Opposed it maybe, they couldn’t have prevented it. The War Powers Act gave Obama basically 2 months to do whatever he wanted and there isn’t anything Congress could really do about it. Obama’s addiction to what he thinks governance should be versus the modern reality of it bit him in the ass. He wanted Congress to vote on it, you know like the Constitution says to, but we stopped doing that a looong time ago.
-xtien
President Trump and King Abdullah II Hold a Joint Press Conference (WH):
In a surprise to no one.
Prediction time:
Tomorrow Trump meets with the president of China.
Will he merely embarrass the country, or create a make international incident?
Yes.
++++
I’m waiting for the photo op. Trump visibly muttering a reminder to himself not to manhandle the premier on the handshake, Xi visibly bracing for the assault. Chinese journalists and bloggers everywhere poised like hawks for even the slightest insinuation of a discourtesy…
The Chinese are so much more sophisticated with diplomacy, foreign policy, intelligence operations, etc… than anybody in the Trump administration. Simultaneously, I have no doubt that Trump fancies himself to be a more shrewd and intelligent negotiator than anybody in China. They’re going to use, abuse, turn, twist, mount, and discard him as President, and he’ll never be the wiser.
So tomorrow? As far as I’m concerned, with regards to China, Trump already has created international incidents and embarrassed the country. Tomorrow will be no different.
Come on, Trump has probably been extensively briefed on protocol and cultural cues as interpreted in Chinese society.
But of course he has. He’s probably having chop suey served at the subsequent meal. With a fortune cookie.
I expect him, during a joint press conference, to say something like, “I had dinner with your friend General Tsao the other day.”
It’s guaranteed that he mentions how China is a tenant in his building.
This is so full of win I actually heard it in Trump’s voice.
TRUMP: Elijah Cummings [a Democratic representative from Maryland] was in my office and he said, “You will go down as one of the great presidents in the history of our country.”
HABERMAN: Really.
TRUMP: And then he went out and I watched him on television yesterday and I said, “Was that the same man?”
[Laughter.]
TRUMP: But I said, and I liked him, but I said that was really nice. He said, in a group of people, “You will go down as one of the great presidents in the history of our country.” And then I watched him on television and I said, “Is that the same man that said that to me?”
Trump will clearly make an ass out of himself, but Xi is a wannabe tough guy himself. Ideally it’ll be a draw rather than a complete shitshow. Although I’m not holding my breath.
I expect Trump to tell Xi “I will declare an ADZ over your ADZ in the South China Sea. Mine will be so much bigger, it’ll make yours look tiny”.
You forgot, “He makes the best chicken.”
Now I’m worried he’s going to ask Xi why it’s called duck sauce if it doesn’t have any duck in it.
https://twitter.com/kurteichenwald/status/850058658453098496
TRUMP: Elijah Cummings was in my office and he said, “You will go down as one of the great presidents in the history of our country.”
MAGGIE HABERMAN: Really.
TRUMP: And then he went out and I watched him on television yesterday and I said, “Was that the same man?”
…
He explained in a statement to The Fix: “During my meeting with the president and on several occasions since then, I have said repeatedly that he could be a great president if … if … he takes steps to truly represent all Americans rather than continuing on the divisive and harmful path he is currently on.”
This is Trump’s fabulism in action. He hears a comment like that, lops off the all-important “if” part, and takes it as a compliment. And then he takes that perceived compliment and amplifies it by a factor of about four; “great president” becomes “one of the great presidents in the history of the country.”
The question, as with all of Trump’s falsehoods, is whether it’s subconscious or deliberate — the “Stupid or Liar” theory. Either he doesn’t comprehend what Cummings was saying to him — which is a big problem in a president — or he chooses to completely misrepresent it — which is a big problem in a president.