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Comment by mmooss | Hacker News Reader

Hesgeth has significant success in life and served as a captain in the Army (or Army National Guard). Those aren't sufficient qualification for Secretary of Defense, but they are for not doing stupid, self-sabotaging stuff.

Simlarly, Rudy Guliani was a lawyer and mayor, but the 2020 election court filings and arguments were idiotic. How is that possible?

I don't buy that they are idiots. I don't have an explanation, however.

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Hegseth has years on record as a day drinking handsome face on day time TV who rushes into things without thinking ..

eg: throwing an axe and hitting a drummer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMrVdFnjEjs

That's a very narrow type of "significant success" and absolutely below the bar of qualification for Secretary of Defense, although easily clearing the bar to be considered an idiot.

The U.S. Army has approximately 72,729 captains.

Having credentials doesn't make you not an idiot. It's important to understand that you can be very educated or skilled in certain things but it doesn't make you good at everything.

anyone who goes to college can become a captain in the army. Its honorable sure but not a sign of competence.

You're basically guaranteed a promo to captain, after which promotion gets a lot harder and rarer.

It's the officer version of getting to E-4 before your enlistment ends -- as long as you're not a moron and get busted down you'll get there.

A Captain rank is in no way a qualification for Sec of Defense when there are literally hundreds of 4-star Generals and Admirals with well established track records of running operations during 20 years of Iraq and Afghanistan.

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