared to order more body bags.