"But that reticence, [Lloyd] Austin’s backers say, reflects decades of cultural challenges for a Black man who has succeeded in the military by learning not to showcase too much of himself.... It has been more than a year since he appeared in the Pentagon briefing room to talk to reporters, and he usually avoids reporters who travel with him on his plane trips. Ditto for much of his staff; when traveling, he prefers to dine alone in his hotel room when he doesn’t have a scheduled engagement with a foreign counterpart.
He does not like to schmooze or engage in lubricating political relationships.... He rarely bothers to defend himself to political critics.... 'We have now politicized a deeply personal and private issue in a deeply personal and private man,' Adm. Mike Mullen, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, said in an interview. 'We should move on.'..."
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112 comments:
When a corrupt cabal of Iran-Ayatollah mobster grifters are in charge - who needs .... well. anyone in charge?
Colin Powell was a black general who was not afraid to showcase himself in order to succeed. So I call bullshit on Austin and his supporters alike.
I love the way the media always can be counted on to provide an alibi for Democrats when they get caught doing something wrong. Just imagine if this was a Republican President and a Republican defense secretary. They would destroy them. Weren't we just reading this past week about how the Biden White House met with media people to make sure they got better and more positive press coverage? I think they just got some
"Lloyd Austin Confronts the Perils of Being a Private Man in a Public Job"
Cry me a river. It's his job.
"But that reticence, [Lloyd] Austin’s backers say, reflects decades of cultural challenges for a Black man who has succeeded in the military by learning not to showcase too much of himself"
Oh, for fuck's sake. Can these people say anything without racializing it? That description of his introvert characteristics fits me to a T. 68 years, and only now am I learning I'm a black man.
SecDef is in the chain of responsibility for nuclear launches, and Austin went AWOL. Mullen knows that a low-level service person would get punished for this. He just doesn't want rules to apply to people at his level.
The Sec of Defense is in the line of succession. How does that line of succession, members of the cabinet, not know, the DefSec was incapacitated? Lloyd Austin can't pretend to be some Richard Proenneke and be SecDef at the same time... Or, can he? Maybe he can.
Never mind.
As my moniker indicates, I was a Drill SGT after service in Nam and later a Regular Army Officer.
We start teaching trainees the Army's three General Orders on Day 2. The first is:
"I will guard everything within the limits of my post and quit my post only when properly relieved."
Austin quit his post without relief, not once, but twice. First, in Dec, when he scheduled prostate surgery under a general, and also in Jan when he went into the ICU.
I used to administer a small part of something called the "Personnel Reliability Program" PRP. The Army maintains two person control of nukes all the way from POTUS/SECDEF down to the guys that take the locks off the nukes. Among other things, I had to submit the medical files of all my charges for careful review by a senior Doc, who knew why he was screening.
Once, I had to go to my boss's boss's boss's boss and explain that my boss's boss's boss had been in a car accident and had been unconscious and then under general. Thus he had to be removed from the nuke chain for 6 months. He could still do his day job (Brigade CDR), but nuke release if it came to that had to be delegated in advance.
Austin should resign or be fired.
ps: same with the leaders of his PR, security, NUKE, commo, and OPS teams who travel with him. They demonstrated their loyalty was to Austin, rather than DoD, POTUS or the Constitution.
What a load of horse shit. These water carriers in the media are just unbelievable.
"their boss’s aversion to any limelight."
Yeah, right. But not an aversion to ther BS-ing on his behalf.
"But that reticence, [Lloyd] Austin’s backers say, reflects decades of cultural challenges for a Black man who has succeeded in the military by learning not to showcase too much of himself"
You mean, the challenge, of accepting every possible support in a military eager to promote "diversity"? That challenge?
"It has been more than a year since he appeared in the Pentagon briefing room to talk to reporters"
Could he do it? Would he have anything senisble to say?
"We have now politicized a deeply personal and private issue"
Why does the pro-Dem response always have to be BS? The issue is not "politicizing" a "private issue" but a Defense Secretary going AWOL at a time of tension.
Sure, that's the massaged meaning of the meme. But that meme has another meme that is less flattering to Austin.
"But that reticence, [Lloyd] Austin’s backers say, reflects decades of cultural challenges for a Black man who has succeeded in the military by learning not to showcase too much of himself....
Spoken by people who apparently have no idea about what it takes to succeed in the military.
Would anyone notice? The unneeded man.
At the Pentagon, staffers often share the meme of Homer Simpson backing into a hedge and disappearing from view to characterize their boss’s aversion to any limelight.
For some, it is a different meme.
“Move on”. Now you know there’s more to this than just basic Democrat corruption
Horseshit!
Your job is not a quiet intellectual challenge. You are the face and leadership of the defense department.
He needs to be dismissed.
A scroll through Helene's Twitter feed shows a fully committed race warrior so I have to discount whatever apologies she comes up with for Austin's behavior.
"...who has succeeded in the military by learning not to showcase too much of himself..."
I always got promotions and pay raises by not being visible. My bosses never noticed me or my work and decided (I'm not sure why) to give me more money and a better title based on the fact that I stayed in the shadows.
As for 'moving on,' isn't this what all lefties desire for their brethren?
"Sure, Bob over there fucks sheep, but he'd make a fine county commissioner and believes in all the bullshit we believe in. Let's just move on..."
So he’s either super competent and doesn’t need staff or more likely the consummate bootlicker that never made waves, checked all the boxes and just rode the diversity elevator to the top. The perfect example of the rot at the general staff level of the military. He was competent enough to get a job on multiple boards of the defense contractors he”oversaw” during his spectacular career of just being there.
But hey - now that the the armed forces can’t recruit enough white males to staff the ranks due to this clown’s DEI crusade - his being absent seems more of a blessing than a problem.
A “private” person? Austin isn’t being paid to flip burgers, he’s our fucking SecDef, for better or worse.
Man the EFF up!
So now a ubiquitous meme tells us something meaningful about an irl person.
Mike Mullen’s calm excuse-making should be weighed against his previous backhanded behavior and well-documented lies.
Mike Mullen is a retired Admiral who was vetted by Michael Bloomberg as his potential VP. He is a Swamp Creature who will say whatever he's told to say. There's a lot of money in staying close to power.
>"At the Pentagon, staffers often share the meme of Homer Simpson backing into a hedge and disappearing from view to characterize their boss’s aversion to any limelight. But that reticence, Mr. Austin’s backers say, reflects..."<
Aargh, pet peeve time, in a place that embraces discussion of misuse of words. Though Austin is probably reticent as well, in that passage this writer has described in Austin "diffidence," "reservedness," perhaps even "modesty"...but not "reticence," which specifically means "reluctance to speak or to express one's thoughts."
You will, (unfortunately, because we already have enough words/synonyms for "reluctance" but not for the singular idea that "reticence" expresses) find in some dictionaries the bastardization of "reticence" over the last few decades as a synonym for "reluctance" - a reflection of the junky old trope of the more hip lexicographers that common usage changes definitions. But to see that misuse now extended to making "reticence" a synonym for simple shyness or reserve is beyond my ability to endure.
More contrived fables to explain the unexplainable. Just like Joe's stutter that suddenly appeared.
Cry me a fucking river. Another BS article trying to prop up a democrat who fucked up.
Why is it always “racism” or some other bullshit excuse. Dems never do wrong, ever. It’s your fault you racist sexist xenophobic homophobic transphobic MAGA republicans!!!!
Fuck off elitist snobs. Fuck off.
reflects decades of cultural challenges for a Black man
really? Which decades would that be? Protip: we are in the THIRD decade of the 21st century.
Pretty GODDAMNED hard to think of the cultural "challenges" a black man would have in the later half of the 20th century (or the first 3rd of the 21st)
Llyod weren't no reserve officer. He was a ringknocker.. Graduated from the academy in 1975..
Austin is black. Nobody owns a common English adjective. Don't use fascist orthography.
OK, whatever. If you want to a "private person" maybe holding the DoD secretary job isn't the best place to do that.
Looking at his background, the man's an obvious mediocrity that got skyrocketed to the top due to his race and his personal relationship with Biden's son "Beau". Y'know the one who "died in Iraq" according to Biden.
Born in 53, his Army career seemed to be halted at Major general, unitl his career got jumpstarted by Obama in a desire to "increase diversity" in Armed Forces. He retired in 2016, but got brought back as DoD Secretary in 2021.
When your DoD Secretary goes AWOL for a week, and no one seems to care, that means youre not a key player. Someone else is making the important decisions. But then, who thinks Senile "Ive fallen off my bike, where's my telepromter" Biden is making "The key decisons"?
if Austin wanted low key life why come out of retirement to senate confirmed job?
So WTH is he in a position of leadership. Good Grief, DEI is going to kill all of us eventually.
Was Colin Powell also not a Black Man who rose in the military? I do not remember that he had to keep a low profile to make it, and that was 30 years ago. For heaven's sake, bring in the race when we have to explain something away!! Anybody who wonders why our defense secretary doesn't explain himself privately or publicly is just suffering from White Fragility.
If you're not already familiar with it, I bet "limelight" is one of those word origins that would interest you. Light is easy. Getting *good* light right where you want it has always required more sophisticated technology than most people realize.
The whereabouts and ability of the Secretary of Defense to do his job is not a "deeply personal issue."
If you are "the Boss," keeping a low profile isn't really an option, especially in a political job.
There is a huge difference between avoiding the limelight and "working from home."
You can live a private life and you can be the defense secretary of the United States.......but you can't do both at the same time.
Nice try, but no cigar.
He was fucking AWOL
At least he has enough self awareness to realize he's in over his head.
He’s not entitled to a level of privacy that compromises national security. A bad move…
…and I find it hard to understand how he could acquire his position at The Pentagon without participating in the political process…and I reject the DIE theory. There were other options but somehow he was selected. It all sounds more like spin…
If that is true, about him being shy, he sounds like he is incapable of being an effective leader at any level from 2nd lt to general.
Is he just another semi- competent AA hire/promotion?
I know, I know, it is extremely offensive to ask if a black man (or any woman) got where the did by aa instead of merit.
But, this horribly corrosive effect is the natural poisonous fruit of the AA tree. Now called DIE it is still the same nasty shit.
John Henry
It must just be a continual meme-fest over there at the Pentagon, what with a staffer going, "Wow, cool, look at this! Isn't that exactly like Lloyd?" (of course, they all refer to him as LLoyd. It's a very collegial workplace, the Pentagon). And then they all ooh, and ahh, and say "It really does remind you of good old Lloyd. Where is he, anyway?" And so on. Then it's back to preparing bombing schedules for those pesky Houthis, and reading reviews of the new Iranian drones, until some other staffer, sweating over a hot 47-inch monitor, suddenly tosses xher rainbow-hued locks, and coos, "Oh, say, look at this! Doesn't this remind you of Lloyd?". And they all huddle around xher desk, and allow as how it really is reminiscent of good old Lloyd, wherever he might be, and "Where did you get those stunning dead-baby earrings?" "Oh, these? I just picked them up at a little Zombie boutique I know over in Kalorama!" Etc, etc. Then it's back to the old grind. Those Houthis aren't gonna bomb themselves! Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to war we go!
Shorter WaPo: What the Biden Administration did (or did not do) sounds bad. But really it was fine for reasons.
To Admiral Mullin---boo hoo. Time for the Pentagon and Sec Def to read the slogan put up everywhere on the Alabama football team practice area and locker room. "Do your job". And doing that job entails a modicum of meeting with and being available to and with the public.
Fine, but what are his accomplishments as SecDef? We have had more war under Biden than under Trump.
My take-away from this- Lloyd Austin might be suffering from dementia just like his boss does, only it isn't so bad yet that he doesn't not know it, and goes to extreme personal lengths to hide it from others by isolating himself.
It’s what people who know they’re in over their heads do. I’ve seen it many times. In hiding, on the job.
We can’t all take maternity leave.
The military expression is: "In the rear with the gear."
Helene Cooper:
But that reticence, [Lloyd] Austin’s backers say, reflects decades of cultural challenges for a Black man who has succeeded in the military by learning not to showcase too much of himself....
Still playing the same old tune.
Good explanation of this common behavior but his calculated actions are at odds with the responsibilities he accepted.
LOL! ..decades of challenges for being black..
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. HST
This is the democrat party propagandists obeying scumbag Biden's order to "report the news the right way".
We really are expecting too much from this great man.
In light of this silly puff piece, this Homer Simpson clip is more appropriate:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3d2wr7
This is complete bullshit, of course. Compare Colin Powell's experience.
It goes without saying that if a Republican president’s Defense secretary (or any Cabinet position) was having a medical procedure done and it was unknown to the Preand the public, it would be likened to the downfall of the Republic. (Which makes me think someone needs to do a Downfall video of Biden when he learns about Austin’s situation…)
But really, Austin should have known that the job requires a certain amount of public disclosure. If that wasn’t compatible with his beliefs, the only honorable position then would have been to decline the appointment, and now to resign.
Excuses.
It would more informative to know how the man interacts with his staff. He likes his privacy, good no big deal but so what. Tell us about how he gets things done how he does his job Ya know, like the important stuff.
It's not hard to keep the boss and direct-reports informed about your medical absence. A quick e-mail: "I've been diagnosed with prostate cancer. I'm going in for treatment on [fill in the blank] and will be out [fill in the blank] days. Call my deputy for any policy questions." That's something he should have learned as a newbie 40-years ago.
Funny how we go a month without responding to Houthi pirate attacks, and then suddenly start bombing Houthi sites as soon as Austin rises from the grave - er, the hospital bed. Seems like maybe we could have used someone actively filling that role in early January.
Those DoD staffers are mocking Austin. It's hard to lead when you're always shrinking back into the shrubbery.
If it's actually true that staffers share that meme to mean that (which I doubt), then they are either bigger idiots than I would have guessed. More like the reporter is about as big an idiot as I would have guessed and either doesn't understand the meme or is being deliberately dishonest.
The meme does not mean "aversion to limelight."
The meme means "I asserted, very loudly and publicly, something that has turned out to be 180-degrees wrong and now that it's obvious that I'm wrong, instead of dealing with my error, I am just going to disappear quietly into the bushes and slink away."
That said, there are likely situations in which Austin did something like this because it's the standard modus of our contemporary incompetent management class.
“Weren't we just reading this past week about how the Biden White House met with media people to make sure they got better and more positive press coverage?”
And Biden doesn’t meet with his Cabinet. Not since October 2, before a lot of the current shit had hit the fan. But WEEKLY private (not public) meetings with the media.
Inconceivable!
For someone in politics, talking to the press = talking to the American people. Why does he feel that this is not worth the bother?
They can say it's the result of "decades of cultural challenges for a Black man who has succeeded in the military by learning not to showcase too much of himself" but it looks like decades of realizing he didn't need to perform to be promoted.
The best time to remove him would have been after the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Now is the second best time.
It was nice to see that I wasn't the only one who thought of Colin Powell and the implication that a Black man had to avoid attention to succeed. Perhaps it's only true if the things you do can't be counted as successes.
I'm sure the NYT would not show the same deference or empathy for Justice Thomas in a profile regarding his personality or temperament.
I forgot something the first time around. There is a cell of people, likely mostly USMC and USAF tasked with knowing exactly where a list of key people are 24/7. Which is why among other things Pelosi always could get a Mil jet for weekend trips and why the FBIDIR always flies DOJ.
That cell (the name changes) has the mission, on order, to get helos to where ever the VIPS are within minutes and either get them out of town or to KneeCap, TACAMO, or Looking Glass.
Site R, Mount Weather, Greenbrier, etal.
Somebody F'd up. heads need to roll...
Tommyesq,
One reason I've heard for not attacking Yemen is Egypt.
Egypt gets some huge percentage of its gdp from suez canal tolls. The us wants Egypt to do something (I forget what, has to do with Gaza) and we are letting Yemen shut the canal until Egypt cries uncle.
Perhaps they just gave in. Agreed to take Gazan refugees or something. We'll see in a few days.
Pure conspiracy theory speculation, of course
John Henry
Austen is a male Claudine Gay. Maybe he knows that. Our military is top heavy with generals. We won World War II with half as many.
Sure, Bob over there fucks sheep
(heavy sigh) You fuck one sheep...(shakes head)
Secretary Austin and Prince Harry should get together.
"But that reticence, [Lloyd] Austin’s backers say, reflects decades of cultural challenges for a Black man..."
I should have known. Its Whitey's fault at root.
Adm. Mike Mullen, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, said in an interview. 'We should move on.'..."
Translation: "At this point, what difference does it make?"
We should move on and what? Fire the guy? Continue to put up with a Secretary of Defense who makes bad decisions (Afghan Skedaddle, DEI ahead of competence) and is too (cowardly? lacking in confidence? reticent?) to even attempt to defend them?
The strangest assertion is, as Ms Mullen reports Austin's backers saying, "decades of cultural challenges for a Black man" have made Sec. Austin deficient in the level of interpersonal skills needed in a top Cabinet position. Does that mean ipso facto all Black men are unqualified for such a position?
What did you expect from Obama/Biden Democrats? Accountability? Competence? Integrity? Honesty?
If we have another 9/11 or multiple 9/11s don't be shocked.
Reap what you sow. You voted for these pissants.
Just what we need as Secretary of Defense: someone with extremely poor judgment who clearly has no idea of what is included in his job description. In other words, the typical Biden cabinet member.
What comes to mind as I read attempted justifications for his actions is a quote attributed to Winston Churchill: He’s a modest man with much to be modest about.”
Like Kamala, Buttigieg, Brinton, and almost everyone else in brain addled Biden’s administration, he’s been picked for reasons other than competency, and it shows.
'We should move on.'...
... whenever anything embarrassing or inconvenient for Democrats occurs. But of course.
Lloyd certainly had an Interesting Career!
Got Appointed to West Point, Commissioned in 1975 (do y'all Remember the army in 1975? i DO!)
Once a 2nd lieutenant, he went STRAIGHT to schools (Airborne and then Ranger, so he could wear the ribbons).
Then he was a platoon leader in the 3rd Infantry (1st a rifle platoon, then a scout platoon)..
Then Company XO (so, off the line already). Now it's about 1978 (do y'all Remember the Army then?)
THEN.. Back To School; this time: Infantry Officer Advanced Course
and then; he commanded the Combat Support Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry
(in the rear.. With the gear.. Actually, apparently a recon/mortar company)
THEN! he becomes Assistant S-3 (Operations) for 1st Brigade of the 82nd.
So far, he commanded a rifle platoon in the Bill Murray STRIPES era, and a rear area mortar company.
But NOW, with all That experience, he's Assistant to the S-3 officer for a Brigade!!
Now it's 1981; and he became "operations officer for the Army Indianapolis District Recruiting Command, and where he later commanded a company in the Army Recruiting Battalion"
{i assume THIS is where he "won" his combat infantry badge :}
Then.. BACK TO SCHOOL! at Auburn University, where he completed studies for a Master's in education. He then returned to the West Point for MORE school
THEN!
After completion of the Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas,
[MORE SCHOOL] he was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York, where he served as the S-3 (Operations) and later executive officer for the 2nd Battalion!
Now he's assistant manager for a WHOLE BATTALION (which is part of a regiment which is part of a brigade which is part of a Division)
NEXT! he's Executive Officer for 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain
Now he's assistant manager for a WHOLE BRIGADE!!!
in 1993 *having MISSED the ENTIRE Gulf War) he becomes commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 505th of the 82nd Airborne,
No more "assistant manager for Lloyd! he's an official middle manager NOW!
So, BACK TO SCHOOL! AND NOW..
Following graduation from Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, he returned to the 82nd Airborne Division for a third tour of duty there to command 3rd Brigade.
He's an Honest to GOD Brigadier!!!
Then on to the Joint Chiefs as and aide, and THEN! in 2001.. Assistant Commander for and ENTIRE Division!
Then they give his Own Division! He is the Very Model of a Modern Major General
And Then he is plucked from obscurity by Barry O'Bama.. and the rest is Herstory
"He's just shy" is the excuse they're trying to push now? Seriously?
How pathetic.
How can he not have told the President? How can he not have thought to tell the President?
No one expects him to discuss his medical problems with general public. But he has an obligation to let his boss -- the President -- know.
No one expects him to discuss his medical problems with general public. But he has an obligation to let his boss -- the President -- know.
Sometimes I think that they simply can't be the idiots that they seem to be, and that it's all like that SNL Reagan skit, and they are playing us like violins.
DEI
First Harvard. where the most talented person on the WORLD was the very best person on the planet picked from all the other great choices to lead the worlds most prestigious University.
This multi talented person was dismantled in a matter of seconds when she did not know what to say when asked if students pushing genocide of Jews was allowed. This person was stupified. . .
By a Congress Woman.
Now we have SEC DEF the man Running the entire United States Military Industrial Complex. This man had to be better than some of the brightest and most accomplished people in the United States. Education, Intelligence, Service, Aptitude. General Austin rose above ALL others.
He however is too stupid to understand Chain of Command, and to shy to ask. Plus he is froze motionless, at the notion of other people realizing he might no be able to get it up anymore.
Was Austin really Beau Beiden’s pal?
From “Foreign Policy”
“DECEMBER 16, 2020, 7:34 AM
It was in 2010, when General Lloyd Austin was head of U.S. Forces in Iraq, that he got to know then-Vice President Biden. Austin had already become friendly with Biden’s son Beau (they regularly attended Catholic services together in Iraq, where Beau Biden was also deployed, according to the Washington Post), but it was his unflappability in person that most impressed the vice president, according to a senior Pentagon official with contacts in the Biden transition team.
Ten years later, those encounters in Iraq were one factor in president-elect Biden’s decision to select Austin as his secretary of defense. Austin has powerful Biden allies and political supporters, including retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal”
So Austin does not seem so much a racial hire but a family friend hire, and Beiden could never get rid of him because Beau is a sacred angel. So the DOD is fooked.
I still want to know why prostate cancer surgery was described repeatedly as "elective surgery." Really? As in, take it or leave it? Or was Austin too bashful to whisper the word "prostate" to his CiC?
I suspect had I gone AWOL during my time in the service, claiming I needed my privacy probably would've gotten me into a bit of trouble.
"Colin Powell was a black general who was not afraid to showcase himself in order to succeed."
Yes, indeed. He was an ambitious careerist who did and said whatever was necessary to advance himself, as was Condoleeza Rice. They both lied to the public to create public fear sufficient to compel support by the public for our starting a war with Iraq.
Just before we invaded Iraq, Powell knowingly lied about Iraq's access to or imminent building of a nuclear weapon, contradicting his own declaration in early 2001, recorded in a filmed speech (which I have seen) that Hussein was unarmed and not a threat.
March 19, 2003: "This conflict, if it comes, with Iraq, will be because 'Iraq has been developing weapons of mass destruction and has possessed them for 12 years in violation of its international obligations."
Two years earlier on February 24, 2001, Powell said "He (Saddam Hussein) has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbours."
And:
"Two months later, Condoleezza Rice also described a weak, divided and militarily defenceless Iraq. 'Saddam does not control the northern part of the country,' she said. 'We are able to keep his arms from him. His military forces have not been rebuilt.'"
In Washington, when one must choose to tell the truth or tell a lie, the smart (i.e., ambitious) players always know the truth is verboten and lies are golden.
"I still want to know why prostate cancer surgery was described repeatedly as 'elective surgery.' Really? As in, take it or leave it?"
Yes, sometimes prostrate cancer surgery is not advised, depending on the age and health of the patient and whether the cancer is aggressive or slow growing.
I still want to know why prostate cancer surgery was described repeatedly as "elective surgery." Really? As in, take it or leave it? Or was Austin too bashful to whisper the word "prostate" to his CiC?
----
It was "elective" because the surgery wasn't necessary immediately in order to save his life. They can push it back if there were other higher priority cases.
'I still want to know why prostate cancer surgery was described repeatedly as "elective surgery." Really?
There is the 'we'll monitor things' option (especially if you are really old and the surgery might kill you).
Radiation (usually accompanied by hormone treatment) option. Also for the very old.
Surgery to remove it option.
If the cancer has spread somewhere else then you have other problems...
gilbar said...
"Lloyd certainly had an Interesting Career!
Got Appointed to West Point, Commissioned in 1975 (do y'all Remember the army in 1975? i DO!)
Once a 2nd lieutenant, he went STRAIGHT to schools (Airborne and then Ranger, so he could wear the ribbons).
Then he was a platoon leader in the 3rd Infantry (1st a rifle platoon, then a scout platoon)..
Then Company XO ............."
So in essence he is an 'Affirmative Action' hire... like Obama and Gay...
And now you see folks what 'affirmative action' has done... cheeped and dumbed things down. Those blacks that have studied hard, went the distance, and played by the rules ... their degrees and accomplishments will be questioned.
Reap what you sow.
Dude1394,
"DEI is going to kill all of us eventually"
It's actually likely to kill us a lot sooner than that.
This whole “avoiding reporters” shtick smacks of Red Chinese politics. That isn’t surprising given Biden’s fealty.
@Michelle Dulak Thomson said..."I still want to know why prostate cancer surgery was described repeatedly as "elective surgery.""
Not defending either Austin or the story in any way, but it is probably being expressed this way because surgery is only one of many clinical ways to treat prostate cancer - from surgery, to focused proton radiation, to implants of radioactive pellets, to simple 'watch and wait', and so on.
Prostate cancer is one of those cancers that can be really slow in developing or can spread like wildfire if you're unlucky. I had radioactive seeds implanted nearly 10 years ago as my treatment, cancer free since the procedure.
Having the prostate out is still heavy surgery, even if they do it minimally invasively. Take it easy for 30 days, no heavy lifting, etc. The news reports said he had a part of the prostate removed, but the same restrictions would probably apply. Those restrictions are reason enough to inform the boss about the surgery.
But that reticence, [Lloyd] Austin’s backers say, reflects decades of cultural challenges for a Black man who has succeeded in the military by learning not to showcase too much of himself"
Hogwash! The mantra is a black man has to be twice as good to be recognized as a white man would be. That would mean that if Lloyd had any talent, he'd be showcasing his accomplishments, not hiding them in a closet.
As Gilbar described, Austen is a staff weenie. He had little line experience with troops and with deployments. He's perfect for doing studies and creating war plans, but he has little experience actually leading troops. His perfect job would vice chief of staff where he doesn't have to make decisions, just recommendations for his boss, who makes the decisions.
>Michelle Dulak Thomson said...
I still want to know why prostate cancer surgery was described repeatedly as "elective surgery."<
All prostate cancer surgery is, as is most surgery, elective surgery. As opposed to emergency surgery. The cancer is diagnosed. The treatment options are then considered. If it is surgery, the surgery is then scheduled. The surgery is then done. Electively - as to timing.
tolkein said...
How can he not have told the President? How can he not have thought to tell the President?
That's a good question. But we are told there was 4 days when Biden did not talk to Austin. We are told Austin was always functioning and always in charge.
A better question. Who exactly is Austin talking to??? We are told he did not talk to his Deputy. Did not talk to his chief of staff, did not talk to the NSA, did not talk to the Sec of State.
The SEC DEf, in full control of his command did not talk to a single person in the hierarchy of the Nations Defense. Who exactly is making the decisions?
That would be the cabal calling all the shot in the Executive Branch.(Everyone knows it ain't Biden)
I am not in a position to evaluate Lloyd Austin as a military officer. For the sake of this discussion, I will stipulate that his service as an Army officer was exemplary from beginning to end.
Austin resigned his commission in 2016, and would not ordinarily have been eligible to serve as Sec Def as statute establishes that there be a gap of 7 (or is it 10?) years between active duty service as a general officer in the military before serving as Sec Def. Congress can override this restriction . . . as was done with George Marshall (1950), James Mattis (2017), and Austin (2021). This rule is well justified as necessary to maintain civilian control of the military. Any who . . .
Upon Congressional approval of the waiver, Austin became a political figure. He had to know that his change in status would mean that his performance as Sec Def would be subject to political criticism, justified or not.
Prostate cancer is serious business. I feel for the man, and hope that the procedure was successful. But serving as Sec Def is serious business as well . . . at all times, but especially so at present. The idea that it is OK to take yourself out of the loop, without informing those who critically need to know -- the President, and National Security Advisor -- is not acceptable. Those who would accept it . . . as President Biden is doing . . . send the absolute wrong message to every man and woman in uniform, and to those who wish the United States harm.
I confess that I read way too many spy novels . . .
Does anyone doubt that foreign intelligence services for China, Iran, and Russia knew about Austin's hospitalization(s) days before President Biden and his National Security staff?
Some might recall the time when President Obama described ISIS (Islamic State) as being the "JV team."
Feel free to draw your own conclusions.
tolkein said...
"How can he not have told the President? How can he not have thought to tell the President?"
Because he's incompetent and not fit to lead.
My dad - admittedly a white guy - retired as a colonel in the USAF after 30 years including Vietnam service. He's super smart and a very able people manager - his subordinates always loved him. But he always said he wasn't cut out to be a general: too much politicking.
If my dad was correct about what it takes to make general, then Austin is trying to have it both ways: "I'm worthy of this post" and "I'm shy."
Look, I don't care if he's shy, or what his medical condition is. I just wanted him to do his duty in notifying the President save delegating authority to the appropriate person. Neither of those things requires extroversion or braving the cold winds of racism.
for comparison >
Is Austin concealing surgery etc.
as serious as
Captin Miles Vorkosigan not telling ImpSec Chief Simon Ilyan about his seizure complication from cryo-revival
"Was that wrong? Should I not have done that? I tell you, I gotta plead ignorance on this thing, because if anyone had said anything to me at all when I first started here that that sort of thing is frowned upon..."
If only Austin hadn't been conscripted.
There is no lie in the service of protecting Biden politically that Mr Wibble won’t push. His latest “it depends on what the meaning of is is” justification is just more of the same.
I am going to stick with my original theory as to why Austin chose secrecy in this instance- his cancer is a turbo cancer (sudden and rapid late stage), and he is the one who mandated all military personnel get the m-RNA vaccines to which some have linked such rapidly developing malignancies.
"I still want to know why prostate cancer surgery was described repeatedly as "elective surgery." Really? As in, take it or leave it? Or was Austin too bashful to whisper the word "prostate" to his CiC?"
Because you are expected to believe the cancer diagnosis wasn't terribly serious.
When Boo Radley does come out, he doesn't need to show off his scar like LBJ.
SHANE!
Cook steps in "it" again. The "weapons of mass destruction" Saddam was claimed to be hoarding were not nukes but chemical weapons, which he had used against Iraqi Kurds and before that, against Iranians.
Israel destroyed any hopes Saddam had of producing nukes when it bombed the unfinished Osirak nuclear reactor site in 1981.
Whether Powell, Rice or Bush "lied" about WMD is a moot point, as it was CIA head George Tenet who notoriously advised the Bush administration that the existence of forbidden Iraq WMDs wasn't just a informed guess, but a "slam dunk".
Personally, I doubt that Saddam's and/or Little Assad's WMD arsenals ever amounted to much.
A few thousand Kurds and some Syrians (including lots of terrorists) seem to be about the only actual victims of those oh-so-threatening Weapons of Mass Destruction.
In response to gilbar:
I graduated USMA in 1979, and Austin has, what we call a "Fat Cat" CV. I was not a Fat Cat, but an Alley Cat. My career progression was more like COL Klink.
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