The deed is done. All that remains is for President Obama to put his John Hancock on an executive order today that will exempt upward of 5 million illegal immigrants from deportation and allow them to obtain work permits.
Meanwhile, Republicans need to be reminded of the strong Hillary-for-2016 connection, and how Obama’s executive order could be used as fodder against her in a presidential campaign.
That connection is through John Podesta, who currently holds the title “counselor to the president” in Obama’s White House.
Podesta’s name has been widely reported as the person most likely to be named chairman or CEO of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Now for some oodles of irony.
Back in December 2013, shortly before Podesta joined Obama’s White House, he said in an interview with Politico’s Glenn Thrush that the White House needs “to focus on executive action given that they are facing a second term against a cult worthy of Jonestown in charge of one of the houses of Congress.”
The now-ironic title of that Politico piece: “The Reboot. Barack Obama’s at the lowest point in his presidency. Can John Podesta save him?”
At NRO on December 18, 2013, Andrew Johnson reported on Podesta’s “Jonestown”-cult flap, for which Podesta later apologized to John Boehner. Johnson wrote: “John Podesta may have provided a peek into the tone he will look to set when he joins the Obama administration next month.”
That “tone” was, in part, based on Podesta’s affinity for executive action, widely reported before he joined Obama’s White House.
Now fast-forward to today. Obama is about to launch a controversial executive action, the kind promoted by Podesta with the goal of saving his presidency.
Then, as expected when Podesta becomes CEO of Hillary 2016 and Obama’s executive actions are a campaign issue, she will be forced to distance herself from actions advocated by her campaign chief, who said the White House needed to “focus on executive action.” There are also her own words that threaten to hoist her by her own petard.
Could this be the reason Hillary has been so quiet about Obama’s executive actions?
Cross-posted at National Review Online
