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Barack Obama
Related: About this forumthe president speaks some hard truths
David Remnick: The Obama Tapes
On Robert Gates
What I do believe is true, not just for Bob Gates and this National Security Council but for every national-security team in every modern White House, is that there is going to be some back and forth and give-and-take between Cabinet secretaries and White House staff. And the criteria that I imposed throughout my first term, and will continue to insist on in my second term, is: Are we getting it right? Even if its messy, even if sometimes folks are frustrated, even if the conversations get heatedin the end of the day, are we putting forward the best possible policies to secure this country, and protect our troops, and make sure that if we send them on a mission its the right mission and theyve got the tools they need to succeed?
snip//
On Republicans
There have been times where Ive been constrained by the fact that I had two young daughters who I wanted to spend time with, and that I wasnt in a position to work the social scene in Washington. But having said all that, on fundamental issues like getting Republicans to raise taxes or eliminate loopholes, or getting Democrats to consider reforms to entitlement programs, what matters is the makeup of their districts and their electorates, and I think probably, just from a purely political point of view, the bigger challenge that Ive had has to do with the fact that there is a core group of Republican House members in particular who know that I lost their districts by twenty-five or thirty points, and that there is a Republican base of voters for whom compromise with me is a betrayal. And thatmore than anything, I thinkhas been the challenge that Ive needed to overcome. Another way of putting it, I guess, is that the issue has been the inability of my message to penetrate the Republican base so that they feel persuaded that Im not the caricature that you see on Fox News or Rush Limbaugh, but Im somebody who is interested in solving problems when it comes to Democrats, the truth of the matter is, with fairly thin margins over the last five years, whats been remarkable is the degree to which Democrats have been unified and worked with this Administration to accomplish some big things, even when there were a lot of political risks involved. And Id like to think that part of that is because the Democrats up on Capitol Hill that I have relationships with know that the things Im fighting for are things they care deeply about, and that I have a genuine commitment to seeing them succeed. You havent seen me, I think, go out of my way to play against Democrats on the Hill. But Ive tried to be supportive of them in every way that I can.
@thestustein
On Foreign Policy
My working premise, what I believe in my gut, is that America has been an enormous force for good in the world, and that if you look at the ledger and you say, What have we gotten right and what have we gotten wrong, on balance, we have helped to promote greater freedom and greater prosperity for more people, and been willing, as I think I said to you earlier, to advance causes even if they werent in our narrow self-interest in a way that youve never seen any dominant power do in the history of the world.
And so, to apologize for certain historic events out of context, I think, wouldnt be telling an accurate story. On the other hand, I do think that part of effective diplomacy, part of America maintaining its influence in a world in which we remain the one indispensable power, but in which youve got a much more multipolar environment, is for other people to know that we understand their stories as well, and that we can see how they have come to certain conclusions or understandings about their history, their economies, the conflicts theyve suffered. Because, if they think we understand their frame of reference, then theyre more likely to listen to us and to work with us.
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/01/24/the-president-speaks-some-hard-truths/
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the president speaks some hard truths (Original Post)
sheshe2
Jan 2014
OP
There is so much great in this OP. This is part of what I think people forget at DU:
freshwest
Jan 2014
#7
"...we're part of a long running story. We just try to get our paragraph right."
sheshe2
Jan 2014
#8
longship
(40,416 posts)1. Please fix the upside down pic nt
gcomeau
(5,764 posts)2. That's a reflection... -nt
longship
(40,416 posts)4. Oh dear... DOH!!!!
Got me!
sheshe2
(87,272 posts)3. It's not upside down....it's a reflection, longship...
as this one is~
http://www.democraticunderground.com/110218166
IrishAyes
(6,151 posts)5. Powerful.
I'm sure future generations will appreciate him better than some people do today.
sheshe2
(87,272 posts)6. "We just have to get our paragraph right."
And we are Irish, we are~
freshwest
(53,661 posts)7. There is so much great in this OP. This is part of what I think people forget at DU:
Another way of putting it, I guess, is that the issue has been the inability of my message to penetrate the Republican base so that they feel persuaded that Im not the caricature that you see on Fox News or Rush Limbaugh, but Im somebody who is interested in solving problems when it comes to Democrats, the truth of the matter is, with fairly thin margins over the last five years, whats been remarkable is the degree to which Democrats have been unified and worked with this Administration to accomplish some big things, even when there were a lot of political risks involved.
No mealy-mouthed defeatism in our party, they have a bravery that is never acknowledged. For too long, the GOP version of masculinity and strength their base believes in, seems to have pervade online voices.
Just as I have seen people of color stand tall and continue to do what is right in the face of racial taunts, an unfair playing field and little to work with, yet not go off the handle like RW gun fanatics, I know the face of true strength is quiet and steady.
No mealy-mouthed defeatism in our party, they have a bravery that is never acknowledged. For too long, the GOP version of masculinity and strength their base believes in, seems to have pervade online voices.
Just as I have seen people of color stand tall and continue to do what is right in the face of racial taunts, an unfair playing field and little to work with, yet not go off the handle like RW gun fanatics, I know the face of true strength is quiet and steady.
sheshe2
(87,272 posts)8. "...we're part of a long running story. We just try to get our paragraph right."
It is indeed a great article By Nerdy Wonka.
"true strength is quiet and steady" Your words describe this President perfectly, freshwest. He needs no fanfare. Nor does he find it necessary to strut around with his chest puffed up. I prefer the steady and quiet man at the helm.
Thanks, freshwest. I so loved this article and this President.