To those who doubt whether elections really have consequences, I have two proper nouns for you: Pete Hegseth.

There was a time, not long ago, when Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Department of Defense seemed doomed. The long establishment knives were out for him, along with the allegations — some of them legit, some of them vile and scurrilous. But he hung tough, and he was rewarded for it. More importantly, though, our country has been rewarded.

The difference between Pete Hegseth and his woke supremacist stumblebum predecessor couldn’t be starker, and the proof couldn’t be more manifest. “Recruitments are up across the joint force,” he said, “and I’m pleased to announce that just two days ago, the U.S. Army met its 2026 recruiting goals four months early. A second record year in a row. That means you’re about to train … and lead 61,500 new soldiers.”

Just a few short years ago, the ridiculous shield-sporting Lloyd Austin couldn’t draw flies to his military-wide stand-down, his frantic search for some elusive handful of white supremacists, his destructive “diversity” agenda, his dalliance with drag queens, his mandatory vaccination regime, and his pro-trans, anti-Christian ethos. But under Hegseth’s leadership — and Donald Trump’s leadership — patriotic young men and women are now answering their country’s call in droves.

Elections have consequences.

“What a day,” the war secretary began. “It’s gotta be raining. It’s the Army.” And his audience, the West Point Class of 2026, knew exactly what he meant.

Hegseth then trotted out his best Trumpian impersonation and gave a reprieve to those among the Corps of Cadets who might have some minor disciplinary action, some “ordinary” punishment hanging over their heads: “As President Trump might say, ‘a complete and total pardon.’”

Hegseth then did what no leftist commencement speaker would dare do: He went to Scripture, to Isaiah 6:8: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here I am. Send me!’ Four years ago, you raised your right hand, swore an oath to preserve and defend the Constitution, and in that moment, you said to your country, ‘Send me!’ And here you are.”

“You’ve proven that you have what it takes to lead our nation’s top 1%,” he continued, “America’s most valued treasure, America’s sons and daughters. We’re sending you to lead, we’re sending you to forge warriors, and we’re sending you, perhaps, to war — and you are ready.”

Of course, plenty of salty NCOs would raise an eyebrow or mumble an expletive at that last pronouncement, but that’s the way it’s always been. No newbie, no O-1, no “butter bar” is truly ready for war, but you feel it in your gut that this graduating class is more ready than the one that preceded it, and that the 2027 class will be even more so.

“Send me,” Hegseth repeated, referring to West Point’s storied history of stepping forward. “It didn’t matter whether they were well-equipped or poorly equipped. It didn’t matter whether they were stepping into a clear mission or a vague one, whether there were clear skies or raining. ‘Send me’ was always the determined reply. Every one of them, just like you, were called to serve something greater than themselves. Rich, poor, country, city, black, white — it doesn’t matter. Send me.”

Hegseth then made sure everyone in attendance understood the difference a commander-in-chief makes:

You’re fit, not fat. You are disciplined, not distracted. Many of you, even in your short time in uniform, have endured what I call the slow slide of the U. S. Army. You’ve seen standards lowered. You’ve seen an obsession with race and gender. You’ve seen the watering down of discipline, codes weakened, and traditions tossed aside in the name of political correctness. Statues taken down, paintings placed in the basement. I’m here to tell you the slow slide here at West Point and across the United States Army is over. …

Political leaders with ideological agendas and weak military leaders who were just looking to curry favor for the next star allowed our cherished army to slide off our true north. But you, our warriors, will snap it back. You are the future. Others may have allowed it to slide away. You will not. You will restore our Army. And I will empower you to do it.

Hegseth has, from the jump, pushed back hard against his predecessor’s DEI nonsense. “The single dumbest phrase in military history,” he said, “was peddled in our Army only a few short years ago. You’ve all heard it, maybe in your first two years at West Point: ‘Our diversity is our strength.’ The single dumbest phrase in military history. We had generals saying this with a straight face on national television. It was absolute nonsense. Now, these sorts of silly things can be laughed at when they occur in a … civilian faculty lounge or debated in graduate seminars. But they cannot be tolerated in our formations. These ideas are what get people killed.”

Then the kicker: “Diversity is not our strength. Unity is our strength.” Indeed, unity of mission, unity of purpose — these are what separate mediocre fighting forces from great ones.

Hegseth promised to “untie” the cadets’ hands, have their backs, and make sure they know they’ve been empowered to lead. “You will have top cover,” he said. “No more walking on eggshells.”

What a difference an election makes.