Pete Hegseths success draws Democrats impeachment fire

Democrats need a scalp.And that scalp is almost surely going to belong to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.Impeaching President Trump for the third time holds far too many political risks with no corresponding upside.Another prosecution of the president, in the year of “affordability,” would only make Democrats look distracted by petty partisan politics and personal vendettas, rousing independent anger.Hegseth? His impeachment would satiate some partisan bloodlust without ticking off independents.Most polling finds Hegseth is the least popular member of Trump’s cabinet.It’s no more complicated than that.This is why House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is a “hard yes” on impeaching Hegseth in 2027, describing him as one of the most incompetent and unqualified defense secretaries in history.Jeffries has apparently forgotten that Joe Biden’s highly qualified Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin not only disappeared for weeks at a time without informing Congress (or anyone noticing), but also oversaw the chaotic and inept withdrawal from Afghanistan — in which a suicide bomber murdered 13 American service members.Jeffries publicly defended Austin after his disappearances, in case you think the impeachment plan is anything but partisan.Though I’m skeptical Hegseth was the best person for the job, he’s proven to be a lot more capable than Lloyd Austin.Support it or not, the initial military phase of the Iran war was extraordinarily successful, one of the most dominant military displays of precision and power in our history.Within days the United States, with the help of Israel, had control of Iranian air, decapitated Iranian leadership, destroyed the Iranian navy and severely degraded the terror state’s ability to conduct regional warfare.And it was all done with very few casualties.The war’s fits and starts and failed negotiations were all political decisions.Then there was Operation Absolute, in which special forces bypassed Venezuelan air defenses ...