Is President Obama misusing his power? That is the subject of this evening's Talking Points Memo. The answer is yes, he is misusing presidential power, but not in the way you might think.
In the past, some presidents have misused their power in aggressive ways.
Richard Nixon intimidating witnesses in the Watergate break-in, that led to his resignation.
Lyndon Johnson misleading the American people about the war in Vietnam.
And John Adams trying to suppress a free press using the Alien and Sedition acts.
But today we have a president who is misusing his power by not using it to solve vital problems.
The evidence is clear on the border. We now know the Obama administration was told a year ago that organized criminals were beginning to smuggle children into the U.S.A. in great numbers.
The president could have summoned the countries involved to a conference in Washington. He could have cracked down as soon as the cartels got into the people smuggling business.
He did not. And now the U.S.A. will have to deal with about 100,000 desperate children.
By the way, this coming Friday the presidents of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador finally arrive in Washington for that conference.
A bit late, don't you think?
Then we have the ISIS terror army, which has taken over a third of Iraq.
It is now persecuting Christians, killing some of them, forcing others from their homes.
And what has President Obama done to this ISIS army?
Has he bombed their caravans to and from Syria?
Has he directed drones at their headquarters?
No, he has not.
And U.S. intel warned the president that Islamic militants were gathering power in Syria.
But he did nothing to stop that.
And finally Putin ... there is no question that he armed the terrorists in Ukraine that shot down the Malaysian airplane.
Putin did it, just as he annexed Crimea, just as he provides advisors and weapons to these terrorists, who are killing innocent human beings.
President Obama has slapped a few sanctions on Putin, but nothing like he could have done.
You may remember that Talking Points suggested President Obama meet with American bank leaders and cut off all credit card receipts from Russia.
That would have brought Putin to his knees.
It is quite clear that Mr. Obama does not want to lead in the traditional way. He apparently wants to ruminate about things, discuss ... create consensus.
The signal he consistently sends is that America will not right wrongs, except in emergency circumstances.
The problem is the president does not see the border incursion as an emergency.
Nor does he see the ISIS army as one.
Nor does he see Vladimir Putin as a power-mad villain, who needs to be neutralized.
Instead, president Obama wants to ask the German leader Merkel what she wants to do.
Add it all up, you get a misuse of the power we the American people bestowed on Barack Obama.
Finally let me give you one vivid example of how Presidential power should be used.
Mr. Obama calls the Mexican President Nieto.
He gently tells him that unless Mexico's southern border is closed to illegal alien traffic, U.S. trade agreements with Mexico will be suspended.
And by the way, Marine Sgt. Tahmooressi must be released from prison within 24 hours.
That's all Mr. Obama has to do, and two problems would be solved.
