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Bumps in the Road: Trump vs. Obama
Townhall.com ^ | February 15, 2016 | Michelle Malkin

Posted on 02/15/2017 4:28:06 AM PST by Kaslin

The resignation of national security advisor Michael Flynn has the anti-Trump media declaring the new administration a "mess," in "turmoil" and thrown into "chaos."

Funny, these same Chicken Littles barely shrugged their shoulders during the turmoil-laden first 100 days of Barack Obama's first term. Some perspective is in order.

Remember the withdrawal of Obama's pick for National Intelligence Council chairman, Charles Freeman, in March 2009? Obama had tapped the former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia for the sensitive post despite abundant conflicts of interests. Freeman had served for four years on the board of the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, a company owned by the Chinese communist government. The state-owned firm has invested in Sudan and Iran. Freeman also led the Middle East Policy Council, a Washington, D.C.-based group funded by the Saudi government. And he chaired Projects International, a consulting firm that had worked with foreign companies and governments.

Obama knew all that and looked the other way at Freeman's role as a de facto lobbyist for Saudi royalty. Even worse, he ignored Freeman's Jew-bashing and tyrant-coddling record with a Blame America axe to grind. Freeman carped that our country exhibited "an ugly mood of chauvinism" after the 9/11 attacks and condemned his fellow countrymen for connecting the dots of Islam and Saudi-funded jihad: "Before Americans call on others to examine themselves," he fumed with Jeremiah Wright-style bombast, "we should examine ourselves."

In fine form, Freeman inveighed against the "Israel Lobby" in his resignation letter.

The screed said less about Freeman than it did about the Obama administration's AWOL vetting system. Where were the watchdogs to guard against terror-friendly conspiracy-minded kooks slipping into sensitive intelligence positions?

The Freeman withdrawal came after a series of Obama nominee withdrawals that the amnesia-suffering Beltway media has now conveniently forgotten in its haste to declare Trump's transition the worst disaster ever.

By this time in Obama's first term, former Democratic New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson had withdrawn as Commerce Secretary nominee after both liberals and conservatives protested his long record of corruption and incompetence. His political horse-trading with private businesses -- campaign donations for infrastructure projects, patronage jobs and board appointments -- was so notorious it had earned him the moniker "Dollar Bill."

At the time Obama tapped him to lead the Commerce Department, Richardson was the subject of a high-profile probe and ongoing grand jury investigation into whether he traded New Mexico government contracts for campaign contributions. The White House transition team knew about the pay-to-play scandal involving a California company, CDR Financial Products. They knew that the FBI and federal prosecutors had launched a probe of CDR's activities in New Mexico in the summer of 2008. They knew CDR was tied to a doomed bond deal in Alabama, which threatened to cause the biggest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. They knew CDR had raked in nearly $1.5 million in fees from a New Mexico state financial agency after donating more than $100,000 to Richardson's efforts to register Hispanic and American Indian voters and to pay for expenses at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

It took 33 days before Team Obama threw Richardson and his ethical baggage off the bus.

Richardson's replacement, former GOP Sen. Judd Gregg, accepted and then quickly withdrew after disagreements over Obama's massive federal stimulus proposal and Democrats' politicization of the Census.

Another Beltway barnacle, former Democratic South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle, was also forced to withdraw from his nomination as Obama's Health and Human Services secretary amid a storm of ethical scandal, conflicts of interest, and tax avoidance. That was compounded by Treasury Secretary Geithner's admission of "tax goofs" involving his failure to pay $43,000 in federal self-employment taxes for four separate years (until, that is, he was tapped for his Obama post). At least five other Treasury staff picks withdrew before the Obama administration had reached the 100-day mark over tax problems, conflicts of interest, bad judgment and records of lax oversight of industry.

By the end of his first 100 days, Obama had set a turnover record for an incoming cabinet with four major withdrawals. And by the hallowed 100-day mark, Obama had announced less than half of the total Senate-confirmed Cabinet department positions he needed to fill, with only 10 approved -- even though the Democrats had an overwhelming majority in the Senate at the time.

Yes, there will be significant bumps in the road and some tough lumps to take as President Trump builds his team. But a dishonest media and preening political establishment pretending there's something "unprecedented" about such stumbles only discredit themselves.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: michaelflynn

1 posted on 02/15/2017 4:28:06 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Excellent! If there is one thing there is no doubt about that is that the MSM suffers from global ammesia.


2 posted on 02/15/2017 4:33:19 AM PST by ScaniaBoy (Part of the Right Wing Research & Attack Machine)
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To: Kaslin

Mr. Trump needs to squash Obama’s “Organizing For Action” organization. I suspect that it is nothing more than a revamped ACORN. Obama is well organized and is able to send protesters and agitators to any event needed at a moment’s notice. I’d also bet that they are funded by Soros.

This is the first time in our Nation’s history that an Ex-president is actively working to overthrow a current President.

This crap has to stop. It is sedition and may even be treason.


3 posted on 02/15/2017 4:39:05 AM PST by BuffaloJack
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To: Kaslin

“The resignation of national security advisor Michael Flynn has the anti-Trump media declaring the new administration a mess”

They said the same thing when Trump fired his campaign manager a few months before the election. But now Trump is president and the head of NBC News just got replaced. Trump will keep winning the MSM will keep losing.


4 posted on 02/15/2017 4:41:07 AM PST by Helicondelta (Deplorable)
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To: Helicondelta

You got that right.


5 posted on 02/15/2017 4:45:07 AM PST by Kaslin ( Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible)
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To: Kaslin

There is only one way to stop their BS. Don’t buy their papers, don’t watch national news and let’s set up support rallies at the White House once a month.


6 posted on 02/15/2017 4:54:18 AM PST by New Jersey Realist (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke)
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To: New Jersey Realist
I agree with, don't buy their papers, but don't watch national news? In other words stay ignorant according to you.

What about deciding for yourself what you believe what is reported?

7 posted on 02/15/2017 4:59:35 AM PST by Kaslin ( Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible)
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To: Kaslin

It will take some time to replace all the Obama cronies in government that are anti-Trump.

Priorities:
1. Replace the Federal Judges and fill the vacancies with young conservative judges at all levels from Supreme on down.

2. Replace all Obama appointed Federal prosecutors immediately.

3. Clean up the AG office and get rid of all the Sally Q. Yates like Obama sympathizers.

4. Recruit young conservative FBI agents and give them a leader that supports them. Fire the people like the Deputy Director who’s wife accepted hundreds of thousands of $$$ from Hillary team before he handled the email investigation.

5. Clean up the CIA with some internal sting operations. Panetta stacked the deck and his house of cards needs to fall.

6. Push congress to start investigations into any dirty deeds by Pelosi and her gang. The dirt is there it just needs the Light shown upon it.

7. The best defense is the best offense, start the email and other investigations against Hillary to put a nail in her coffin. Do the same thing with Obama, Kerry, Lynch, Rahm Emanual, Eric Holder and all his dirty settlements getting payola for his cronies..... Don’t just drain the swamp, eradicate the vermin from reproducing.

8. Rebuild the military with conservative leaders who are loyal to the country and not on their own political agenda.

9. Stop having prisons that are like country clubs and return to prisons that are work and production oriented.

10. Tie the NIH research grants to the VA hospitals as an added incentive to get better DR’s for our military.

11. Use the Charter school system with a new curriculum that creates conservative children who are ethical, responsible, motivated and love our country. Create a new group of great people for the next generation in charge of our country.


8 posted on 02/15/2017 5:17:17 AM PST by tired&retired (Blessings)
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To: BuffaloJack

“This is the first time in our Nation’s history that an
Ex-president is actively working to overthrow a current
President.” - BuffaloJack wrote.


9 posted on 02/15/2017 5:44:08 AM PST by Twinkie (The MSM is DEAD. - John 3:16)
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To: Kaslin

As much as I support fighting back, these articles never sway anyone. Recounting Rat misdeeds and hypocrisy is like spitting into the wind or a fool’s errand. They have their double standards and they never respond in a rational way to the evidence of their crimes.


10 posted on 02/15/2017 7:38:30 AM PST by bkopto
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To: Kaslin

I get all the news I need right here. Something wrong with that? Are you insinuating that makes me ignorant just because I don’t go around ripping out media headlines for a living?


11 posted on 02/16/2017 6:01:34 AM PST by New Jersey Realist (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke)
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To: Kaslin

Oh, and besides, I can’t stand one single national news broadcaster. They are all smug, condescending, all-knowing bastards who I wouldn’t waste a half hour on.


12 posted on 02/16/2017 6:04:12 AM PST by New Jersey Realist (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke)
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