With every new detail that comes to light, it’s becoming clear that the saga surrounding Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s medical disappearance isn’t just a scandal, but the scandal of a generation.
For those who have missed the key details, the issue surrounds Austin’s secret hospitalization in early January following complications from prostate cancer surgery — a surgery that was initially described as elective — which was kept secret from the White House, the Pentagon, and the entire nation. Even President Joe Biden and Austin’s own deputy, Kathleen Hicks, didn’t discover the truth for up to three days (which raises serious concerns over the liveliness of the White House group chat thread).
As if that wasn’t enough, when emergency services were called to Austin’s residence on New Year’s Day, an aide asked for discretion, requesting that the vehicle “not show up with lights and sirens.”
It was also reported that Austin was admitted for a prostatectomy three days before Christmas, undergoing general anesthesia, again, without the knowledge of the White House or Hicks.
And the cherry on this particular cake? Hicks, who was unaware of her sudden added responsibilities, was on vacation in Puerto Rico.
Unsurprisingly, this has sparked bipartisan calls for Austin’s immediate resignation, while more than a third of likely U.S. voters support calls for Austin to step down.
But will he? Of course not. Why? Because we live in a time devoid of shame.
It’s not like politicians are incapable of resigning in order to at least pretend to hold some level of respect for their position. For example, Al Franken resigned from the U.S. Senate in 2018 after accusations of sexual misconduct, and following the infamous Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon became the first (and only) U.S. president to resign from office.
But today, fueled by our collective lack of attention span, not even the most monumental scandal will act as a catalyst for a politician to give up power voluntarily.
Austin’s decision to obfuscate his incapacitation while acting as head of the nation’s Department of Defense would be unforgivable during times of unrivaled peace, let alone when the world has exploded in conflict. With wars raging in Europe and the Middle East (and the near constant threat of conflict in the Far East), doesn’t it seem important that the figure responsible for overseeing the nation’s defense strategy is, at the very least, conscious?
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But given that we live in a world where abject failure in government is not only accepted but rewarded, and shameless narcissists cling to power regardless of their actions, is it any surprise that what should be a career-ending, once-in-a-generation scandal will be forgotten in just a few days?
President Joe Biden has spent what seems like the majority of his tenure sunning himself on vacation, dodging every Hunter Biden scandal along the way. So, given the physical state of the commander in chief, perhaps mere consciousness is voluntary in the Biden administration?
Ian Haworth is a columnist, speaker, and host of “Off Limits.” You can follow him on X at @ighaworth. You can also find him on Substack.
