It wasn’t a confirmation hearing; it was a loyalty test.

The bar has been lowered so far that these hearings will soon be pointless.

• Are you lying? "I found Jesus."

• Why do you have NDAs with women? "I can’t remember."

• What about the sexual assault allegations? "That’s just left-wing media."

• Do you have issues with drinking? "Those are anonymous allegations."

• Why don’t you want women in combat? "I never said that."

Pete Hegseth's résumé was so impressive that it prompted the GOP to cut the customary two rounds of questioning for past defense chiefs down to one. Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker withheld the FBI background checks on Hegseth from the full Senate, limiting access exclusively to committee members.

The GOP even came prepared to defend Pete Hegseth’s drinking problem. “How many senators have shown up drunk to vote at night?” GOP Senator from Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin asked. “Have any of you guys asked them to step down and resign from their job? And then how many senators do you know [who] have gotten a divorce for cheating on their wives? Did you ask them to step down? No.”

Accountability is for fools. If your nominee lacks qualifications, just question the qualifications of those raising concerns. That instantly turns wrong into right. Four years of defending a man who attempted a coup on the world’s biggest stage seems to have given them plenty of practice in lowering the bar—and they’ve gotten very good at it.

One conversation was particularly telling: Pete Hegseth is poised to be exactly the kind of yes-man Trump is so eager to stack his administration with.

When Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) asked Hegseth if he would follow orders to invade Greenland, he responded, “I will emphasize that President Trump received 77 million votes to be the lawful commander in chief.” He then followed up with this gem: “One of the things President Trump is so good at is never strategically tipping his hand.”

As the hearing progressed, it became increasingly clear that the GOP Senate has largely fallen in line behind Donald Trump. Their lack of backbone was glaringly evident when they rallied around Trump after he incited an insurrection to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power in 2021. Despite his attempt to stage a coup, they shielded him. Meanwhile, Democrats, though in power, squandered four years failing to deliver justice. They readily send petty criminals to jail, but when it comes to high-profile political figures with massive followings, they tread softly.

Both parties have played their roles in eroding a system that took generations to build, leaving us with the mess we’re experiencing today.

The American Senate has devolved into little more than a rubber stamp for the President. That was never the intent. If this is what governance looks like, why bother with Senate elections at all? Just elect a President and let them govern unchecked for four years. Let’s see what happens then. It would only take a cycle or two of unchecked rule to reduce America to a feckless state like Russia.

With Iowa Senator Joni Ernst signaling her interest in voting for Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, the chances of stopping this unqualified nominee are slim. The playbook Hegseth deployed yesterday—denying past comments, erasing past offenses by hugging Jesus, and blaming the media for every accusation—will now become the blueprint for other unqualified nominees. Meanwhile, GOP Senators will focus more on grilling the questioners than on the qualifications of the candidates themselves. They’ve never shown genuine interest in governing.

Another institution is being ground into nothing. But Republicans aren’t solely to blame. As long as Democrats fear wielding the power they’re granted, this cycle will continue, and one day they’ll find themselves entirely shut out of power. That’s the trajectory we’re on now. The next two years are their last chance to save their party and mitigate the damage Trump and the MAGA GOP are poised to inflict on the country and its institutions.

2026 or bust.