Gene Healy: Chuck Hagel's farcical hearings

Last week’s confirmation hearing for Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel made clear it’s past time to retire that hackneyed phrase “World’s Greatest Deliberative Body.” Eight hours of questioning by the Senate Armed Services Committee allowed plenty of bloviating, grandstanding and browbeating — but, apparently, not enough time for serious deliberation over key policy questions facing any new Pentagon chief.

On Thursday, Buzzfeed.com tallied up the issues the committee prioritized. In a hearing transcript running to nearly 60,000 words, the word “drone” doesn’t show up even once.