
‘Operation Game’: The Obama Administration is on the brink of a catastrophic collapse
- July 14, 2021
The Obama administration is on a collision course with its most powerful ally and a crucial national security institution.
The president, in a speech on Friday, said the nation’s political and economic situation has deteriorated dramatically and the nation needs to act urgently to restore a “peaceful transition” of power from one party to the other.
That would be a dangerous scenario for the United States, he warned.
“The next president will be the first to see this moment and it’s time for America to put this moment aside and take action,” he said.
“America must stand united in this moment of crisis.”
The speech marked the most forceful articulation of the administration’s vision for a crisis that is now the biggest test of Obama’s presidency.
It was delivered after months of escalating confrontation between the administration and Republicans who oppose the president’s agenda.
Republicans and some Democrats in Congress have argued that the crisis threatens to unravel Obama’s legacy as president and threaten the nation.
Republican House Speaker John Boehner said on Thursday that if he were a hostage to a Trump presidency, he would “let him know I don’t believe in a president who thinks this country is in danger.”
The president’s speech came a day after he issued a new order calling for the shutdown of the government and the implementation of a government shutdown, a tactic used during the 2011 debt-ceiling standoff.
That move triggered a crisis in the United Nations, with the U.N. Security Council temporarily suspending the negotiations on a new agreement on a nuclear arms treaty.
The shutdown is a response to the president demanding to know what he would do if Congress fails to pass his tax plan, a move Republicans say is unconstitutional.
On Friday, the White House did not say what it would do.
The administration also has been warning the nation that the U,S.
military would be in a critical situation if the government were to shut down.
The Pentagon has been trying to keep the UH-1H helicopters flying, but it could be too late, officials have said.
The White House has warned that the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy could also be at risk of losing access to the U-2 spy planes.
Meanwhile, Trump has been urging Congress to pass a budget, which could be the only way to avert a shutdown.
Democrats have long complained that Trump has not made enough progress in negotiations with Congress.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Friday that he has been frustrated by Trump’s unwillingness to engage in substantive negotiations, but he said the president had “made progress.”
Ryan said that while Trump had not made much progress in reaching out to the GOP-led Congress, he had been “convinced” by Trump and the Republican leadership that the president needed to engage more.
Republicans also argue that Trump is in a state of disarray, and they argue that the shutdown threat is a result of Trump’s inability to unite Republicans around a common agenda.