Seeking kudos
amidst flip-flops
M.R Dua
Donald Trump
Normally inflexible
and rigid in his
affirmations and
orders, President
Donald Trump's
several political and
economic moves in the past nine
months have shown his somewhat
unlikable tendencies of flip-flops,
and one-step-forward, two-stepsbackward
characteristics. How will
such unpalatable policies go to
fashion and finally construct an
amiable atmosphere in the
country?
However, of late Trump has tried
to project himself as enjoying
support among opponents and
quiescent supporters.
Last month for example,
President Trump tried to win kudos
from the estranged community of
nearly 800,000, including some
6,000 Indians, who were illegally
brought to the US as children, when
they were between two and six
years old. They have now grown up
to be an integral part of this
country's working population, also
popularly branded as 'Dreamers' --
under the 2012 Obama order,
called DACA– 'deferred action for
childhood arrivals.'But they have so
far been under a perennial threat
of being deported back to their
respective country.
In a surprise gesture, the White
House has decided to 'allow them
to stay in the US in exchange for a border security package that
doesn't include funding for Trump's
wall'… adding that 'the Trump
administration's plan for
immigration changes that could include legal citizenship over time.'
In good humour later, the
President was reported to have
remarked about the 'Dreamers':
'Does anybody really want to throw
out good, educated and
accomplished young people who
have jobs, some serving in the
military…they have been in our
country for many years through no
fault of their – brought in by
parents at young age.'
It seems that the recent
widespread natural disasters spelling massive losses running
into billions of dollars (estimated
$650 billion) in at least four states
due to floods, Hurricane storms
and fires in Florida, Texas, South Carolina and California have
inordinately subdued and humbled
Donald Trump's cavalier and
brusque nature.
Secondly, having not succeeded,
after badly losing majority vote in
Congress for 'repealing and
replacing,' the Obama healthcare
law, President Trump has
consented to delay further action
on it until he 'emerges as the
magnanimous bipartisan dealmaker
who can bring the swamp
together.'
This deal-making is said to be in
the slow 'making' process, and may
fructify in due course, i.e., after the
2018 November mid-term elections
for Congress.
Thirdly, only by mid-September,
a highly politically rancorous issue
of the deficit budget was sorted out
rather happily: President Trump
struck an unexpected debt ceilingraising
deal with senior opposition
Democrat leaders in Congress. That
was part of a new strategy to work
with the Democratic Party for
tackling some of the grave issues
hanging fire.
Ironically, some Republican
Party (GOP) hardliners think that
the President has softened his
stand against his opponents to
strike deals. But there seems to be
more than what meets the eye.
Trump has set his target for the
2020-term in the White House. The
President's hidden agenda in this
top astute game stands beyond the
comprehension of many GOP
leaders.
Ever since his election to the
45th American presidency, Donald
Trump continues to be under the
most rigorous vigilant
Congressional investigation by
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's
inquiry. This probe into the most
crucial job of determining the
validity of Trump's unexpected
success in the 2016 presidential
election, in which the Russians are
believed to have played an active
role, is being avidly awaited
nationwide.
The Special Counsel's office is
fully engrossed rinsing through
mountains of documents
separating the grain from the chaff.
For, a surfeit of suspicion is
mounting that the Trump 2016
presidential campaign spaciously
yoked a foreign country's support,
particularly from the Russian
sources in the U.S., for landing in
the Oval Office. That being
constitutionally branded as 'a clear
case of obstruction of justice' could
have unimaginable consequences with Trump even losing his White
House den.
While inquest may take its own
time—anywhere between six to 18
months—the Trump White House is
fixing innumerable economic,
political and social issues with
active and solid support from his
arch Democratic rivals. This may
also help create congenial
environment in the country to
scotch the adversaries' cherished
wish to indict Trump by Mueller's
report as and when it's available.
North Korean stance
Kim Jong-un
It's extremely interesting to
recall that though President Trump
was quick to ventilate his angry
reaction to North Korea's advancing
nuclear programme and its dictator
Kim Jong-un's arrogant stance to
Washington's admonishing,
Trump's threatening rage-full
response-
- 'fire and
fury like
the world
has not
s e e n
before' –
still hangs
in air as a
shallow,
h o l l o w
reminder
o f
T r ump ' s
initial 'fury'.
Meanwhile, Kim continues his
nuclear missile launch spree
unheeded, as also in defiance of
global censure and condemnation
to his audacity. Though these
statements have been extensively
interpreted as 'marked by sharp
turn from more conciliatory
remarks' following more launches,
when Trump said that North Korea
'had begun to respect the US' and
suggested the possibility of a
diplomatic solution.
President Trump is now planning
to garner international support for
joint action against North Korea's
flexing of nuclear muscles that he keeps playing with gleefully.
Oil from Texas
Navtej Singh Sarna
Finally, here's a news of a new
breakthrough for India–'Opening
new vistas in India-US cooperation,
ambassador Navtej Singh Sarna
said handing over papers for first
shipment of crude oil import from
Texas', Indian embassy tweeted.
Texas Republican Senator Ted
Cruz also
tweeted:
'Texas will
p r o v i d e
crucial oil
e x p o r t s
to India
and serve
as a
r e l i a b l e
long-term
supplier
of energy. Texas proud.'—Ted Cruz
wrote.
Ted Cruz
This was said to be the first
outcome of following Prime Minister Modi's visit and his
meeting with President Trump. Two
Indian state-owned oil
companies—IOC and Bharat
Petroleum Corporation-- have
placed order for 6 million barrels of
US crude oil.
Incidentally, during last month's
severe Hurricane Harvey, Houston's
India-origin residents and Indian
restaurants provided generous
relief to homeless victims
belonging to diverse local
communities by supplying free
food items, medical assistance and
shelter.