On Thursday, we chronicled President Obama's series of decisions to carry on with his public schedule -- a burger joint photo op, a partisan speech on infrastructure spending, and a pair of Manhattan fundraisers -- in the midst of two major international crises. First, Russian-backed and -armed separatists in Ukraine shot down a commercial airliner, killing nearly 300 innocent civilians, including one American. The attack marked a dramatic and lethal escalation of the war in Eastern Ukraine, in which Russia is a malignant and destructive actor. New evidence appears to indicate that Moscow has been highly interested in obtaining the flight's so-called 'black box' recording device, as Moscow-backed separatists restrict access to the crash site. The rebels say they'll turn that evidence over to the UN…at some point. Meanwhile, Israel launched a ground incursion into Gaza, a move that reportedly caught the White House by surprise. The conflict escalated over the weekend, as 13 IDF soldiers were killed by Hamas, and the Israeli military reports that heavily-armed terrorists entered its nation's territory wearing IDF uniforms -- allegedly with the intent of taking hostages. Pro-Hamas protesters are rioting and setting things on fire in Paris (we've already covered their proclivity toward anti-Semitic violence), and Turkey's "moderate" leader stated that Israel has "surpassed Hitler in barbarism" because of its anti-terrorist operations. And yet, the American president has chosen to forge ahead with run-of-the-mill, partisan activities, and is gearing up for a series of star-studded Hollywood fundraisers. The New York Times published a story over the weekend entitled, "Sticking to His Travel Plans, at Risk of Looking Bad -- Obama Maintains Schedule Despite World Crises." The problematic optics are readily apparent:
:silly:(http://gifsec.com/wp-content/uploads/GIF/2014/04/Laughing-GIF.gif)
Recall during the 911 attacks, when Bush waited to finish the story so he did not alarm those young school kids, and how much heat he still gets for it....
Recall Cindy Sheehan and her long tantrum outside the Western White House in Crawford.
Screaming double standard, as usual.
:smokin:
mountaineer wrote above:
[[ Looks like they've abandoned any pretense that he's working. Today's schedule: ]]
Rhetorical question:
Can a president essentially "retire from office" while still in office?
Looks to be what Obama is doing...
Obama looks bored and is ready to move on to his next office. Word on the street is he has his eyes on Secretary General of the United Nations.
No kidding.
:smokin:
While the appointment and approval process of the Secretary-General is outlined in the UN Charter, specific guidelines have emerged regarding the term limits and selection process. These include a limit to two five-year terms, regional (continental) rotation of the appointee’s national origin, and the appointee may not be a citizen of any of the Security Council’s five permanent members.
What scares me is a president who can't change his schedule one whit to respond to changing circumstances. Reminds me of the Titanic: full speed ahead and maintain course, notwithstanding that the surrounding seas are full of ice.It's an imperial presidency. No one tells him (er, Valerie) what to do.