Thank goodness! Here I was thinking that getting a professional oil painting of a former Secretary of Defense, as though he's some kind of European aristocrat, was what was excessive and wasteful. But so long as we're immortalizing the people running us into the ground at a fair price, I suppose it's all good.
Every stupid bureaucrat in Washington gets their portrait in oil (I wonder if it’s ever acrylic?) if they are above a certain rank. They kept this up even when a photo, even a 22x30 photo, would be cheaper.
So it’s no surprise that the Secretary Of Defense gets one too, even though he’s not popular. Getting your portrait done should not be determined by mob rule.