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Trump was against the Iraq War during the early Bush years. His foreign policy vision has remained "America First". The Trump Doctrine is extremely legible and coherent, I think trying to deny this is just equivalent to not liking it. Note that Hegseth did not get appointed to lead a new Iraq War (and Trump is not a doddering susceptible who does whatever his last conversation told him). Hegseth got hired to purge the military of political officers, because he will be the first SecDef in a generation who isn't from that class.
Trump is 78, was showing visible signs of mild cognitive decline on the campaign trail, and was a notoriously low-detail President in his first term despite being younger. Personnel is policy to a greater extent than usual. (That said, Michael Waltz as NSA is more likely to be deciding who gets attacked than the SecDef - power under a low-detail President leaks to the EOP and not the cabinet).
I think this is an ignorant or helpless point of view: You can watch Trump live, you can see him in action. He'll sign executive orders for hours while answering questions from reporters, he'll be deeply knowledgable about each one. Then he'll go to North Carolina and have a press conference with victims of the hurricane, speaking totally spontaneous, he'll go to LA and meet with the mayor and argue with her and command the room. He's meeting with lawmakers and give speeches, he'll show up for a cameo at Vegas, he's constantly everywhere doing things in command of his faculties. He's in command everywhere he goes, nobody can keep up with him. The "evidence" of decline is a few edited clips taken out of thousands literally thousands of public appearances. Trump is not a pushover, he is not being lead around by his aides, and I think at this late date it's a little absurd to deny his vigor and obvious good health.
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