Yeah, The Defense Secretary Kinda Needs To Tell The White House When He's In The ICU For Three Days
We wish Defense Secretary Austin well but he's not a private citizen.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December, according to Walter Reed National Military Center officials, and he was recently treated with a minimally invasive procedure to cure it. Austin was moved out of intensive care Monday, which is great news except for the part where the White House didn’t actually know he was ill. That’s less good. Black folks are often tight-lipped about our health, but when you’re running the Defense Department, you have to assume that everyone’s gonna be up in your business.
On New Year’s Day, Austin, who’s 70, was transported in an ambulance to Walter Reed. He was reportedly in “severe pain” due to “complications from the December 22 procedure, including nausea with severe abdominal, hip, and leg pain.” That all sounds awful.
Austin developed a urinary tract infection and was transferred on January 2 to the intensive care unit for “close monitoring and a higher level of care.” That’s when doctors discovered “abdominal fluid collections impairing the function of [Austin’s] small intestines.”
“This resulted in the back up of his intestinal contents which was treated by placing a tube through his nose to drain his stomach,” the officials added. “The abdominal fluid collections were drained by non-surgical drain placement. He has progressed steadily throughout his stay.”
Officials said in the statement that Austin’s “infection has cleared” and “he continues to make progress and we anticipate a full recovery although this can be a slow process.” They said that during his hospitalization, Austin “never lost consciousness and never underwent general anesthesia.”
I almost lost consciousness just thinking about someone putting a tube through my nose without first shooting me up with all the drugs. (It’s possible that he was given twilight anesthesia, which is considered safer than general, but it’s not clear.) I have a friend in his 70s who suffered an infection after a “minimally invasive procedure.” It was serious business.
The survival rate for prostate cancer, if caught and treated early, is high, and I’m pleased to hear that Austin’s condition is apparently improving. However, I’m concerned that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and other senior White House aides reportedly weren’t informed that Austin had been hospitalized until January 4 — three days later. Maybe the Defense Department’s New Year’s Eve was a tad too rockin’. I could understand if the memo alerting everyone of Austin’s absence was dated 2023 instead of 2024 (it takes a while to make the mental transition), but the lack of immediate notification is unacceptable.
The Defense secretary reports directly to the president, but officials consider it highly unlikely that Austin personally told Biden that he was hospitalized. According to an informed source, “If Jake didn’t know, no way the president knew. Who would have told him of Austin’s condition if not Jake? And if someone did tell the president, Jake would’ve been his first call.”
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder had initially described Austin’s procedure as “elective,” which is technically true of any surgery. They can’t just strap you down and whip out the scalpel. However, Austin’s condition was obviously more serious than a tummy tuck, especially considering that it was scheduled over the holidays. There’s also an argument that the public (and at the very least the president) should’ve known in December about Austin’s cancer diagnosis. Medical transparency is especially vital when the 80-year-old president is seeking re-election.
This whole situation could’ve been handled better, and the timeline of events is sketchy AF: Last Tuesday, Austin transferred responsibility to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, but she was on vacation in Puerto Rico and wasn’t told her boss was hospitalized until Thursday, so who knows if she was checking all the emails.
According to Ryder, the Pentagon’s lawyers are reviewing if any laws were broken during the failure to notify the White House and Congress. Admittedly, the House of Representatives is currently run by idiots, but you still need to follow protocol. Congressional Republicans are already seizing on Austin’s unreported absence as a breakdown in the administration’s overall preparedness.
I agree with retired Army General Barry R. McCaffrey, who wrote on Monday:
“Lloyd Austin is a superb Sec Def. Serious. Experienced. Trusted. When he was medevaced 1 Jan to an ICU in serious pain — his C/S should have IMMEDIATELY notified the NSC, the CJCS, and the Dep Sec Def…. who should have returned that day to DC …
[…]
All the NSC Principals and All the Joint Military Commanders are tracked 24/365. They all have immediate secure communications. Any military Joint Commander can pick up a Red Phone and immediately call the President or Secretary Def.
No matter what Lloyd Austin may have ordered while in severe pain in an ICU… the President and CJCS and Dep Sec Def should have been notified. There is no right to privacy in senior national security positions. This is a nuclear release chain of command.”
Biden has said he won’t accept Lloyd’s resignation if offered, and while I appreciate what’s obviously a show of support, I am genetically hardwired to feel weird when white guys don’t let Black people stop working. However, Austin should only remain in his position if he’s prepared to fully explain his actions and promise that this will never happen again.
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Not a good move on Austin's part, but he didn't fly off to Cancun in the midst of a state-wide crisis, did he?
Fuck Ted Cruz.
Best absence I had without telling my boss why was when I had an abortion. I used a line I heard on House: having a growth removed from my abdomen 👶👶👶