I've never been sure how much of it is delusion and how much is simple opportunism. I think I've always put more in the latter category than most people do now. I think that's where his trans policy fits -- that he doesn't have much of a problem with trans people but his most fervent supporters do, so it won't hurt him to make them feel good by fanning the flames.

Hegseth calling in all his generals and admirals this week really has me worried; only reasons I can think of are to take a personal oath to him and/or Trump as individuals as opposed to their ranks, or to set up putting the whole country under martial law and occupying major cities and state capitals.

(Probably not relevant, and unlikely to happen in any case. But an opinion piece here in San Francisco suggested that if Trump orders the military to do something in total violation of international law, under the Nuremberg protocol the proper procedure is to refuse and then discipline the commander-in-chief through military court martial -- which is not part of the justice system; as the saying goes, "military justice is to justice as military music is to music" -- and therefore not reversible by him. Unless you do so, as the just-following-orders Nazi leaders discovered after the war, you're as guilty and as liable as your commander. What happens if he's removed as C-in-C would of course be totally uncharted territory since it would presumably leave him as president but take the military away from him, including the National Guard.)

Eric