Hegseth Doesn’t Even Qualify To Be Called A “Boot Butter Bar”

In military slang “Boot” is not a kind term. Whether used as a noun or an adjective it’s term of scorn or derision. Fun fact even many who’ve served don’t know: “Boot” is an acronym. B.O.O.T as in Barely Out Of Training. Calling someone a “boot” or referring to some stupid, idiotic thing they did as “boot” is an everyday occurrence. It’s meant to convey that someone’s clueless, inadequate, incompetent etc.  “Butter Bar” (sometimes “Brown Bar”) is a term applied to 2nd Lieutenants or Navy Ensigns. Their emblem of rank is a single gold bar on the collar. Again the term Butter/Brown Bar is anything but one of respect. Some individual fresh out of training is viewed with trepidation both by those of lesser ranks AND their superiors. All too often they are too full of themselves to “Know what they DON’T know.” Let’s put it together now so you get the point: “Boot Butter Bar” refers to a brand new 2nd Lt./Ensign and a term of intended criticism and/or disrespect.

Now think of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense. There’s his lack of actual qualifications for such a post AND his clear lack of character. Now add in his smugness, his sense of entitlement from his privileged life and I say he doesn’t even rise to the level of the lowest “Boot Butter Bar.” At best he’s someone who made it through the first week of Officer Candidate School, one of those OCs who if their Drill Instructors were perceptive would realize should never “put up bars” at all and drive them to drop out.  I’ll bet those who trained Hegseth when he was an Officer Candidate are feeling a sense of shame right now. His stint as a platoon leader in Afghanistan is being played up like he was commander of all our forces in the middle east.

That that one stint in combat (and he got the hell out of the military awfully quickly I might add) puts him on the level of senior combat leaders in that long war who did multiple tours. Who commanded Brigades. Divisions. Hell, served at the highest level of command!  Bullshit. Hegseth was by all accounts a competent platoon leader. One of thousands who did nothing to stand out from the crowd. We should acknowledge and respect that service. I’m serious about that – no snark at all. However that’s ALL it was. He led roughly forty infantrymen and spent some time in combat. That’s not nothing, but it’s ALL. Since then he’s run a couple of veteran oriented non-profits with only a handful of staff. Badly in both cases. I won’t go into details I’m sure you’ve read/heard about regarding financial issues, his partying/drinking and sexual misconduct.  Compared to every predecessor Hegseth is at best a “House Mouse” – someone who tidy’s up the C.O.’s office or living quarters.

However Hegseth didn’t come from nothing. He came from the “right kind of family”, went to Princeton (seems to have done fine there) and had the aforementioned “punched” military service ticket. Being quite articulate (at least when not drunk) with his square-jawed ‘All American’ white guy looks it’s not a surprise he wound up on Fox.  He’s telegenic and glib spouting conservative views so it makes sense Trump would have noticed him.  Even offered him a job in the new administration, but Secretary of Defense?  What the hell? It’s a HUGE job. Far beyond Hegseth’s capabilities to do. He brings NONE of the necessary experience and knowledge to the table that’s needed by a SecDef. I can only imagine what our allies must be thinking but I’m certain it’s not good.

For a short while there it looked like the nomination was starting to flounder. There was even a short time when talk of an alternative was coming out of Mar A Lago.  Sadly, GOP Senators are too gutless to stand up to Trump. Given Hegseth’s history of sexual abuse and even assault it seemed natural that Iowa’s Joni Ernst would foment enough opposition to force Trump to pick someone else on that basis alone. There’s a reason beyond being a woman and a Veteran who served over 20 years has devoted so much attention to women’s ability to serve in any role they are capable of filling. AND put so much effort into addressing the problem of sexual abuse and assault in the ranks. Ernst herself is a rape survivor.  It made sense she’d speak out early about concerns over Hegseth’s personal history.  However, even Ernst succumbed to the pressure and is now on board the Hegseth for SecDef train. Once I learned that my heart sank. If SHE wouldn’t stand up to Trump for damned sure Collins and Murkowski wouldn’t either. Nor would some of the GOP males in the Senate with strong reservations.

Now, as this article from The Hill tells us Majority Leader John Thune is pushing for a floor vote to confirm Hegseth. Democrats might delay things into the weekend but don’t hold your breath, even with the revelations about Hegseth that came to light this week. Information it seems the FBI agents doing his background investigation (the same ones who “investigated Kavanaugh perhaps?) Perhaps the train can be derailed at the last minute but I doubt it.  As I write this Hegseth has survived a procedural vote (barely) to move his confirmation forward with it scheduled for tomorrow evening. Collins and Murkowski voted no so the final count was 51 to 49. It remains to be seen what will  happen tomorrow but keep an eye on Mitch McConnell. HE can whip votes to derail this IF he chooses to do so.

However odds are Hegseth will be confirmed. And for the millions on active duty and the many more millions of us who’ve served the majority of us will be a combination of disappointed, fearful (for our National Security), disgusted, outraged and any of lots of other things. DEMORALIZED is what it boil down to. Having some “Boot Butter Bar” as SecDef will not go over well. And I suspect many like me will think he’s not even up to the level of a Boot Butter Bar given his lack of qualifications for the job. The title picture might not be all that far off the mark with Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, especially with Trump as Commander in Chief.

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