China: The Next Issue

If you are into the drama of presidential politics then you are probably not able to get enough popcorn in order to sit back and watch what is happening. And what is happening is approximately one new crisis per week. This week it was ISIS and the gruesome video of Mr. Foley. Actually less than one week earlier, it was the killing of an African-American by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. On this one I refuse to label the deceased Mr. Brown a child. Then we can go back to the ISIS rampage, the illegal border crossings in Texas, the situation in Ukraine, the shoot-down of an airliner in Ukraine, and all the way back to Obamacare.

I know that Mr. Obama's former Chief of Staff said "never let a crisis go to waste," but I doubt he ever envisioned so many. Now if you look closely, the single common denominator that runs through all of these issues is the President, himself. All of the catalysts for the above listed issues, and more that I did not list, all stem from the President's policies. He is too hands-on (actively changing the law for Obamacare, sending the Attorney General to Ferguson with a predetermination of the facts, or threatening to offer legalization to thousands of illegal immigrants by presidential fiat.) He is too hands-off (removing the troops too early from Iraq, planning to do so in Afghanistan, lack of involvement in Syria, failure to support the al-Sisi government in Egypt, leading from behind in Libya and the Ukraine, and coming in late to support Israel in Gaza.) The only thing that Mr. Obama is on top of is his golf game. Sadly, this is not a joke.

A few months ago, I questioned how long China would wait before acting on a more aggressive posture in the Far East. After all, they have to believe the next American president can not possibly be this uninvolved so they would have to move up their timetable for action. They have now requested that the United States not stray too close to their borders. (here) After all, they are pressing their advantage regarding oil exploration and curtailing any outside interference in the South China Sea. If they can convince President Obama to not monitor their activities, so much the better. And less than two weeks ago, the Chinese Navy was requesting to ride along on our aircraft carriers to see how we do all of this neat stuff. They are after all, just at the beginning of establishing their own version of carrier operations. Maybe President Obama will have a few moments to consider China before he heads to the back nine.