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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsObama Warns the Country About How Much Power He's About to Hand Trump
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/12/06/obama_warns_the_country_about_the_powers_he_s_about_to_hand_to_trump.html
Obama Warns the Country About How Much Power Hes About to Hand Trump
By Joshua Keating
snip//
Obama never referred to Trump directly, but much of the speech seemed aimed at him. Referring to torture, specifically waterboarding, which Trump promised to bring back during the campaign but is perhaps now wavering on after conversations with Mattis, Obama said that at no point has anyone who worked with me told me that {prohibiting torture} has cost us good intelligence. Perhaps prompted by Trumps completely illegal suggestion that the U.S. should take the oil from the countries in the Middle East where it sends troops, Obama said, We are a nation that won world wars without grabbing the resources of those we defeated. Responding to any number of Trump statements about Muslim Americans, Obama said, The United States is not a country that imposes religious tests as a price for freedom. Were a country that was founded so that people could practice their faith as they chose. The United States is not a place where some citizens have to withstand greater scrutiny or carry a special ID card or prove that theyre not an enemy from within. And in a likely response to Trumps single-minded focus on ISIS when it comes to U.S. security priorities, Obama said:
At times Obama seemed to be casting his arguments in terms that might appeal to Trump. He made appeals to the bottom line, noting that, thanks to his light-footprint counterterrorism approach, which relies more on drones and special forces than large troop deployments, Weve accomplished all this at a cost of 10 billion over two years, which is the same amount that we used to spend in one month at the height of the Iraq war. His argument against continuing to keep the detention center at Guantánamo Bay open was financial as well as moral, saying were wasting hundreds of millions of dollars to keep fewer than 60 people in a detention center in Cuba. Thats not strength. He also echoed one of Trumps favorite themes by saying the U.S. should ask allies to do their fair share in this fight.
Much of the speech was devoted to the tricky question of legal authorization for the war on terrorism, which Obama himself has taken advantage of. Right now we are waging a war under authority provided by Congress over 15 years ago. I had no gray hair 15 years ago, he joked. Obama blamed Congress, saying that, If a threat is serious enough to require the sacrifice of men and women in uniform, than members of Congress should at least have the courage to make clear where they stand. But thats a little unfair. It was the White House, not Congress, that first argued that the war against ISIS fell under the 2001 authorization. Even as the president has hectored Congress for not passing a new resolution, hes been more than happy to continue and expand the war on terror under the old one.
Even before the election, Obama had made remarks suggesting that he was concerned about the unchecked power of the presidency in counterterrorism, even as his own administration significantly helped normalize that power. Those worries are more justified now that Obama is handing that power over to Trump rather than Hillary Clinton. As he put it in his speech, the power of the presidency is awesome but it is supposed to be bound by you, our citizens. The White House also issued an unusual 61-page document on Monday outlining the legal basis for its various counterterrorism activities, arguing for the necessity of transparency and for legal constraints that reduce the risk of an ill-considered decision.
The document and the speech together sure seem like an acknowledgment that Obama, partially because of his own administrations actions, is handing unprecedented presidential powers to someone he clearly thinks is unequipped to handle them responsibly.
Obama ended his speech by urging both members of the military and American citizens to continue to protect our Constitution among all threats foreign and domestic. For once, the and domestic part didnt feel like a throwaway line.
mountain grammy
(26,600 posts)the truth is, we have a simpleton as president. W was one too, but he kind of knew it. The danger in trump is, he thinks he's a genius.
babylonsister
(171,036 posts)no one around who will disavow him of that notion.
NewJeffCT
(56,828 posts)there are too many yes men around Trump who will be afraid to stand up to him.
Johonny
(20,820 posts)shout outs to look like he's in charge. He has no idea the amount of in fighting and backroom stuff that goes on in Washington. His cabinet, handlers, and congress are all waiting to eat him alive. And then there's the foreign relations stuff. He thinks he has a lot of "friends" now, but he doesn't get there are no friends in the GOP apparatus. Meanwhile his inner circle will keep him in the dark with disinformation and talk of how great he is.
RKP5637
(67,089 posts)IMO we're going to see the same with Trump/Pence, except on steroids. What do "ordinary" citizens do. Contact the republican representatives. Mine could give a shit if I live or die, and I don't have billions of influence. And millions are in the same boat with me. And those that voted them in are so clueless they have no concept of what is going on.
is still worthless as is Congress. maybe they will go on vacation for another 2 months.
RKP5637
(67,089 posts)Loge23
(3,922 posts)Make no mistake, we're entering a time not seen since 1962 when the Cuban missile crisis had us hiding under our school desks.
It should be clear to all, whether on this site or not, that we are in clear danger of nuclear annihilation with this fool trump at the controls. Hyperbole? I think not.
malaise
(268,724 posts)It was clear as crystal
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)I'm positive Obama will never "nag" the new President for years with lies about his birth certificate or church history or emails.
Autumn
(44,986 posts)that the NSA has been granted. That one step would go a long way toward protecting our "Constitution among all threats foreign and domestic" We all know Trump is unequipped to handle them responsibly.
world wide wally
(21,739 posts)Fascists do whatever they want. They don't even bother reading the laws let alone following them.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)Can notice in recent comments by trump, all he says about these hours spent is "He likes Obama", "Obama liked one of my new Admin" and not much more.
This recent speech by Obama and the new documentation, including the articles new 61 page report probably cover much of what Obama is 'trying' to discuss with transition-trump.
He's documenting now, and even put up a few more new EOs to cover much detail of American government that Obama is concerned about.
Trump has restrained himself about any public comments on any advice during transition work. trump knows if he starts up any crazy-talk, or starts to lie about anything discussed with Obama. Obama will become very public, very fast over any lies. That goes for the real 'Leaders' in Americas new Admin. The RW Republicans.
Obama will never withdraw his campaign statement, that trump is Unfit & dangerous. Republicans are responsible for any harm that comes to America/Americans. They allow trump to be commander in chief.