Pete Hegseth’s Holy War Is an Unholy Nightmare

Source: Jeet Heer

Jeet Heer is a Canadian journalist, comics critic, and literary critic who serves as national affairs correspondent for The Nation magazine and hosts its weekly podcast 'The Time of Monsters' since May 2022. He has contributed to established publications including The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, The New Republic, and The National Post, and co-edited comics anthologies that won the 2010 Rollins Award. His expertise centers on cultural criticism, particularly comics, with a transition to political journalism, though no fact-checking ratings or formal journalistic awards are documented.

Source: The Nation

The Nation publishes opinion-driven articles and commentary, such as pieces criticizing Trump nominees and framing Palestinian issues in advocacy terms. No fact-checking track record, ratings, or error correction data is available. Its reliance on subscriptions and donations incentivizes content appealing to progressive readers, potentially prioritizing advocacy over neutral reporting.

Source: Pete Hegseth

Pete Hegseth serves as the 29th United States Secretary of Defense since 2025, confirmed via Knowledge Graph and official biography, lending official authority to military statements. As a former television personality and author, his prior media work lacks specific fact-checking ratings. Past incentives as a conservative media figure may prioritize advocacy over neutral reporting.

Factual Error

Claims US committed "horrific war crimes, including the bombing of an elementary school at Minab that killed at least 175 people, mostly children."

Presents unverified atrocity as fact to justify thesis that Hegseth's prayer endorses such violence, inflaming moral outrage without evidence.

Factual Error

Quotes Pope Leo XIV's Palm Sunday homily: “Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war, He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.”

Uses papal authority to contrast Hegseth's "extremism," but quote appears fabricated, undermining credibility and creating false theological opposition.

Missing Context

The 2026 Iran War began February 28, 2026, with US-Israeli strikes assassinating top Iranian leaders including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Frames war as US aggression with Hegseth justifying "mass slaughter"; omitting US first strikes and targets (Iranian leaders) removes context that violence responds to perceived threats, altering moral calculus.

Source Credibility

Cites WaPo on "monthly evangelical worship services unprecedented," NYT on Hegseth "blocking promotion of four officers...two Black and two women," and internal Nation pieces (Klare, Malekafzali) without verification.

Stacks sympathetic sources to portray Hegseth purging minorities/DEI foes, but searches found no WaPo/NYT articles matching; creates impression of consensus on bigotry absent evidence.

Emotional Manipulation

Uses loaded terms: "bloodcurdling tones of religious extremism," "dangerous fanatic," "holy war," "unholy nightmare," "mass slaughter," "extremist belligerence."

In opinion piece, escalates rhetoric beyond prayer's text (real military prayer recited by Hegseth), framing routine chaplain prayer as unprecedented fanaticism to evoke fear of crusade/civil war.

Factual Error

Claims Ricky Buria's chief of staff chastised Army Sec. Driscoll for selecting Black female Maj. Gen. Antoinette R. Gant, saying Trump wouldn't want to stand next to her.

Specific anecdote alleges racism in promotions to support "purging Black/female officers," but unverified, bolstering unproven narrative.

Missing Context

Hegseth recited a prayer originally given by a military chaplain to troops during a Venezuela operation capturing Nicolás Maduro.

Presents prayer as Hegseth's own "bloodcurdling" invention tied to Iran; origin shows standard military invocation, not novel "sectarian" extremism.

Framing

Frames prayer as violating "long-standing norms" alienating non-Christians, gift to Iran propaganda, despite Pentagon hosting voluntary services.

Ignores military context (voluntary, chaplain-led); other coverage notes debate but confirms event amid war; implies unique danger without evidence of strife.

Source Credibility

Author Jeet Heer, national affairs correspondent for left-leaning The Nation, relies on unverified internal Nation articles (Klare, Malekafzali) and phantom WaPo/NYT reports to substantiate claims of military purges and losing war.

Creates false consensus from non-existent mainstream sources, laundering partisan views as established fact in an outlet with strong anti-Trump bias.

Missing Context

The prayer Hegseth recited originated from a US military chaplain during a 2025 Venezuela operation to capture Nicolás Maduro, not composed for Iran.

Omitting origin frames it as Hegseth's novel "bloodcurdling" invention for "holy war," when it's recycled standard military rhetoric.

Cherry-Picking

Claims Iran war "massively unpopular" accurate per polls, but frames Hegseth's prayer as justifying "horrific war crimes" without noting US polls show partisan divide (69% GOP approve Trump's handling) or war's start via US strikes on Iranian leaders.

Cherry-picks overall disapproval to imply universal opposition, ignoring GOP support and war context to maximize "crusade" narrative.

Framing

Equates prayer's "overwhelming violence...no mercy" with "mass slaughter" and "eternal damnation," invoking Pope (fake) and Weinstein (unlinked) for theological/pragmatic objections.

Amplifies routine combat prayer into existential threat (alienating troops, aiding Iran, civil war risk), despite similar left coverage but no right-leaning pushback found.