Pete Hegseth's TV clout will get him confirmed as Pentagon chief

Pete Hegseth didn't come across as a likeable next-door-neighbour type when he appeared before the Senate armed services committee for his confirmation appearance as nominated defence secretary. But he demonstrated the sort of pazazz and confidence you get after years of appearances as a presenter on Fox News. He oozed pazazz, often overtalking senators trying to get their picky questions out. It didn't seem to matter what the senators accused him of, he either ignored them or gave answers that bore little relation to the question or just praised Donald Trump. He has clearly changed his mind on a lot of things, especially his pronounced views spelled out in the past about how women should NOT be allowed to serve in combat roles. The answers he gave yesterday on this issue didn't amount to a total U-turn but, effectively, he tried to reassure the committee that he wouldn't ban women in such roles provided they were up to it. It's a bit of a double-header answer because the military has always said there was no question of lowering standards for women. Those women who have passed the qualification tests for getting frontline combat roles have all been tough cookies. So, presumably, under a Hegseth command, these women, and others who pass the tests, will carry on being combat soldiers or sailors. The fact that he wasn't absolutely clear on this point was an example of his clever presentation of facts and views nurtured from his career as a television presenter. So, call it bluster or ommision, Hegseth held his own with the senators, some of whom seemed a bit out of their depth with such a smart nominee. Yes, it will be Hegseth for the Pentagon. Marco Rubio will sail through for the job of secretary of state. The next tricky one will be Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence. Like Hegseth, she is a veteran, but there are a lot of senators, not all Democrats, who don't like her or trust her.