EDITORIAL: The hearings continue

The Senate began the show hearings for Donald Trump’s presidential Cabinet nominees this week. Many Democrats did not distinguish themselves.

The most contentious confirmation questioning was reserved for Pete Hegseth, Mr. Trump’s choice to lead the Defense Department. But potential Attorney General Pam Bondi was also on the receiving end.

Presidents should have latitude to select their Cabinet. But the Constitution allows the chief executive to make various appointments only “with the advice and consent of the Senate.” The stipulation is intended to grant the upper chamber a modicum of oversight over the executive branch to protect against inappropriate or extreme nominees.

But the process in recent years has degenerated into debasing spectacle of preening and showboating — mostly by the senators themselves eager to show the partisans back home their commitment to the cause. Both parties are guilty of this behavior, and the process suffers because of it.

This week was no different. Mr. Hegseth is one of Mr. Trump’s more controversial choices, particularly given concerns about his inexperience when it comes to leading an organization as vast as the Pentagon. But Democrats appeared indifferent to his answers to questions on the topic.

“Your past behavior and rhetoric indicates your inability to effectively lead this organization and properly support our service members,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, wrote to Mr. Hegseth prior to the hearing, The New York Times reported. Clearly she had made up her mind without bothering to listen to the nominee.

Mr. Hegseth was peppered with queries about his alcohol use, his belief that standards shouldn’t be lowered to accommodate women in combat and his behavior toward the opposite sex. Some of this may have a bearing on his qualifications, but some also bordered on the absurd.

Sen. Mazie Hirono, Democrat of Hawaii, demanded that Mr. Hegseth promise to resign if he didn’t abstain from alcohol during his time as defense secretary. She insinuated that he was prepared to lead an invasion of Greenland.

The hearings for Bondi were more civilized. But one grandstanding Democrat, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, had the gall to ask if she would weaponize the Justice Department. He must have slept through the Biden years.

Ms. Bondi, like Mr. Hegseth, held her own. At one point she told Sen. Alex Padilla of California, “You cut me off when I was speaking. I’m not going to be bullied by you … I guess you don’t want to hear my answer.” That’s an excellent encapsulation of the current process: Senators more eager to hear themselves speak than to allow the nominee to respond to the questions before him or her.

More hearings for more nominees will continue into next week. At this point, there’s no compelling reason beyond politics to disqualify any of Mr. Trump’s selections.