A Pop Quiz for You.

Here’s a pop quiz for you. Who is Alex Azar.

Need a hint? A few weeks ago, he was arguably the most important man in the country. Rich, successful. Respected by his peers.

In private business, he ran one of the nation’s largest pharmaceutical companies. Then, he held one of the most important jobs in the federal government. He was in the President’s Cabinet. And lately, he seemed to have vanished.

So, who is he?

Well, if the biggest threat to our nation is Coronavirus, and we have to organize a way to deal with it, it would probably be good to create a high level cabinet post dedicated to protecting us from pandemics, and to work to improve medical care for everyone across the nation.

We could call the man to head such a department our Secretary of Health. Oh, wait, we already have one. That’s who Alex Azar is.

So what’s he been doing lately? Well, his department’s own web site tells us. He’s been “facilitating patient-centered healthcare markets, protecting life and lives, and promoting independence.” That would be independence from things like mandated federal health insurance.

A key part of his agenda, the website said, “has been protecting the nation against infectious disease threats such as Ebola, influenza, and measles, ensuring the United States is prepared for manmade and naturally occurring disasters and threats, and leading global efforts to protect public health.”

So, how’s he doing?

Well, it may be hard to feel sympathy for a Yale-trained lawyer who made millions of dollars running Eli Lilly and then went on to regulate drug costs. But, according to news reports, he is suspected of leaking information to the media that was critical of the way the president was handling the coronavirus pandemic,

We do know that the White House gave his a new public spokesman, making Michael Caputo  assistant secretary of Health and Human Services for public affairs.

Caputo’s qualifications? Well, the President likes him, and he recently wrote a book “The Ukraine Hoax,” revealing the conspiracy that was behind the President’s impeachment.

Caputo summed up his appointment this way:  “I am honored to serve the President to the best of my abilities in this time of crisis and, in so doing, the American people.”

Feel better? Still wonder why you haven’t heard anything from Alex Azar lately? Not since he tried to ban flavored e-cigarettes.