 December 9, 2020  It took a while, but President-elect Joe Biden has named the person he wants to nominate to be his defense secretary. In an op-ed in The Atlantic on Tuesday, Biden confirmed reports that retired Gen. Lloyd Austin is his pick to lead the Pentagon. If confirmed, Austin would be the first Black leader of the Department of Defense.
Here's where things get tricky: Austin was a four-star general in the U.S. Army until just four years ago. This puts Democrats in an awkward position, Hayes Brown writes in his latest essay. Now they have to decide: Will they block a historic appointment in the name of preserving the norm that recent military leaders shouldn't be appointed to head the DOD? Or will they follow a pattern set by President Donald Trump, who violated that norm?
Find the full analysis at the top of Wednesday's MSNBC Daily section at MSNBC.com.
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