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Senator Tillis’ Vote in Support of Pete Hegseth

Sometimes, if something smells like a skunk, it is

John Dean
Dean’s List
Published in
3 min readJan 25, 2025

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Photo by Wallace Keck via Wikimedia Commons.

Congratulations, America. An unqualified Christian nationalist with serious alcohol problems and a history of sexual assault allegations dogging him has been confirmed as Secretary of Defense by the U.S. Senate.

I’m hoping for the best — May Pete Hegseth prove all my worries unfounded, abstain from the bottle for four years (or, better, for the rest of his life), and abandon his most radical misogynistic views about women in the military. I think this lift is too heavy, even for someone who can do five sets of 47 pushups in a single exercise session.

Hegseth’s time at the Pentagon will not turn out well, but let’s focus on the Senate vote that will put him in charge of over two million servicemembers and civilians and hope that if President Trump bothers to consult him before using a nuclear weapon, Hegseth will be sober.

Hegseth’s confirmation came with the help of a tie-breaking vote by Vice President J.D. Vance, a man qualified to serve in his office only because the vice president does not do much of consequence. That vote was necessary because all but three Senate Republicans- Collins (ME), Murkowski (AK), and…

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Dean’s List
Dean’s List

Published in Dean’s List

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John Dean
John Dean

Written by John Dean

Writing on politics, photography, nature, the environment, dogs, and, occasionally, humor. Editor of Dean’s List.

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