Do Americans have any right to know what's up with Lloyd Austin?
Joe Biden's defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, is back in the hospital, with the stated reason complications from cancer surgery earlier this year.
According to Fox News:
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin underwent non-surgical procedures after he was admitted to the hospital over the weekend for symptoms suggesting an emergent bladder issue, doctors said Monday.
Austin was taken to the Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Maryland on Sunday.
"Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III underwent non-surgical procedures under general anesthesia to address his bladder issue. We anticipate a successful recovery and will closely monitor him overnight," read a statement from Walter Reed Dr. John Maddox, trauma medical director, and Dr. Gregory Chesnut, Center for Prostate Disease Research of the Murtha Cancer Center Director.
They're trying to make it sound like a little old surgical glitch, nothing to see here, much as they tried to hide that he was ill at all last month.
But the poor man is in critical care and being closely monitored; taken to the hospital because of an emergency, and now has transferred his duties to his deputy.
According to Fox News's medical expert cited in its video at the link above, it does appear serious. Dr. Nicole Saphier told Fox it's unlikely to be a typical complication of the kind of surgery he had, such as bleeding or incontinence, and could be something along the lines of infection, or complications from surgery. She called his course "very complicated" and said the toll on anyone's body from prostate cancer treatment is high. One thing not mentioned in the interview is that Austin is quite obese, which is against military custom, but a potential reason for complications. In response to a query, she recommended he take time off to allow his body to heal.
Of course, nobody knows for sure if he's going to heal in time to lead at Defense because they aren't really saying much from the Biden camp, just that the poor man is constantly in and out of the hospital.
Austin has stayed out of sight for most of this year, though he has stated that he mishandled his earlier health episode and would do better in the future.
While Austin's condition does evoke sympathy, it doesn't inspire confidence that a time of wars breaking out all over the world that the U.S. has anyone in charge.
The swamp defends its own, of course, and swampers don't give up power easily. But this sets the stage for swamper mischief, now that the cat's away and they're making their own decisions, and it also gives the world's bad actors a new window to make their moves, knowing that there's some kind of power void in Washington, not just with Joe Biden, but with his secretary of defense.
The only people who don't know anything are the American people who are continually surprised by these kinds of stories. In a common-sense world, Austin would resign his post and devote his time to recovery. In the world of Biden, he's just another player in the 'Weekend at Bernie's' drama they've got going on. Both Austin and the American people deserve better.
Image: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Teddy Wade/Released // public domain dedication