Much of the nation came together Friday to celebrate the inauguration of a new president.
But not President Barack Obama!
With one foot out the door, Obama didn’t spend his final days engaged in the time-honored tradition of assisting in the peaceful transition of power.
Instead, he worked overtime to undermine President-elect Donald Trump. His desperate attempts to block his replacement at every turn have even been given a nickname: “Trump-proofing.”
Here’s a look at seven of his most petulant efforts to block his successor – and, in so doing, block the will of the American voters who elected Trump:
1) Guantanamo Release: Obama once again thumbed his nose in the face of Americans who believe the worst-of-the-worst terrorists held in the island prison should be locked up for life.
On Thursday, with just 24 hours left in his presidency, Obama sent four more inmates home – making a total of 19 terrorists granted freedom since Election Day.
Some will no doubt go right back to plotting to kill Americans. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence says at least nine released Gitmo inmates have returned to terror, with another 11 suspected of supporting terrorist operations, since Obama took office.
2) Manning Clemency: If granting freedom to terrorists isn’t enough, he’s also doing the same for traitors.
Days before the inauguration, Obama granted clemency to Chelsea Manning, who was serving a 35-year sentence for leaking 750,000 pages of secret military documents and videos to WikiLeaks.
3) Cuban refugees: Obama once again caved to the Castro regime, making it HARDER for freedom-seeking refugees to reach American shores.
A week before inauguration, he ended the “wet foot, dry foot” policy, which granted legal entry to any Cuban who reached U.S. soil.
The suspected reason? Petty revenge!
Cubans in Miami, many of whom supported Trump for president, say Obama is punishing them and their relatives for simply exercising their democratic rights as free Americans.
“I think he was angry with the Cubans,” José Enrique Manresa, a Cuban who had hoped to seek asylum, told the BBC. “It’s retaliation!”
4) Coal mines: In ANOTHER act of vengeance, this time against working-class Americans in coal states, Obama pushed through a last-minute set of regulations designed to strangle the entire industry.
The new rules will cost the already-struggling coal companies $81 million a year – a fee that could choke some companies out of existence… and thousands of mining jobs along with them.
5) Massive U.N. gift: With just three days left in his presidency, Obama forked over HALF A BILLION dollars of YOUR MONEY to the corrupt and wasteful pockets of the United Nations.
The organization’s Green Climate Fund is supposed to be used by “poor nations” to cut emissions and help them invest in clean energy.
But where’s it really going? Who knows – but it’s likely most of it will end up in the pockets of Third World dictators and their cronies.
He’s now given the program $1 billion overall.
6) Polish provocation: At a time when the incoming administration is seeking to reverse the disastrous relationship with Russia and work together with one of the planet’s other superpowers, the Obama Administration mobilized troops right on their doorstep.
He sent tanks, armored vehicles and thousands of American soldiers into Poland in a defiant act that Moscow said “thretens our interests and our security.”
So much for that Nobel Peace Prize!
7) Vow of non-silence: Finally, Obama warned he’s not going to take the usual graceful exit.
Most ex-presidents traditionally stay silent after leaving office, at least when it comes to matters of executive actions and policies.
They open their libraries, champion a few noncontroversial causes and limit their politics to speaking occasional on behalf of candidates.
But not Obama!
He claims he’ll speak out on issues – and maybe Republicans should hope that’s a promise he keeps.
After all, he’s been speaking out for eight years and it seems the more he opens his mouth… the more Democrats lose.
— The Horn editorial team
