President Barack Obama at the White House Press Briefing Room Courtesy: The White House
On the 18th of December our President gave out 95 clemencies, two jailhouse pardons, and reassurance that ISIS won’t get us.
In what is likely to be the last White House press conference before the First Family leaves for Christmas in Hawaii, President Obama granted Christmastime pardons, addressed terrorism, and the budget.
In his remarks he thanks former Speaker of the House, John Boehner (R-OH) and current Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) for getting a spending package deal through Congress before their holiday recess. Today Congress passed the $1.1 billion dollar budget, preventing a federal government shutdown, at least until next fall.
“I’m not wild about everything in it, but it is a budget that invests in our military and our middle class,” said Obama. He also gave “kudos” to Speaker Ryan over the spending bill, adding, “that gives me some optimism that next year we could get some work done.”
On the national security front, Obama says he will soon unveil a plan to close the Gitmo detention center facilities in Cuba. He took the time to explain why he considers closing Gitmo part of his counterterrorism strategy:
“Guantanamo remains a key magnet for jihadi recruitment. How do they propagandize and convince someone here in the United States who many not have a criminal record…to start shooting? This is part of what they feed. This notion of gross injustice, that America’s not living up to its professed ideals…we see how Guantanamo has been used to create this mythology that America is at war with Islam and for us to close it is part of our counterterrorism strategy.”
Although there are many detainees who have since been released and relocated, there are some who are too much of a proven threat to be granted any freedoms. The Obama administration has yet to announce what they would do with such dangerous prisoners.
When it comes to terrorism in the Mideast, Obama assures Americans before the holiday break that military power against ISIS/ISIL in Iraq and Syria continues.
“As we keep up the pressure, our air campaign will continue to hit ISIL harder than ever,” touted Obama.
Obama’s legacy has seen some recent wins lately, including the historic climate change agreement in Paris, efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear program, federally recognizing same-sex marriages, and reopening the American embassy in Cuba.
With these milestones under his belt this past year, Obama doesn’t seem to be slowing down as the end of his Presidency nears, rejecting any lame duck status that so many politicians under term limits fall victim to.
In one last official act before taking his holiday break, Obama will meet with the families of the victims of the San Bernardino shootings on his way to Honolulu.
Chloe Sommers is the Executive Editor and Chief Political Managing Editor of the Never Daunted Radio Network. You can reach her on Twitter @ChloePalma