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Hagel done haggling with Obama administration

30 Nov 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“Why do you let us wander?” asks the prophet Isaiah of the Lord in the first reading this Sunday. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, characterized by Obama administration officials as having wandered off message in his criticisms of White House defense policies, bowed to pressure and submitted his resignation Monday after less than two years in the job Hagel will remain at the Pentagon until Obama can pick a replacement, who must then be confirmed by the Senate. President Obama formally announced the change Monday in a late-morning appearance at the White House. He said Hagel approached him last month and concluded that “it was an appropriate time for him to complete his service.” Neither Hagel nor the president gave a specific reason for the decision, and Obama gave no hint that he had asked Hagel to stay. In brief remarks, Hagel said that serving as defense secretary “has been the greatest privilege of my life.” As the event concluded, Obama reached over to give him an awkward-looking hug. Afterward, White House officials said Obama had lost confidence in Hagel’s ability to oversee the war against the Islamic State and U.S. military operations in Iraq and Syria. Disagreements between the Pentagon and White House have been spilling into the open. In late October, administration officials leaked the fact that Hagel had written a tough memo to national security adviser Susan E. Rice, blasting the White House’s strategy for Syria. That squabble came one month after Obama appointed a retired general, John R. Allen, as his envoy in charge of assembling a coalition against the Islamic State—a job that some Pentagon officials saw as diminishing Hagel’s role. White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters that Hagel’s Syria memo “did not have any effect” on his departure. He said Hagel was picked for the job in large part to manage defense spending cuts and other bureaucratic reforms, but that with the rise of the Islamic State and other crises, Obama decided that “another secretary might be better suited to meet those challenges.” Homily hint: We can be thankful we live in a nation where transitions of power can occur at press conferences rather than through military coups. Only the due diligence of an informed citizenry will protect our freedoms from demagoguery. Do your part and stay informed. Source: An article by Craig Whitlock and Missy Ryan for The Washington Post

defense department transition of power
A national time of transition and trial

13 Nov 2016 - Preaching the News for the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

The people ask Jesus for guidance in times of trial in this Sunday’s gospel. He warns them, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them!” While Donald Trump’s supporters are rejoicing in the wake of his stunning presidential victory, those who opposed him fear the nation has been misled and that a time of trial lies ahead for a sharply divided country. The American political establishment, as well as a good portion of the electorate, was reeling from shock of the electoral outcome—predicted by few polls or pundits—as leaders in both parties began coming to grips with four years of President Donald J. Trump in the White House, a once-unimaginable scenario that has now plunged the United States and its allies and adversaries into a period of unprecedented uncertainty about the policies and impact of a Trump presidency. President Obama, a longtime foe of Trump’s, and Hillary Clinton, the president-elect’s vanquished opponent, held separate news conferences Wednesday to urge people to put aside whatever bruised feelings and disappointment they have and come together for the sake of the republic, and for the good of Trump’s presidency. Obama, addressing the nation from the Rose Garden, said he had called Trump with congratulations and to invite him to meet at the White House on Thursday to discuss a smooth transition to the Trump administration. “We are all now rooting for his success in uniting and leading the country,” Obama said. “The peaceful transfer of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy. And over the next few months we are going to show that to the world.” Clinton, in her first remarks to supporters after the election, said that she hoped that Trump “will be a successful president for all Americans” and said she was “sorry that we did not win this election for the values we share and the vision we hold for our country.” “This is painful, and it will be for a long time,” Clinton said, standing beside her husband, former President Bill Clinton, in a tableau that underscored the end of a nearly 25-year era when the Clintons dominated American politics. Noting that the country was “more deeply divided than we thought,” Clinton added: “We must accept this result and look to the future. Donald Trump is going to be our president—we owe him an open mind and a chance to lead.” While her speech largely dealt with politics, Clinton choked back tears at times, and turned personal at one point. “To all the little girls who are watching this,” she said, “never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.” For millions of voters, a sense of excitement and even euphoria coursed from coast to coast as they celebrated the election of a true political outsider who had promised to reverse policies of the Obama administration and be a champion for “forgotten Americans.” But millions of others felt a sense of dread and even fear as they tried to fathom how Trump could win the presidency when so many polls suggested otherwise, and to prepare themselves for the consequences of a new leader who has no experience in government or world affairs. Anxiety was particularly deep among Hispanics, African Americans, Muslims, immigrants, women, and others who had felt disparaged or demonized by Trump, who at times used harsh and racially charged language in ways that upended mainstream politics. The very idea that Trump had been endorsed by a Ku Klux Klan newspaper—even if he rejected it—symbolized the sense of shock that he would now lead a vibrantly diverse democracy. Asked how they would feel about a Trump presidency, more than a third of Americans said they would be frightened, exit polls found. Among those who voted for Clinton, the feeling was almost unanimous and reflected a deep divide: 92 percent said Trump scared them. Elsewhere, the transition of power seemed to be unfolding in an orderly fashion. Word came from the Pentagon on Wednesday morning that Trump would be receiving the same classified intelligence briefings as the president. The defense secretary, Ashton B. Carter, issued a statement declaring that he was committed to an orderly passing of power to the next commander in chief. Not all were as accommodating in the streets, however. In cities from Boston to Los Angeles, thousands of demonstrators gathered Wednesday night in protest of election results that mean the billionaire real estate developer will be the next president. And vigils and protests against Trump spread from coast to coast early Thursday as crowds burned effigies of the president-elect, blocked highways, and warned of wider backlash—underscoring the difficult task Trump faces in uniting a fractured country. Despite Clinton and Obama urging their backers to accept Trump’s victory and support his transition into power, thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets decrying his crude comments about women and attacks on immigrants. Lessons drawn from the readings In Prepare the Word’s Sunday Summary we learn that in the first reading the "prophet predicts devastation but also promises justice and healing,” while the gospel suggests that “bad times are on the way. But the faithful have nothing to fear.” For believers, the lesson of the election comes down to placing our ultimate faith in a higher power than any president or politician. We can hope and work for the best of outcomes, but ultimately our destiny is in divine, not human, hands. Final thought in light of the news White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said President Obama called president-elect Trump from his private residence in the early hours of Wednesday to extend his congratulations and invite the Republican candidate to the White House Thursday. Earnest said the meeting would focus on the presidential transition and “what steps we can take as a country to come together after this hard-fought election season.” This is the question of the hour—what steps, if any, can bring the nation together now and in the months and years to come? How that question is answered will mark the road ahead for a troubled democracy in turbulent times.

donald trump politics presidential election divided country transition of power

Take Five for Faith Daily

Thursday
January 30

All for the good

Catholic Schools Week is the perfect time to reflect on what we can learn from our Catholic schoolchildren. One young student wrote in a religion class report, “If you do good things, you will have good experiences. If you do bad things, you will have bad experiences.” This simple yet profound understanding of virtuous living echoes Jesus’ teaching in the gospel: “The measure you give will be the measure you get.” If we want the young people in our lives to lead lives of love and good works, we do well to model those actions ourselves.

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