I thought it would go badly --
I just didn't think this badly. I figured that Trump would find some bullsh*t offramp about a couple of weeks in that would satisfy his MAGA base.
But the price of hubris and incompetence was even higher than I imagined.
In an IQ sense, Hegseth is far from an idiot. He went to Princeton. I'm hardly an expert in the military but his highest rank was as a major. That's far below the rank where you're in charge of big-stage strategy. At most you learn tactics to execute someone else's strategy.
It's about like taking a manager of an Apple store and making her a really important VP of the company without a competent CEO.
--
"Somewhere in Middle America"
Complete thread:
- The terms of the US's surrender in the Iran war are stark. -
domer.mq,
2026-06-18, 09:03
![[*]](themes/default/images/complete_thread.png "Open whole thread")
- We are in "Imperial Overstretch" -- -
omahadomer,
2026-06-20, 08:37
- He would have done better to just skulk away. -
domer.mq,
2026-06-20, 19:36
- We tried that. -
nedhead,
2026-06-21, 01:11
- Which is the case right now.
![[ [ No text ] ]](themes/default/images/no_text.png "Empty posting / no text")
-
domer.mq,
2026-06-21, 13:53
- Sustainable for months, probably not longer. - nedhead, 2026-06-21, 14:38
- I’m surprised that anyone thinks this likely would’ve all -
Joe I,
2026-06-21, 14:20
- I thought it would go badly -- -
omahadomer,
2026-06-21, 21:10
- Hegseth’s biggest challenge isn’t his IQ -
atxND,
2026-06-22, 07:42
- he was in my cousin’s platoon in Iraq -
Jay,
2026-06-22, 10:53
- Douglas C. Neidermeyer, Sergeant at Arms. -
San Pedro,
2026-06-23, 16:09
- Wouldn't he be more like Stratton? -
nedhead,
2026-06-23, 17:31
- Wouldn't he be more like Stratton?
- I think we all take your meaning. -
NDinVA,
2026-06-23, 15:02
- Douglas C. Neidermeyer, Sergeant at Arms.
- I rate his Ivy-intelligence score at 0.87 DeSantis -
KGB,
2026-06-22, 09:32
- One of the beauties of grad school is meeting Ivy Leaguers -
atxND,
2026-06-22, 10:19
- One of the beauties of meeting Ivy League law grads - omahadomer, 2026-06-22, 18:03
- One of the beauties of grad school is meeting Ivy Leaguers -
atxND,
2026-06-22, 10:19
- he was in my cousin’s platoon in Iraq -
Jay,
2026-06-22, 10:53
- Hegseth’s biggest challenge isn’t his IQ -
atxND,
2026-06-22, 07:42
- I thought it would go badly -- -
omahadomer,
2026-06-21, 21:10
- Which is the case right now.
- We tried that. -
nedhead,
2026-06-21, 01:11
- He would have done better to just skulk away. -
domer.mq,
2026-06-20, 19:36
- Are these two paragraphs distinguishing energy v. weapons? - Grantland, 2026-06-19, 06:16
- Sounds like they went easy on us - fightinamish, 2026-06-18, 19:51
- I heard someone describe it as late-empire rome - MattG, 2026-06-18, 12:33
- What a joke! - oviedoirish, 2026-06-18, 12:32
- What does the $300B buy us? -
San Pedro,
2026-06-18, 09:41
- I'd like to know exactly WHOSE $300Billion that is. -
BillyGoat,
2026-06-19, 09:12
- Mine. Yours. And everyone else's. -
Chris,
2026-06-19, 10:10
- Just think though, Musk cold give $300 billion to Iran -
NDinVA,
2026-06-19, 18:56
- Then he could yank the SEC around a little bit - Regular Joseph, 2026-06-19, 21:07
- Just think though, Musk cold give $300 billion to Iran -
NDinVA,
2026-06-19, 18:56
- Me too. -
San Pedro,
2026-06-19, 09:15
- Mine. Yours. And everyone else's.
- Some GOP nitwit used the term "Peace in our time" - Jack, 2026-06-19, 09:03
- If someone has their knee on your neck - atxND, 2026-06-18, 19:08
- Peace? -
nedhead,
2026-06-18, 18:37
- Don’t pull the thang out unless you plan to bang -
atxND,
2026-06-19, 19:47
- fight the civil war until -
Regular Joseph,
2026-06-19, 21:21
- Oh, I probably agree with you ultimately - atxND, 2026-06-20, 06:33
- fight the civil war until -
Regular Joseph,
2026-06-19, 21:21
- The better alternative... -
domer.mq,
2026-06-18, 19:50
- Sure, but we can't go back in time. -
nedhead,
2026-06-18, 19:52
- Was Hiroshima a tolerable outcome for Japan -
KGB,
2026-06-19, 05:34
- I don't understand this line of argument. -
nedhead,
2026-06-19, 06:07
- The reparations paid would be obscene -
KGB,
2026-06-19, 11:17
- Would you rather try to keep the cease fire indefinitely, -
nedhead,
2026-06-19, 15:43
- I would rather that the inflamed hemorrhoid in charge - KGB, 2026-06-19, 16:32
- He’s already started his Throw JD Vance Under the Bus tour - Joe I, 2026-06-19, 14:42
- Would you rather try to keep the cease fire indefinitely, -
nedhead,
2026-06-19, 15:43
- The reparations paid would be obscene -
KGB,
2026-06-19, 11:17
- I don't understand this line of argument. -
nedhead,
2026-06-19, 06:07
- Was Hiroshima a tolerable outcome for Japan -
KGB,
2026-06-19, 05:34
- Sure, but we can't go back in time.
- Don’t pull the thang out unless you plan to bang -
atxND,
2026-06-19, 19:47
- It buys us Trump’s attempt at development deals - Joe I, 2026-06-18, 12:21
- Its helps secure Iran’s new young extremist leader. -
Mark,
2026-06-18, 10:00
- This doesn’t address my question. -
San Pedro,
2026-06-18, 12:19
- This doesn’t address my question.
- It buys us not having our Oil reserves go to 0 next month. -
domer.mq,
2026-06-18, 09:53
- Our oil reserves are nearly empty? -
San Pedro,
2026-06-18, 12:18
- as I have learned recently, it's a complex question -
domer.mq,
2026-06-18, 12:29
- I guess taking over Venezuela - Jeremy (WeIsND), 2026-06-18, 12:54
- as I have learned recently, it's a complex question -
domer.mq,
2026-06-18, 12:29
- Our oil reserves are nearly empty? -
San Pedro,
2026-06-18, 12:18
- I'd like to know exactly WHOSE $300Billion that is.
- We are in "Imperial Overstretch" -- -
omahadomer,
2026-06-20, 08:37