Puffed-up Petey Stumbles on "60 Minutes"

March 8, 2026 (Vol. 20 No. 10) - Against my better judgment, I watched Secretary of Defense, wannabe warrior Pete Hegseth, interviewed on tonight’s edition of 60 Minutes. Not that I had high expectations for enlightenment coming out of the interview. I was just curious as to how he might handle himself when being interviewed by a legitimate journalist, Major Garrett, as opposed to the Trumpian sycophants that now inhabit the Pentagon’s press room. He did not disappoint: Puffed-up Petey was as vapid and nonsensical as I had expected. But don’t take my word for it. You can watch the interview here.

There were two particular aspects of the interview I found objectionable. The first was his repeated insertion that the United States has the ability to bomb the Iranians into submission. People smarter than I say that isn’t true. Nazi Germany’s Blitz didn’t bring Britain to its knees during the Second World War. Nor did the Allies’ bombing of Germany force the Nazis to quit. The same was true in Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm. A determined foe doesn’t wilt under aerial bombing, no matter how withering it is. Victory doesn’t occur until there are boots on the ground - something that I doubt TACO Trump has the stomach to do. That takes me to my second point.

Puffed-up Petey also circled around Garrett’s question about what the “unconditional surrender” President Bonespur is demanding would look like. He clearly thinks that the bombing will do the trick. That ignores two realities. First, the Iranians - and not without cause - hate our guts, even more than they hate the Islamic regime that has ruled the country with an iron fist. Second, and probably an even more important reason is the fact that Iran has more than 650,000 soldiers in uniform and another 350,000 reservists on standby. Do the math: That one million folks standing ready to spill a high volume of American blood. And while this USA Today analysis clearly demonstrates that the United States is more powerful than Iran, I again question how much pain the Trump administration is willing to accept in what is already, at its outset, an unpopular war. And that doesn’t take into consider other conflicts in which we are currently engaged (Venezuela and Ukraine) or are considering (Cuba). No one in his right mind believes that Iran is going to fold like a cheap lawn chair.

Here are a couple of cogent points not covered in the interview. First, how are we going to pay for this adventure? At a billion dollars a day in a failing economy, how long can this nonsense last before the economy totally craters? Second, if you saw tonight’s broadcast, you will know that CBS dedicated most of the hour to a report on a secret microwave weapon used to harm American diplomats and security people both overseas and at home. You may recall that Trump bragged about a use of a “secret weapon” at the time we kidnapped the Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro. He called it a “discombobulator.” This may have been no more than Trump telling the tall tales for which he is famous. However, if such a weapon exists, I wonder if that’s what Trump was referring to? Just speculation on my part. However, you know how careless Trump has been in the past when it comes to state secrets.

Donald Trump and his Clown Cabinet have put us in peril in so many ways. And now we have this Iranian adventure - one with no rationale and no end game. I think Fearless Leader has bitten off more than he can chew. Unfortunately, he’s not the one who will play the price. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.