Financial Times (February 26)
“Four months after a historic Chinese Communist party congress was expected to answer most questions about Xi Jinping’s second five-year term in office, China’s president has demonstrated that he can still ‘shock and awe’ his political rivals.” The Central Committee’s recommendation to scrap the ten year presidential term limit, almost ensures this protection will be written out of the constitution, further tightening Xi’s powerful grip on China.
Tags: Awe, CCP, China, Constitution, President, Rivals, Shock, Term limit, Xi
The Economist (August 19)
Trump’s “unsteady response contains a terrible message for Americans. Far from being the saviour of the Republic, their president is politically inept, morally barren and temperamentally unfit for office.”
Tags: Inept, Morally barren, President, Republic, Saviour, Temperamental, Trump, Unfit, Unsteady
Washington Post (June 22)
“Trump will never get anything done” and the reason “goes beyond the usual factors that bedevil any new president — overpromising on the pace of action, underpreparing for the challenges of office, trouble in staffing up…. Trump’s failure to get key agenda items to the starting line reflects more fundamental problems in policymaking—problems that will persist even after this administration is fully staffed and acclimated.”
Tags: Administration, Agenda items, Failure, Fully staffed, New, Overpromising, Policymaking, President, Trump, Underpreparing
LA Times (June 10)
We believe Donald Trump’s “election and continuing tenure as commander in chief are bad for the nation. We see no evidence that he will grow into the job. We look forward to the day when he is no longer president.” Still, it is not yet “time to draw up articles of impeachment.” Barring “some intervening revelation of intolerable action on the president’s part,” the investigations should be completed before beginning the “move toward impeachment.”
Tags: Bad, Election, Impeachment, Intolerable, Investigations, President, Trump
The Week (May 23)
“How much of a problem is it that the president of the United States, the most powerful person on Earth, is a blithering idiot?” Depends what kind of blithering idiot. “Raw intellect doesn’t translate to presidential success, and its absence could, in the right circumstance, be compensated for.” But “President Trump’s particular brand of stupidity” is very dangerous. “You can be dumb but modest, or dumb but thoughtful, or dumb but careful. Trump is none of those things. He’s boastful, impulsive, and careless, all while continuing to blaze new trails of thickheadedness, while the rest of us are left to stand back and gawp in amazement.”
Tags: Boastful, Careless, Dangerous, Dumb, Idiot, Impulsive, Intellect, Powerful, President, Problem, Stupidity, Success, Thickheaded, U.S.
LA Times (May 21)
Although Mike Pence “would be the most conservative president of modern times,” he would clearly be better than Trump. “Pence would be an improvement on grounds of simple competence. He would make the country safer. Under a President Pence, Americans would have less cause to fear that a blundering president might lead us into war with North Korea or Iran.”
Tags: Blundering, Competence, Conservative, Iran, North Korea, Pence, President, Trump, War
Korea Times (May 9)
“Moon Jae-in of the largest Democratic Party of Korea couldn’t take office as president in more trying times ― the country is besieged by big challenges from within and without.” To succeed, he “should ditch partisan politics” and “adopt partnership governance.”
Tags: Besieged, Challenges, Korea, Moon, Partnership, Politics, President, Trying times
Chosun Ilbo (May 9)
Koreans elect their next president today, five months since the National Assembly impeached Park Geun-hye…. Korea had to endure unprecedented conflict and chaos over the past few months, and society continues to be divided along generational lines as many older people cling to certainties to which they have become accustomed. Many hope that things will now return to normal.”
LA Times (April 27)
“Now Obama, the epitome of good taste when he was president, has signaled that he too is ready to begin cashing in.” Accepting $400,000 for a speech “may not be corrupt or a threat to honest government, but it strikes us as tacky…. Our revulsion isn’t moral; it’s aesthetic.”
Tags: Cashing in, Corrupt, Good taste, Honest, Obama, President, Speech, Tacky
Financial Times (April 19)
“After 15 years of Mr Erdogan’s tightening grip, first as prime minister and now as president, almost half the population said a resounding No to one-man rule.” Still, they did not prevail. “What Turks now face is not a French or US-style presidency but something like Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin rule — and half the country knows this well.”
