The AWOL Defense Secretary

Anyone following how weak and passive the U.S. has been in the face of provocations from our adversaries in the Middle East might conclude that the secretary of defense has gone missing.

And, at least for a few days last week, he literally was.

In an age when it’s nearly impossible to go off the grid, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin managed it. He failed to notify the White House and other key players that he was hospitalized in the intensive care unit. This, needless to say, is not an incidental detail about his life — like, say, that he routinely does his grocery shopping on Saturday afternoons, or is taking the Kansas City Chiefs and giving the points this weekend.