3 ms·

I agree but feel Obama may not be an apt comparison. He spearheaded or allowed and covered for a lot of shady progression of the MIC in his time, from domestic

I agree but feel Obama may not be an apt comparison. He spearheaded or allowed and covered for a lot of shady progression of the MIC in his time, from domestic surveillance and big bumps in prosecutions of whistleblowers to the prevelance of drone strikes on non combatants, including known extra judicial strikes of Americans overseas. That said I’m not sure a modern president can really go through a tenure without having to make some tough choices and having some black eyes on their record. They are a hostage to many factors they don’t control, ranging from economic to even world affairs. Biden for all his faults is in a lose/lose when it comes to a situation like Ukraine/Russia. Even doing nothing is villifying, direct intervention is vilifying and could trigger larger conflicts. Discreet support is villifying too. There’s no win in such a situation.

starkd 4y ago
Obama was also quick to use the office of president to cash in. Something I find truly disasteful and only wrecks his credibility, in my view. Carter still lives in a relatively modest home in Georgia where he grew up. This shows a great deal of discipline against temptation. It truly is a mark of great character.
- ubermonkey 4y ago
  In what ways was Obama "quick to cash in," and how does doing so (assuming the options he took are legal) impact an assessment of his kindness and character?
  - starkd 4y ago
    So, you think those enormous speaking fees are because of his "kindness and character" ? Sure, they are legal. But let's not pretend they were for anything other than what he did for them while in office and the influence he currently carries to influence government policies. This is why, at one time, it was considered sacrilege to do so. I think Carter and Reagan (and maybe Bush Sr.) were the last presidents to observe this rule.

starkd 4y ago

Obama was also quick to use the office of president to cash in. Something I find truly disasteful and only wrecks his credibility, in my view. Carter still lives in a relatively modest home in Georgia where he grew up. This shows a great deal of discipline against temptation. It truly is a mark of great character.

ubermonkey 4y ago
In what ways was Obama "quick to cash in," and how does doing so (assuming the options he took are legal) impact an assessment of his kindness and character?
- starkd 4y ago
  So, you think those enormous speaking fees are because of his "kindness and character" ? Sure, they are legal. But let's not pretend they were for anything other than what he did for them while in office and the influence he currently carries to influence government policies. This is why, at one time, it was considered sacrilege to do so. I think Carter and Reagan (and maybe Bush Sr.) were the last presidents to observe this rule.