Donald Trump obviously doesn't need to worry. If he crosses any of Obama's red lines, all that will happen is that Vladimir Putin will swoop in and broker a phony deal in which Trump pretends to give up his weapons. I suppose there are still leftists who buy the narrative that Trump and Putin are best pals, so the whole thing is set up from the start.
Seriously, though . . . one thing we know about Obama is that he is willing to fight an enemy. It's just that he has to actually care about defeating that enemy. This is why he never put up much resistance against Russian imperialism, Islamic terrorism or Cuban tyranny. They're not Obama's priorities. Republicans? Christians? Now you're talking. And hoo boy, Obama just might have to mix it up with Trump, Josh Earnest warns us, in the event Trump . . . Earnest really said it like this . . . crosses certain red lines:
Does anyone serious expect Obama not to find anything so egregious that he simply can't keep his mouth shut?
The one example Earnest gave - of Trump using information from DREAMers to turn around and deport them - seems wildly unlikely to happen. If anything Trump has signaled his intention to maintain DACA for the foreseeable future. But surely the "red line" description is transferable to anything else the left thinks is beyond the pale - and there are a lot of contenders there. The border wall? ObamaCare repeal? Messing with the tax code? Withdrawing from the Paris climate deal? Tossing the Iran nuclear deal? Appointing a fifth constitutionalist Supreme Court Justice? (And I'm talking about an all-the-time constitutionalist . . . not another Anthony Kennedy who only follows the Constitution when the mood strikes him.)
Does anyone serious expect Obama not to find anything so egregious that he simply can't keep his mouth shut? Or that won't generate so much pressure from the left for him to speak up that he can't say no?
I find it hard to believe Obama considers himself done in public life. I'm sure he's enjoyed the break for the past few months, and you can hardly begrudge him that after eight years as president. But he's only 55, and as Rob told you earlier today, he's only just discovering the wonders of $400,000 corporate speeches. He'll always be a former president but he probably realizes there will be more demand for him on the circuit if he stays engaged. And who's to say he doesn't get tapped at some point for a position line UN Secretary General or something high up in the EU if it still exists?
I guess Obama takes those red lines seriously after all, as long as he's dealing with the right kind of enemy
Then again, Obama seemed to prefer the presidency as a job that mainly consisted of giving speeches. He can pretty much have that job full-time now if he wants it, and the pay will be one hell of a lot better. (If you're not aware of this, the $400,000 he's getting from Cantor Fitzgerald is the equivalent of an entire year of his presidential salary. You can call that absurd, and you can call him out for his class warfare hypocrisy. But you'd do it. I sure as hell would. Just having to talk and never being accountable for the results of what he says sounds right up Obama's alley.
And since you know his audiences want to hear him bash Trump, it seems it's only a matter of time. I guess Obama takes those red lines seriously after all, as long as he's dealing with the right kind of enemy.
