Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who presides over 1.4 million U.S. military volunteers, left his Pentagon post without notice or authorization and kept his absence a secret for almost a week. That's called AWOL, even if you're in charge.
Austin was a four-star general with 41 years of service, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. So, there is no question about his character or devotion to the service of his country.
There is, however, now a serious question about his intelligence, integrity, and, most importantly, his judgment. Colleagues describe the veteran as an intensely private person.
Sorry, you give up privacy when you take on an appointed job that's high up in the chain of presidential succession, leading the men and women volunteers who comprise our national defense.
How's he going to prosecute the next Bowe Bergdahl who leaves his guard post without notice and his fellow troops vulnerable?
He can't.
Now that he got caught and caused a serious political uproar, we're told his unexplained absence involved the discovery, removal of, and complications from prostate cancer. That's a shame. But it's an explanation, not an excuse.
No one wants to hear such news. No one wants to get shot at, as Austin was. But he kept his diagnosis, operation, surgical complications, and residence in an Intensive Care Unit a secret, even from his second in command, the president, and those gossipy toads in Congress.
That may be very human. Given his privacy penchant and the sensitivity of such a diagnosis for a man, especially one in a masculine warrior culture, that's understandable. But it's also quite unacceptable.
The event and its bungled handling also create a widening array of difficulties for an administration that's already acquired a convincing reputation for incompetence.
Austin must offer a full and candid explanation to the public in detail, something that he could have completely avoided had he been candid and upfront in the first place. It's always the coverup that provides the downfall.
Austin also could have provided a positive role model for handling such adversity for the soldiers he leads, about 80 percent of whom are male.
Word at the moment is that Joe Biden is not considering seeking Austin's resignation. Biden hates facing up to such confrontations, so he won't. And the world sees this weakness in someone supposed to be commander in chief.
There are also practical reasons not to, given this is a presidential election year and a confirmation process for a new short-term secretary could be messy, if not impossible. That will likely be part of the excuse for letting this pass.
Senate confirmation hearing:
"Where do you see yourself in one year?
"Unemployed."
It would be a shame for a service career of more than four decades to end this way.
But then, after a military career of more than four decades, you'd think Lloyd Austin himself would know better than such dereliction of duty.
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Winning an election by 20 points is an impressive achievement. But not so much if you've been claiming a 50-point lead. That invites dramatic media coverage of a disappointing result.
