Life after the White House: what Obama will do in retirement. Comment: Obama's farewell speech will go down in history
At his last press conference as US president, Obama lamented that after Putin returned to the presidency in 2012, "anti-American rhetoric began to escalate." According to Obama, Russia began to profess an approach to international relations that boiled down to the idea that everything the United States did was “bad for Russia.” “It brought back the hostile spirit that, in my understanding, existed during the “ cold war", said the US President.
President Obama's first term was Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, with whom he had a good personal relationship. Obama's entourage did not hide the fact that they hoped that Medvedev would be able to run for a second presidential term. As Obama noted, in his first term, he was able to negotiate the signing of the START III treaty, thanks to which countries were able to reduce their nuclear capabilities: “I told President Putin that I was ready to move on. However, they were not ready to negotiate.”
The American president said that at the beginning of his term he made attempts to improve relations with Russia, but all efforts were in vain after the events in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Commenting on Donald Trump’s statements that the issue of lifting sanctions can be linked to issues of nuclear disarmament, Obama recalled that the sanctions are related to “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” “This is not our definition, this is the definition of the world community,” Obama recalled.
According to him, he has repeatedly conveyed to the Russian side the idea that sanctions could be lifted if “Russia stops interfering in the affairs of Ukraine.”
At the same time, Obama expressed confidence that if President-elect Trump follows the path of nuclear negotiations with Russia, there are plenty of opportunities for both countries to reduce their nuclear arsenals.
He said the United States was successful in these negotiations because it “led by example.”
The American president also noted that Ukraine and Russia must have “strong ties.” “They are historically connected by both social and cultural ties. But Ukraine is an independent state.” He noted that the situation with Ukraine is an example of the role the United States plays in the world, “protecting basic norms and values.” It is worth noting that the conflict in Ukraine was the main reason sharp deterioration Russian-American relations. Thanks to political role In this conflict, the United States, as well as the influence of anti-American propaganda on television, the attitude towards this country in Russia over the past three years has sharply worsened.
When asked why Obama pardoned Bradley Manning, who leaked classified information to WikiLeaks, Obama said that the damage from his actions was disproportionate to the punishment he received. Manning, who is due to be released in May 2017, was sentenced to 35 years in prison. The Trump team reacted negatively to this step. Vice President-elect Michael Pence called current US President Barack Obama's decision to commute the sentence of WikiLeaks whistleblower Chelsea Manning a mistake. He said this in an interview with Fox News.
“Chelsea Manning is a traitor and should not be made a martyr,” Pence said.
According to him, the actions of the WikiLeaks informant compromised US national security. Pence also assured that the administration of the American President under Donald Trump will protect national interests.
Obama also did not deny himself the pleasure of “saying hello” to his successor, who entered into a tough confrontation with the American press. At the beginning of the press conference, he thanked the journalists of the presidential pool for a long time and in detail for their work, although this does not mean that he liked all the materials published about him.
“But that’s the essence of this relationship,” Obama said. “You must be skeptics, you must ask me unpleasant questions.” You should not engage in flattery, but should look critically at those with enormous power, thereby ensuring that we are accountable to the people who gave us that power.”
As if responding to Trump's initiative to move press facilities directly from the White House to adjacent, albeit larger, buildings, Obama emphasized: "Your presence in this building has allowed this place to work better - forced us to be more honest and to work harder."
“Every time you asked here: “When will there be a vaccine for Ebola?” or “When are you going to fix this hole in the lawn?”, I could demand from my team: “Let’s solve this before the next press conference.”
Obama leaves his post as a fairly young man - he is 55 years old. The US President said that he does not intend to run for any elected office and wants to devote time to his family. At the same time, he made it clear that he would not leave public life and will defend American values if threatened. Unlike his predecessor, US President George W. Bush, who moved from Washington to Texas, Obama and his family will live in Washington.
Despite many failures in foreign policy, Obama leaves his post with a fairly high rating of 58%.
According to Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of the Center for European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics, this is due to the improvement of the economy under the administration of the 44th president: “He came in 2009 at the apogee of the financial crisis, and at a very short terms he managed to reduce unemployment and reduce the state budget deficit.”
Noting the fact that Obama spoke optimistically about America's future at his farewell press conference, The Washington Post noted that last words the president sounded like his words “at the beginning of his term.” “If we work hard and are willing to accept the things that we feel are true, the world will be a little better place. This is what I tried to achieve during my presidency,” Obama said.
It's a long tradition that outgoing US presidents issue mass amnesties, often signing executive orders in their final hours in office. Some amnesties, like Bill Clinton's, are scandalous and corrupt in taste.
The 44th president will go down in history as the absolute record holder for commuting sentences. This time, Barack Obama reduced prison sentences for 153 people. The total number of those whom Obama reduced criminal punishment during the years of his presidency, amounted to 1,385 people - this is more than 12 presidents, starting with Truman, combined! Another 64 people were pardoned ( general indicator Obama - 212 pardons), including former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General James Cartwright, who admitted to lying to the FBI during an investigation into leaks of classified information. In 2012, Cartwright was questioned by the FBI in connection with a book by a newspaper journalist. The New York Times by David Sanger, which reported on the malicious computer program Stuxnet, designed to damage Iran's nuclear program. On last week The Justice Department demanded that the general, for whom George W. Bush, Richard Cheney and Condoleezza Rice fought, be sentenced to two years in prison.
Among the 1,597 people pardoned by Obama in whole or in part, Chelsea Manning is the most high-profile and controversial pardoner.
On April 5, 2010, at a press conference in Washington, the world first heard about the WikiLeaks organization, then they called themselves Sunshine Press - “shedding light on dark secrets" Then the journalists were shown a classified video from Pentagon materials - the shooting of a group of people from Apache helicopters in Baghdad on July 12, 2007. Among the dozen people were two Iraqis who worked for Reuters. In the video you can see the operator's video camera, which for some reason was mistaken for a Kalashnikov assault rifle. You can hear the helicopter pilots laughing and swearing. They can be seen finishing off the unarmed wounded. The Pentagon refused to provide Reuters with this video, although the world's oldest news agency referred to the American Freedom of Information Act. The person who provided the material to WikiLeaks was declared a “threat to national security” by the Department of Defense. At a press conference, Julian Assange, still unknown to anyone, but already hiding his whereabouts, addressed reporters via teleconference. I was present at this press conference, the material from which was shown by leading American television channels - with a warning that the recording was obtained illegally. But due to its social significance, it had to be shown.
In May 2010, Private Bradley Manning was arrested in Iraq. As it turned out, it was he who “leaked” hundreds of thousands of Pentagon official letters to WikiLeaks, including about incidents on the fronts in Afghanistan and Iraq, dossiers on Guantanamo Bay prisoners and about 250 thousand diplomatic cables from the US State Department. WikiLeaks distributed materials received from Manning in portions and simultaneously to several major publications different countries. Remember, “Putin is an alpha male”, and Medvedev is “pale and indecisive”? This is from dispatches from American diplomats. In the United States, a debate has unfolded about who he is, Bradley Manning: a hero or a traitor.
Liberals, as usual, launched the “Save Private Manning” movement and held pickets near military base Fort Meade, where his (her) trial took place. Bradley Manning, who underwent gender reassignment surgery during her trial to become Chelsea Manning, received 35 years in prison. It could have been a life sentence, but the most serious charge - aiding the enemy - was rejected by the court. He had to serve his sentence in a men's prison, famous for its strict regime.
Speaking at a farewell press conference in Washington, President Obama explained his decision to release the prisoner: “Let's be honest, Chelsea Manning received a serious sentence for disseminating classified information ... She admitted her guilt, the sentence was very disproportionate compared to what others received . I feel that justice has now been done in this matter.”
Julian Assange, who had previously promised to agree to extradition to the United States if Manning was released, appears to have changed his mind. The WikiLeaks website published a statement: since all charges against Manning have not been dropped, Assange will not surrender to American justice.
By reducing Chelsea Manning's prison sentence, White House is not going to forgive Edward Snowden, who, according to local media reports, also approached Obama with a request for a pardon. As Obama spokesman J. Earnest said, there is a “distinct difference” between the two; Snowden’s “crimes” are “more serious and much more dangerous.” And an unnamed administration official said that Snowden was also hiding “in a hostile country.” However, in this case, one million signatures were collected in the United States asking for amnesty for the fugitive who revealed the secrets of the NSA and other intelligence services.
Latest explanations of current policies
Manning's topic almost overshadowed the rest of Obama's statements during his final White House press conference, after which the press corps bid a warm and heartfelt farewell to the 44th president. Obama, in turn, thanked the press for pressing questions and for exercising public control over the work of the presidential administration. “America needs you, our democracy needs you,” the president told reporters. - The fact that you were in this building (in the West Wing of the White House there is a press conference room and compact work spaces for the country's leading television channels.— A.P.), helped us work better."
Trump's team is considering moving the presidential pool out of the White House to find larger quarters and, according to journalists, to limit their ability to communicate with administration officials. After such contacts, sensational articles appear with reference to “sources in the White House.” The presidential pool (journalists covering the work of the POTUS-President of the United States), outraged by the behavior of the president-elect at a press conference, when Trump did not allow a CNN reporter to ask a question, and is now still going to “evict” the journalists, issued a statement directly threatening to the new president: if he denies them access to him, the press will find “other sources” of information and will always “expose lies,” even if they are contained in a short Twitter message. If the president unjustly oppresses any publication, the rest of the media will act as a common front.
At the final press conference, Obama explained why the United States recently allowed the UN Security Council to pass a resolution condemning the construction of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories by abstaining from voting, instead of routinely using its veto. The President noted that the construction of settlements “makes it impossible” to implement the “two states” principle. For this position, Obama is now treated almost as badly in Israel as in Russia, which, I note, voted for the resolution.
Obama chose his words carefully when talking about the possibility of building a “friendlier” relationship with Russia: a constructive relationship between the two countries is “in the interests of America and the world.” According to Obama, Vladimir Putin's competitive spirit has "made cooperation difficult." The outgoing president advised his successor not to link sanctions imposed on Russia following the annexation of Crimea and intervention in eastern Ukraine with reductions in nuclear arsenals. In the interests of the United States and compliance with international norms, “sanctions should not be confused with other issues,” Obama said.
Obama discussed these and other topics during “constructive” and “at times lengthy” telephone conversations with Trump. However, the 44th president noted, the 45th president may reject his advice because he “won the elections by opposing some of my initiatives.” “Some” is putting it mildly. Trump is going to carry out a comprehensive audit.
Obama's legacy
Obama goes on vacation to devote himself privacy. However, in case of violations of human rights and democracy, he will always be ready to express his opinion in their defense, the president promised at the final press conference.
These days, in the United States and other countries, political scientists are scratching their heads: what is Obama's legacy? If Trump abolishes compulsory health insurance - Obamacare, withdraws from international trade agreements, cancels Obama sanctions, bans large-scale government regulation financial sector, will launch a new oil pipeline across America and close the programs state support"clean energy", will abandon climate protection commitments, ban amnesty for immigrants and increase the number of deportations from the country, and finally reduce or abandon support for US allies in different points planets, including Eastern Europe, - what will remain in the end from Obama's policies?
First, judging by the statements of the Trump team, this should not be expected. In any case, in full. Leaving the White House, Obama advised the future president to trust his team more. “This work is too big and too difficult to do alone,” Obama said. And Trump's entourage are candidates for important posts— Rex Tillerson, James Mattis and others are very far from the ideas expressed by Trump during the presidential race. And Congress is wary or hostile. More than 50 lawmakers have said they will not attend Trump's inauguration ceremony. We will see how, within the new administration, promises and reality will collide and produce something in between and something new.
Secondly, Obama's legacy is that he leaves the presidency with an approval rating of 60% (Washington Post-ABC poll). This is very high rate. Obama is second only to F. Roosevelt, Clinton and Reagan and ahead of Kennedy, the Bushes and others. Trump's rating on the eve of taking office is 20% lower. When Obama first took office eight years ago, his support stood at 80%. But the inflated expectations of voters could not be realized. And after the pendulum of American politics in Obama’s first term, when the Democrats had a majority in both houses of Congress, swung as far as possible towards liberalism or Keynesianism (you can choose other definitions, Obama was even called a “socialist”), the next movement - according to the laws of mechanics - there was a rollback in the opposite direction. First, the Democrats lost their majority in Congress (the price of health care reform), and Obama's hands were not exactly tied, but certainly not free. Instead of reforms and laws, he signed a record number of decrees that can be canceled.
Now the pendulum is in exactly the opposite position. But Obama's popularity figures show that there remains strong public demand for his ideas. And this is perhaps the main legacy of the 44th president.
Washington
What will US President Barack Obama do after leaving the White House? Journalists named Obama's new place of work.
According to The New York Times, his powers as head of state will end on January 20, 2017. Most likely, the current president will choose an occupation in the field high technology in Silicon Valley.
For last year The American president's staff visited high-tech development centers in California many times. It is assumed that the purpose of the visit was precisely to help Obama decide on his future occupation.
AOL co-founder Steve Case said he wouldn't be surprised " if Obama focuses on new technologies after leaving office" And former Assistant to the President of the United States for Science and Technology Policy Phil Larson described Obama as a "technological president."
In addition, the media learned in what other direction Obama could leave the White House. According to the source, after the elections, Obama may also connect his life with space.
His parents met at the University of Hawaii. Father - Barack Hussein Obama Sr. came to the United States from Kenya to study economics.
His mother, American Stanley Anne Dunham, studied anthropology. His parents separated when Barack was two years old. My father went to Harvard to continue his studies, and then went back to Kenya. Anne Dunham married again - to an Indonesian student.
In 1967, Barack Obama moved to Indonesia, and in 1980 he returned to Hawaii, where he graduated from private school. After high school, Obama attended Los Angeles Occidental College, from where he transferred to Columbia University, where he graduated in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in political science and international relations.
After graduating from college, Obama worked as a consultant for the Business International Corporation and then for the New York Public Interest Research Group.
In 1985, he moved to Chicago, where he worked in one of the church charity groups, helping residents of disadvantaged areas of the city.
In 1988, Barack Obama entered Harvard Law School.
After graduating, he returned to Chicago and worked in a law firm for nine years. At the same time, he taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School.
In 1996, Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate, where he represented the Democratic Party for eight years, from 1997 to 2004.
In 2004, he ran for the vacated U.S. Senate seat in Illinois and received 70% of the vote. Obama became the fifth black senator in US history.
On January 10, 2007, Democratic Senator Barack Obama officially announced the start of the race for the presidency of the United States.
His announcement of entering the presidential race was made in the capital of Illinois, Springfield. The place was symbolic, since it was here, in the Illinois Legislature, that the career of the youngest American senator, 45-year-old Barack Obama, began.
Obama spoke in front of the old State Capitol building, where almost 150 years earlier, in 1858, Lincoln gave his famous “House Divided” speech, which spoke of the confrontation between the free North and the slave-owning South and the fact that, being divided, the country will not survive - it is impossible to be in a state of “half-slavery and half-freedom.” Obama’s choice of moment to enter the presidential marathon was also significant: there was exactly a year left before the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth.
August 27, 2008 national congress Democratic Party The United States in Denver officially approved Illinois Senator Barack Obama as its candidate for the presidency of the country.
On November 4, 2008, Obama won the US presidential election with the support of 338 of the 538 electors, with the required 270 votes.
On January 20, 2009, he took the oath of office as President of the United States and became the first black head of state in American history.
On November 6, 2012, Barack Obama was re-elected as president with 332 electoral votes, with 270 required.
Barack Obama is the author of three books. In 1995, he published his memoirs, “Dreams from My Father,” and in 2006, the book “The Audacity of Hope.” Both books became bestsellers. In November 2010, a 31-page children's book, Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters, was published, which Obama wrote before he became head of state.
American President Barack Obama gave his farewell speech. Contrary to tradition, Obama delivered it not from the White House, but at a ceremony in Chicago. In his message, the American leader touched upon foreign policy, saying that neither Russia nor China will be able to overtake the “undisputed leader” - the United States - in terms of global influence. Speaking about his own achievements as president, Obama noted that he achieved the elimination of Osama bin Laden, the closure of Iran's nuclear program "without a single shot" and success in health care reform.
Political scientist, director of the International Institute of Modern States Alexey Martynov shared with Sputnik radio his impression of the speech of the American president.
Game over. Obama's team leaves the stage without applauseFew US presidents had so many hopes placed upon them upon taking office. The advance amounted to even Nobel Prize. And now eight years have passed, the moment has come to take stock. But the results are somehow not very good.“It was a farewell speech, but it seems that he is not going to go anywhere, but is going to make life difficult for the elected President of the United States and his supporters. This is such a “Trotskyist conviction in the world revolution,” no matter what. Strange speech: it lasted more than an hour “, there was a lot of demagoguery. Obama took health care reform into account, although this was precisely one of the arguments against the Democrats, against Hillary Clinton during the election campaign,” said Alexey Martynov.
He expressed the opinion that, when leaving his post, Obama did everything possible to make the dialogue with Russia as difficult as possible for his successor, in particular, by initiating and in every possible way supporting the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions.
“Most likely, after his inauguration, Donald Trump will put these sanctions aside and try to ignore them as much as possible. After all, in American practice, repealing laws is much more difficult than passing them. And Obama and his supporters understand this very well. In fact, that’s why they behave this way in last days, using literally every hour to make the situation as difficult as possible for Trump. And so that in the future the Democrats will return to the White House. I think that this is the logic of their actions,” the political scientist said.
In addition, according to Alexei Martynov, Obama would like to complicate Trump’s relations with European leaders who supported all Washington’s initiatives to impose sanctions against Russia.
"Certainly, we're talking about not only about Barack Obama’s personal “schizophrenia”, there are serious forces behind him. And, by the way, not only in the USA. We remember how he went to say goodbye to Europe, where he gathered his closest associates in a narrow circle. It was on this trip that he agreed with European leaders to extend sanctions against Russia. So Obama will “drink blood” from President-elect Donald Trump, and will try to appear in the foreign arena in order to annoy him there too,” says Alexey Martynov.
He recalled that in the United States they are trying to equate allegedly Russian cyber attacks with the September 11 terrorist attacks, expressing the opinion that it is useless to call the authors of such statements to common sense.
"The point here is not how it is assessed critically thinking man, but in how it affects the formation of public opinion. Actually, this horror story “about Russian hackers who interfered in the elections” is needed in order to “plant a mine” under Trump’s legitimacy in public opinion. And if suddenly they have more compelling circumstances to oppose him, then this mood will emerge in the consciousness of society and will work against Trump. These are the technologies,” the political scientist concluded.
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