I thank both Sen. Susan Collins and Sen. Angus King for opposing Pete Hesgeth’s appointment as secretary of defense last January. Back then, it was painfully clear that Mr. Hegseth was a man without understanding or competence, and since his appointment, he has proven this many times over — with his mishandling of sensitive information and his extrajudicial killing of people who may very well be innocent. 

Beyond his devil-may-care concern for human life, he is a smug, immature, morally deficient man, a man who delights in videos of boats being blown to smithereens. He is without substance, without gravitas, without awareness or judgment, and he does not belong where he is. I hope that leaders on both sides of the aisle will remove this “secretary of war” and replace him with someone who cares less for fake glory and more for defending values worth protecting.

Eleanor Morse
Peaks Island