Hegseth's Culture-War Theatrics Mask Mismanagement of the Iran War and Have Made Him Politically Vulnerable
Source: Susan B. Glasser. "Pete Hegseth Just Declared Victory in the Wrong War | The New Yorker." October 1, 2026. www.newyorker.com
The Gist
Susan Glasser argues that Pete Hegseth is fighting the wrong war: while he's busy bragging about winning a culture war inside the Pentagon against 'wokeness,' he's badly bungling the actual shooting war with Iran, which has caused real economic and military damage. Because of this mismanagement, even Republicans in Congress are now turning against him, and he looks likely to become the first major target of political accountability after the midterm elections.
Conclusion
Pete Hegseth's declaration of 'victory' in a domestic culture war against 'wokeness' is a dangerous misdirection, since his actual record—mismanaging an unpopular and costly real war with Iran, purging military leadership, and prioritizing ideology over competence—has made him a political liability likely to face serious congressional accountability, possibly impeachment, after the midterms.
Premises
- Hegseth's 'State of the Force' speech focused almost entirely on domestic culture-war targets ('woke,' 'weak,' 'wimps,' 'radicals') while nearly omitting any substantive discussion of the ongoing war with Iran, China, Russia, or global geopolitics.
- The war with Iran, which Hegseth claimed was 'over' and a 'roaring success,' has in reality resulted in Iran gaining control of the Strait of Hormuz, global economic turmoil, record-high diesel prices, billions in damage to U.S. bases, and depleted munitions stocks.
- Congress, including Republicans, has pushed back concretely by refusing to approve $67 billion in emergency war funding and stalling the $1.5-trillion defense budget, citing distrust in the Pentagon's civilian leadership.
- Prominent Republicans (Senator Thom Tillis, Representative Thomas Massie) have publicly called for Hegseth's removal or filed impeachment articles, and House leadership canceled business apparently to avoid an embarrassing impeachment vote.
- Hegseth has fired roughly ten percent of generals with plans to fire ten percent more, disproportionately targeting women and people of color, and has overseen legally questionable lethal strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean.
- Major news outlets (New York Times, Washington Post) have reported that Hegseth is now at his weakest point and a likely target for removal after the midterm elections.
- The timing of Hegseth's triumphalist speech—amid record-high fuel prices tied to the war and before midterms where the war's unpopularity is hurting Republicans—reflects poor political judgment consistent with his broader pattern of mismanagement.
Assumptions
- A Defense Secretary's primary duty is competent management of actual military conflicts and the armed forces, not ideological messaging.
- Congressional Republicans' willingness to criticize or investigate Hegseth signals a genuine, bipartisan loss of confidence rather than mere political posturing.
- Public and congressional dissatisfaction with the Iran war's costs and conduct will translate into concrete accountability actions (investigations, hearings, possible impeachment) after the midterms.
- Hegseth's media-honed persona and culture-war rhetoric are substitutes for, rather than complements to, substantive military leadership.
- Trump's own shifting rhetoric (from opposing 'dumb wars' to prosecuting a costly Middle East conflict) reflects a real policy failure rather than acceptable strategic evolution.