I doubt it will have much impact on the election, but it’s really not a good look for the Administration that we’re only now finding out that the Secretary of Defense has been hospitalized since January 1 and spent four days in the ICU unable to perform his duties. Biden in particular should be wary of looking like his Administration is covering up serious health conditions.
I don’t think this will matter much, because of the second line there:
Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks has picked up his duties in the meantime
One of the big themes of Trump vs. Biden (or anyone else, really), is that Trump is utterly incapable of creating a government that works. How many cabinet positions changed in his first term?
The whole point of Biden, and normal functioning of government overall, is that you’re not reliant on The One Guy. You have people in place to take over the job if something goes wrong, and you can trust that those people are probably competent enough to do the job, because they were appointed by people who took continuity of government seriously.
The only thing Trump would care about is if the person was personally loyal to him.
So, let them keep things like medical issues private (as they should be), because they have a team in place to get the job done, regardless.
Exactly. Unless a medical condition will actually have a negative impact on the job, it’s nobody else’s business.
IMHO it’s not news when the government functions exactly as it should, which it did in this case.
I guess y’all are just a lot more blase about the Secretary of Defense being hospitalized for days and nobody being told about it. Including, incredibly, the National Security Adviser and the President himself:
That doesn’t seem to be accurate. If his duties were being performed, clearly someone knew.
As to whether or not the people who needed to know were kept uninformed, beats me. I’m not versed in the proper policy around that.
I don’t see the use in wringing my hands. There are plenty of real problems already.
It’s being reported that his Deputy “periodically” assumed his duties, while continuing her vacation in Puerto Rico.
What the fuck is all this? Is this really the protocol when the Sec Def is incapacitated for days? I’m genuinely perplexed at how this all went down.
I honestly don’t know. As far as I know it might be normal and could be how things have been done for a long time. Sometimes things that seem bizarre from the outside are just how it works when you’re on the inside.
I’m also not saying it’s definitely normal either. I really don’t know.
It’s apparently a breach of protocol.
Fuck ups happen. Maybe sec def is soon to be replaced.
Keeping the illness of a high military official secret during a time of active conflict is fine with me. You don’t want to give an enemy the perception of a gap in leadership they might exploit.
Well then in that case, hopefully it’s addressed soon.
Even from his Commander-in-Chief?
Per moderator instructions, creating a new thread for discussion of the news that Sec Def Lloyd Austin was hospitalized for days without anyone being informed – the press, the public, senior officers, the National Security Advisor or the President himself.
From the other thread, I said it was okay to keep the health status of senior military leadership a secret.
But keeping it secret from POTUS suggests that someone in the military chain of command does not trust the White House to maintain a secret. Or, it’s a sign of dysfunction and communication breakdown. Either way, that aspect of it is not good.
But overall, this is a small potatoes issue.
Hipaa laws maybe?
Associated Press: Why was Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospital stay kept secret for days?
Fair enough.
Every administration, however competent, will have some miscues, and it is the role of a free press to point them out.
HIPAA really has nothing to do with this.
There’s no way to spin this to look good. Keeping a cabinet member’s stay in an ICU secret from the President is a fiasco of the first order. The President gets a briefing book every single morning and Austin’s illness should have been at or near the top. The fucking Pentagon hid this tiny little tidbit from the President? What the fucking hell? My brain can’t come up with strong enough language to describe this. Heads should roll.
Wait. I just came up with a spin. Tommy Tuberville’s embargo of military appointments left holes that caused this. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
But I repeat, what the fucking hell?
You’re right. So sorry for my silliness.
Carry on.
Fascinating discussion.
Yeah, this. Following up on what I said earlier, it’s no surprise that the public would be kept in the dark, but the President? That’s a major screw-up, whether done intentionally or accidentally.