As Cooke reminded listeners, “In America . . . the military power is subordinate to the civil power. That is perhaps one of the greatest innovations in human history.” In this instance, “Lloyd Austin is the connection between the civil authority and the military. If Lloyd Austin is not there, he has broken that connection.”

“And to do so in such a blasé manner,” Cooke said, “if I were president of the United States, I would feel showed a fatal lack of respect for that great innovation in our political system.”

“I would fire him.”

[I wouldn’t have hired him in the first place. But in this case, yes, I would have fired Austin too. I’d be tempted to do so in any situation in which a subordinate executive simply disappeared without a by-your-leave from me or someone else in the chain of command, in ANY organization, especially without arranging ‘coverage’ of duties in the absence. This is a basic failure of executive competence. — Ed]