Comment by throw0101c

> But at the same time we -- meaning Trump and the GOP Senate -- just appointed the least qualified candidate in the history of the US, to run the most powerful military in the world?

For some context, in the last fifty years, one nominee was rejected (Towers, for drinking), one was 'close' (Hagel, 58-41), but everyone else:

> Aside from that vote and Mr. Tower’s rejection following accounts of his excessive drinking, no other secretary of defense nominee in the past 50 years has gotten fewer than 90 votes, with Leon Panetta being confirmed 100-0 in 2011. Three others — Harold Brown in 1977, Les Aspin in 1993 and Donald Rumsfeld in 2001 — sailed through on voice votes.

* https://archive.is/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/us/pol...

For Hesgeth, four GOPs voted against him, and so the VP in his role as President of Senate had to break the 50-50 tie.

Getting >90 votes for SECDEF is the norm. The picks are regarded as competent and the votes have generally reflected that.