This might ruffle some feathers. In fact, some blowback is to be expected.
And a top Republican didn’t hold back in this critique of the Pentagon.
Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska did not hold back during Tuesday’s edition of CNN’s The Arena. The Republican took direct aim at the current direction coming out of the Defense Department, declaring that the Pentagon has “a valueless foreign policy.”
Bacon made clear where he stands on the larger debate inside the party.
“We’re a much better country when we have values of free markets, freedom, and that we build our friendships around these values, and also our interests. It should be both,” he said.
The conversation turned to speculation about Secretary of War Pete Hegseth possibly seeking the presidency in 2028.
Bacon offered little enthusiasm for that idea. Instead he voiced a preference for a different kind of standard-bearer.
“I am much more interested in finding a Reagan-type Republican for the party in 2028. We have some great people who have more of traditional conservative principles, peace through strength,” Bacon stated.
“They know that our alliances are important, like NATO, and instead of undermining key alliances and not really standing up to, say, Putin and Xi, but being tougher on our allies, I think that traditional Republicans know that’s not a good way of improving our national security.”
He continued pressing the case for clarity and consistency.
“We’re better when we have strong alliances and trust with our friends, we’re also stronger when we have clear principles that we say, hey, Putin invaded an innocent country, bombing citizens every night, these are war crimes. We should have a moral clarity to our national security,” Bacon said.
He then zeroed in on the phrase now circulating inside the Pentagon. He described the official approach as “flexible realism” and rejected it outright.
“And what we’re seeing in the Pentagon right now is the policy is called flexible realism. Well, flexible realism to me means we don’t have any true principles or values. It’s all about what’s in it for us,” Bacon added.
“And it may work one day, then we’re going to do this, but the next day, we’re going to change our mind. That’s flexible realism. That’s how I hear it.”
The Nebraska congressman repeated his core belief that America performs best when it refuses to abandon its foundational commitments:
“We’re a much better country when we have values of free markets, freedom, and that we build our friendships around these values, and also our interests. It should be both. But right now I see a valueless foreign policy, and it’s clearly being articulated that way in the Pentagon.”
