Beltway Insider: Obama/Vacation/Louisiana; Syria Civil War; Turkey; ISIS; Election; Berlin Wall; Olympics

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President Obama, escaping the daily demands of the Oval office, and the First Family are spending this last official vacation in Martha's Vineyard, where they have vacationed every summer since elected leaving Vice President Biden to assume the responsibilities.

According to Gallup, President Obama's job approval, over the past week, decreased by three percentage points to 51% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as President increased three percentage points to 46%. 

Obama Vacations with the Rich and Powerful; Louisiana Suffers under Historic Flood Waters

President Obama and the first family are vacationing in Martha's vineyard, the Atlantic island retreat off the coast of Boston Massachusetts, leaving Washington for his annual family summer holiday.

Catching some sun and hitting the links, the President is facing a firestorm of criticism for his apparent lack of concern over the historic flooding that has swamped New Orleans leaving most of the Baton Rouge area underwater and trying to cope.

With the President's vacations public record, locals are eager to use the micro-messaging platform, Twitter to share his every movement and add a nice picture. He has been photographed on the links, enjoying his days playing Golf.

The Advocate, a Louisiana Newspaper, published an editorial with the intent of explaining to the world the plight of the citizens in flood-ravaged Louisiana. This excerpt has been reprinted across many national media organizations.

"We've seen this story before in Louisiana, and we don't deserve a sequel. In 2005, a fly-over by a vacationing President George W. Bush became a symbol of official neglect for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The current president was among those making political hay out of Bush's aloofness.

Sometimes, presidential visits can get in the way of emergency response, doing more harm than good. But we don't see that as a factor now that flood waters are subsiding, even if at an agonizing pace. It's past time for the president to pay a personal visit, showing his solidarity with suffering Americans," The Advocate as quoted in the Washington Post.

The private citizen, unaware of the dire need for the president to simply show solidarity with the constituency that helped elect him, responded with a Tweet and picture that showed a casually dressed vacationing Obama on the links.

Facing the outrage without an upcoming election or need, the President apparently let the suffering fall on deaf ears. After GOP Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump toured the state, the White House released a statement indicating President Obama would tour the area Tuesday August 23, 2016.

Election 2016: Trump Marred in MisstepsRestructures Campaign

As the historic Election 2016 is just over two months away, the candidates are preparing for debates.

The campaign, as all in recent memory, lack the substantive debate on issues as each candidate uses the podium to bash the other. The rhetoric from the Trump Campaign is marred in missteps, unsubstantiated sources, and fear mongering.

As the Trump campaign made significant changes this week with the replacement of campaign chairman Paul Manafort who resigned from his position Thursday morning, following reports of his covert work for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine, Trump took the opportunity to appeal to the voter by adding his own admission of mistakes.

Other changes in Trump's campaign staff included Senior adviser Kellyanne Conway was promoted to the position of campaign manager, the first female to ever hold the position as Presidential campaign manager.

The changes came on the heels of reports that his campaign chairman Paul Manafort was designated to receive $12.7 million in cash payments in Ukraine. With less than three months before the election Trump's campaign staff has been overhauled again. Manafort who had been expected to stay on as chairman resigned with Stephen Bannon serving as chief executive.

The coalition of voters who support Mr. Trump will continue to forgive their hardline candidate even as his mistakes, fumblings, and errors are given microscopic examination by mainstream media he will be seen as the candidate the media loves to hate. A position that may backfire.

With daily shifting and clarity in policy and position Immigration and Mr. Trump's fanatical, strong and radical Wall strategy might be subject to the lessons of history and the policy failure of the Berlin Wall.

Lesson From The Berlin Wall

The construction of the Berlin Wall began today, over a half century ago in what was called "Barbed Wire Sunday," it became universally known as the day when the construction of the most famous Wall in the history of the world was built.

As historians look back the history of The Berlin Wall, the one lesson that resonates is its ineffectiveness to shut out the encroaching tide of liberty, as was in the priority. To keep a way of life secure, to effectively end the hold of communism in central Europe, for the good of the people, effective leadership for the many reasons one can state what remains is the fact that it didn't work.

The policies behind the erection of the Wall became textbook studies in why "Wall" to stem the tide of immigration don't work.

As Mr. Trump has picked up the mantle of many government officials looking for an effective solution to stop the open border of illegal immigration. For those who do not live in a border states and don't witness the continued growth of the illegal community his position and those like him seem an effective solution.

States who are left to absorb the burden as the tactics of Mexican and South American nationals who are determined to take the risk and utilize every illegal means to cross into the United States the fact remains there remains the champions a group of people tired of illegals and wave, after wave of border kids and

German Chancellor Angela Merkel would be the most qualified leader to speak on the separation of the two nations and its reunification. Holding citizens from freedom only works for so long.

It is doubtful the Wall policy will ever become the viable solution. Even in Berlin where there is fifty years of history to learn from, the eventual end was the removal of the wall, a de facto statement of policy failure.

Are we a nation that isolates? What does U.S. security concerns override any human condition? With limited options, Immigration reform and to what extent the current policy is modifies becomes the real question.

Also Beltway Insider: Obama/State of Terror; Thailand Attacks; German Policy; Milwaukee; Rio Unites World; DEA Says No

Syrian Conflict Enters Six Year: Distressing Images Continue to Emerge Dismissed as Casualty of War

The Syrian Civil War, a bloody, violent, destructive uprising that pit freedom fighters against the totalitarian Bashar Al-Assad Regime, is no closer to resolution then when the first wave of freedom moved across the Middle East six years ago.

The wave of democracy known as Arab Spring that spread throughout the region, creating a domino effect of democratic elections, Syria, under the tyrannical leadership of Bashar Al-Assad, was the last of the nations expected to fall quickly with a democratic government ready for transition.

Now, six bloody years later, Syria has become home to the Islamic State Fighters, with Assad also gathering strength with continued weapons purchases from Russia, the only ally to the dictatorial leader.

After billions of dollars in United States Aid to assist the front lines effort of surrounding nations who are absorbing the Syrian refugees, the war has reduced itself to the images of those who suffer the most during wartimes, the innocent.

Children escaping, dead along with hundreds of others, the brutality of Nerve gas, the devastation of missed targets demolishing homes, injured, maimed, these remembrances again flashed across the media as an image of Omran Daqneesh, the survivor of an Aleppo airstrike, went viral.

Daqneesh, the five-year-old, Aleppo first responders pull dazed and bloodied from the rubble of his home that had been targeted by airstrikes was the latest Syrian war image to go viral.  So small against the large orange seat, the shutter of the photographers captured his picture, a shell shocked child, with a gaping head wound, bloody, covered in debris, alone and then Omran became the picture of War torn Syria.

Omran's head wound was bandaged and he was reunited with his family. His ten-year-old brother, Ali Daqneesh, died. His mother and sister are still hospitalized.

Before him, Alan Kurdi, a refugee child, three-year-old, drown as his vessel not sea ready capsized sending his family into the Mediterranean. His lifeless body washed ashore in Greece. The photograph of a dead child apparently not enough to rally world leaders to the leaders to work out a ceasefire.

On the day Alan Kudi was found on the beach, photographer's captured the death tide that washed ashore hundreds of Syrians refugees who died attempting to escape al-Assad's evil.

In March 2014, Marwan, the four-year-old Syrian at the height of the refugee exile, carrying the few possessions he could in a plastic bag was separated from his family as they crossed the Jordanian dessert. Approaching United Nation Workers, he was photographed.

The stirring image of a young child struggling across the desert with a small plastic bag of possession also went viral bringing global attention to the plight of the Syrians.

ISIS Uses Child Soldier to Bomb Turkish Wedding; Kills 50, Injures Dozens

The Islamic State Fighters claimed responsibility for a horrific Wedding Suicide bomb attack in Turkey killing 50 and injuring dozens and stunning the world with the announcement the solider used to deliver the fatal explosion was barely a teenager.

Over the course of the week two car bombs killed three police officers and wounded 170 people after an explosion at a police station in Turkey's eastern city of Elazig on Thursday. The attack came hours after a similar attack killed three people elsewhere in the region.

The President of Turkey is witnessing the encroachment of the Syrian/ISIS civil war as attacks continue in frequency and scope. He remains committed to freedom, and the continued effort along the NATO partners to the coalition and the degrading and ultimate destruction of Islamic State regime.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of those killed, and we wish a speedy recovery to those injured.  We stand with the people of Turkey as they defend their democracy in the face of all forms of terrorism. We are in close touch with Turkish authorities, and Vice President Biden will visit Ankara on Wednesday, August 24 to reaffirm our commitment to work together with Turkey, our valued NATO Ally and partner, to confront the scourge of terrorism," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.

Olympics – The Good, The Bad, and The Gold

In a festive ceremony akin to Carnival, the world's athletes, those who decided to stay and attend the closing ceremonies, celebrated the end of the XXXI Olympiad is over international gathering of the World's Best Athletes.

Not without controversy, the XXXI Olympiad will be remembered for many things, the U.S. Gymnastic Team, a small misstep by the world's best and a nation who had not seen a medal for 88 years wins Gold. The first ever refugee team comprised of Athletes without countries as the wave of immigration in Central Europe and the flights to freedom did not stop the pursuit of the dream.

Of course The XXXI Olympiad will also be remembered for the bad behavior and arrogance of the U.S. Men's Swim team who in typical frat boy and entitled behavior brought national disgrace upon themselves as the world watched their harrowing tale of victim deteriorate into perpetrator victimizing a local merchant.

The XXXI Olympiad ended traditionally with the passing of the Olympic flame and Flag to the next host nation. Tokyo, Japan will host the 2020 XXXII Summer Olympics; the 2018 Winter Olympics, known as the XXIII Olympiad will be held in Pyeongchang South Korea.

The United States Athletes made their mark as the world's best securing 118 Medals, 47 Gold, 37 Silver and 38 Bronze nearly double Great Britain, who left the Olympic with 66 medals, 22 Gold, 27 Silver and 17 Bronze.

Of course, the Russian athletes were banned in most sport competition due to a wide scale doping allegations which ended after repeated investigations, pronouncements, and appeals that ended just four days before the XXXI Olympic began with a definitive statement of the Russians participated in systemic and accepted strength enhancement. All athletes were invited to petition the governing bodies for the sport of choice and wait for the determination.

Men's Swim Team Robbed At Gunpoint - Really?

Throughout the week this well-rehearsed account by Olympic Gold medal winner Ryan Lochte, Gunner Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigan had been recanted as they athletes were pulled from the plane and their passport confiscated as they attempted to leave the country.

Left alone to handle the media firestorm and possible legal action, Ryan Lochte, who only after security camera video surfaced of his frat boy/bad boy behavior, admitted the truth. Lochte, with a career win of 90 medals in international competition 54 Gold, 22 Silver and 14 Bronze and a Rio win of 1 Gold medal for his participation in the Men's 4 x100 relay.

"Reezy" or "The Lochenator" as he is known softened his loud and punk white/blonde spiked hair color to face the American media, will probably retain his endorsements and pop culture status as a wide demographic of Americans seems to embrace bad boy behavior rewarding it with even greater fame.  

Men's Swim Team Robbed At Gunpoint (Reprinted from August 14, 2016 Beltway Insider)

Olympic Gold medal winner Ryan Lochte, Gunner Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigan were outside the Olympic Village visiting a hospitality house sponsored by the French. They were in a taxi heading back to the village when the vehicle was stopped by men posing as military and armed guards. The assailants put a gun to the forehead of Lochte (spike white blonde hair) and demanded money and personal items.

They apparently complied and were freed. The snatch and grab robbery was reported and the swimmers are cooperating with local authorities.

For more information on President Barack Obama: www.whitehouse.gov

Sources: Whitehouse.gov, Wikipedia.com,