WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden will nominate retired four-star Army general Lloyd J. Austin to be secretary of defense, according to four people familiar with the decision. If confirmed by the Senate, Austin would be the first Black leader of the Pentagon.
Competence, experience, diversity…this is exactly what I expected from Biden and Harris.
What a breath of fresh after all the foul vapors of the past four years!
I feel like I’m getting all I hoped for, as for as nominees, from Biden and much, much more. Now I just need to see that AG pick! I feel like that’s gonna tell us all we need to know unless it is someone not widely known.
Kevin Drum nailed it earlier: https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2020/12/biden-set-to-name-non-democrat-non-civilian-as-secretary-of-defense/
Another Republican, another former military officer. Really, why can’t we have (1) a civilian, like the other 44 presidents before Trump; (2) an independent or a Democrat?
I agree 100% – the AG pick is going to more significant than ever before in our history. I am biting my fingernails on this one!
I guess there’s little point in observing that Mitch McConnell, if he still rules the Senate, will refuse to even hold confirmation hearings for Gen. Austin (the $6M Man??) or anybody else. Dems MUST win big in Georgia.
…and the Republicans are ‘concerned’. Screw 'em. They don’t WANT anybody competent. They ‘think’ that Biden should get his picks BUT since they have screwed everything ELSE up they are ‘concerned’.
Marshall was military, Mattis was military… a waiver process is ahead
Does any civilian know the Pentagon well enough to ferret out the damage Trump and his minions have done there?
IF he has to appoint Republicans, they should only be nominated once all of his other picks have been confirmed by the Senate. I would rather he appoint NO Republicans, but you can bet Mitch and the boys will quickly approve this one.
While I agree with @philmore’s sentiment, I think your point is extremely important. The pentagon has been ravaged by Trump’s civilian appointees. Biden needs someone in there who has the trust of the uniforms to get the Straight Talk (ht John McCain) from day one. It’s going to take a lot of work to cut out the Trumpian cancer and the longer that cancer stays, the more damage it will do.
Little bit OT: Chuck Yeager has passed on at age 97. He knew my Air Force career father and casually showed up at Dad’s Chama, NM grocery store back in the late 1970’s for a visit. There are darn few of that generation left.
Exactly! I just read that Lindsay Graham has said the Senate won’t confirm a candidate that will prosecute Trump. He’s a fool if he thinks Romney and Murkowski aren’t sharpening their knives.
This is going to be a controversial nomination and a tough confirmation. Biden will have to sell this to Ds as well as Rs.
eta: what I mean is he’ll have to sell the waiver, not the man. Selling the waiver may well be a showstopper
One of the regular generals on Morning Joe was just discussing Gen. Austin. He repeatedly said that Austin is a phenomenal pick, that he’s beloved among the military, and that he is very well known and respected in the Pentagon. He said he’s an extremely decent man.
OT: 10 officers with guns drawn…
I hope she sues these idiots for $millions. if they manage to clank her on doped up charges, Biden will pardon her.
And that may be the principal reason Biden picked him. There is a lot of work to do, cleaning out the Aegean stables tRump has left, and the DoD is one of the most important.
Why would we think Austin is a Republican?
They sure wear a lot of chest candy, don’t they.
Another General… this is not how the system is supposed to work. There is no reason not to pick a civilian. I’m deeply disappointed by this. There is no reason to normalize this.