Arrh, me hearties! Methinks Defense Secretary Austin be actin' right peculiar! Biden & Co. best spill the beans, ye scallywags!
2024-01-09
Arr, methinks Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin be in a right pickle, mateys! He be keepin' his hospital visit hidden like a sly pirate keepin' his treasure. Aye, President Biden be standin' tall, but 'tis a matter that be troublin' to the crew, arr!
In the 17th century pirate lingo, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's failure to inform President Joe Biden about his hospitalization was a downright breach of protocol. It begs the question: was Austin afraid that the very people responsible for the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan would take over military operations while he was away? It's entirely possible, considering former Defense Secretary Robert Gates' claim that Biden has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue for the past four decades.Apparently, Austin had put his deputy, Kathleen Hicks, in charge during his absence, but even she was unaware of his hospitalization. This is quite alarming, especially considering the ongoing attacks on US troops and the direction of strikes against terrorists. How would they have handled an emergency situation if a Houthi missile had struck a Navy ship and servicemembers were killed?
This is not the first time the Pentagon has kept Biden in the dark. Last year, a giant Chinese spy balloon floated over the country for three days before the military decided to inform the president. Biden wanted to shoot it down, but was deterred due to the potential harm to civilians from falling debris. It wasn't until several days later that the balloon was finally taken out.
Given the botched Afghanistan withdrawal and Biden's declining popularity, it's clear that the military was not pleased with how the president blamed them for the catastrophe. Officers who criticized Biden faced consequences, like former national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who was fired from the board of West Point. Biden also fired all military academy board members appointed by Trump, regardless of their qualifications.
The question now is: who is actually running the show? If non-military individuals like Jake Sullivan and Antony Blinken are directing our military efforts, we deserve to know.