A Higher Loyalty, The Saga of the Lifelong Game of Politics

"This is no “Game Change” or, God forbid, “Fire and Fury,” insider tales gauged by the scores they settle, nuggets they unearth and screenplays they elicit. One look at its austere cover and ponderous subtitle and you know this is meant as a lasting, highbrow work — a big-think story of values and institutions clashing with tribalism and self-interest in Washington." quoted from Washington Post.

Former Director Comey’s own ethics as he criticizes Loretta Lynch for asking him to describe the FBI’s Clinton investigation. Nevertheless, his excoriation of Hillary's Clinton as we know still cause her loss in the 2016 elections.

From both sides and persona of Comey and President Trump, the title of this book, "A Higher Loyalty" points to the traditional game of politics of I am in charge, either your with me or not. The author depicts the moments of his career as prosecutor, nevertheless "consider the egotism of being preoccupied by your egotism". 

I was reading some book reviews online and a couple of readers was very entertaining to say they need more Vodka in finishing reading this book. During the famous private dinner at the White House was how the book title's came about when President Trump told the author that he needed his loyalty and he expected his loyalty. 

This is that particular time that President Trump the businessman is a real politician and Comey the former prosecutor as to secure his position as FBI Director. Such instance we can certainly say the President is not a novice as Commander in Chief. Whether such is ethical or not, it is an absolute reality in the world of politics. 

Comey kept notes and showed during his testimony that he has an eye and voice for vivid, novelistic detail. He was fired. This paved the way for this bestselling book, A Higher Loyalty to be a million dollar deal between him and the publishers which is the main component in writing this book.

The author's press interviews relays how the President is unfit for office and should not have a second term. Meanwhile, the White House has circulated their own campaign to discredit this book and the author. In the years I've been indirectly involved in politics and then right after totally out of the political world, these scenarios on loyalty, chain of command, trust, discredit, talking back is part of the political world then, now and in the future.  The particular cases, events and scoop might vary but the reality execution remains the same. 

From third world governments to the most powerful economy,  this is like a soap opera in the entertainment industry that exist and will continue to exist from generation to generation. I guess the main key lesson in this book points to what is ethical, do we need to wait until we get fired or should we do the right thing. It is quite hard to answer in lieu of the circumstance that surrounded the author.   Nevertheless, if this was a different instance of an employee working in an organization, it would have been a lot easier to do the necessary steps of action.

In finale, we can ask ourselves what could the author have done or what could us the reader have done if we were in the particular position. At times as a lay common person, I'm happy not being in such a high profile position in keeping my ethics and sanity.

 If you'd like to purchase this book from our bookshelves starting 4/17/18, please visit A Higher Loyalty

Alex Esguerra

Trending, "What Happened", New Release Book by Hillary Clinton

     

What Happened

                           

What Happened by Hillary Clinton will soon be hitting the bookstores on Sept. 12, 2017, a day after the US remembers the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center during the Bush era.

I started with this as right after the World Trade Center attacks and President George W. Bush launch the Iraq invasion, then Senator Hillary Clinton was  one of those that approve the Iraq invasion and war  - Years after her work as Secretary of State under the Obama administration was very prominent and colorful defining her political fate as stateswoman in foreign diplomacy. With this came part of the major hurdles in her presidential bid leading to her defeat to incumbent President Donald Trump for the thousands of leak emails using her personal email server for state email communications. Her approval of the Iraq war was one of the repeated propaganda's against her even as democratic party nominee until being the official democratic party presidential candidate in 2016.

History will write Hillary as the first woman in the US to be a standard bearer of a major party as presidential candidate. In her new forthcoming book, she  describes what it was like to run against Donald Trump, the mistakes she made, how she has coped with a shocking and devastating loss, and how she found the strength to pick herself back up afterward. With humor and candor, she tells readers what it took to get back on her feet—the rituals, relationships, and reading that got her through, and what the experience has taught her about life. She speaks about the challenges of being a strong woman in the public eye, the criticism over her voice, age, and appearance, and the double standard confronting women in politics.

 Hillary takes you inside the intense personal experience of becoming the first woman nominated for president by a major party in an election marked by rage, sexism, exhilarating highs and infuriating lows, stranger-than-fiction twists, Russian interference, and an opponent who broke all the rules. This is her most personal memoir yet. In the last few months, speculations and speculations, threads and threads of feeds on social media talked about how she lost and why as well as if she is going to make a comeback.

In the few years then I was sort of involved with political affairs during my time as as an APEC Youth leader what I've seen so far is that Mrs. Clinton has outlived any presidential candidate in history of presidential candidates as she was able to come back and make another run for the presidency in 2016 after losing in 2008 to then Senator Obama. She was able to make the comeback as she had the popularity, she and her husband has the army of followers and supporters and she did not really had a lot of questionable past scandals and moreover she was an effective Junior Senator form New York which initially people had reservations when she made the run for Senator after being First Lady. The last part is that she has the professional merit as Lawyer and her enduring work then for the healthcare initiatives as First Lady leading to the Affordable Care Act.

She lays out how the 2016 election was marked by an unprecedented assault on our democracy by a foreign adversary. By analyzing the evidence and connecting the dots, Hillary shows just how dangerous the forces are that shaped the outcome, and why Americans need to understand them to protect our values and our democracy in the future.

With that in mind, the reality is presidential candidates normally retire from the lime light and embrace being a private citizen after a defeat. Hence, which is why I mentioned Hillary was unprecedented making a second run for the presidency. Yet, it is done, she will be in another end of being an observer and private citizen but she will indeed have a big section when the history books are written as the first woman as a major party presidential candidate which of course will defined her political life from being First Lady, Senator and then Secretary of State.

 She lays out how the 2016 election was marked by an unprecedented assault on our democracy by a foreign adversary. By analyzing the evidence and connecting the dots, Hillary shows just how dangerous the forces are that shaped the outcome, and why Americans need to understand them to protect our values and our democracy in the future.

So we should look forward on her more on being a pro-active political observer and being involved in preserving democracy in America.

Alex Esguerra

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If The President does it, that means it's not illegal, is it still true even today

The Conviction of RICHARD NIXON by James Reston, Jr. writes the foreword, "If the President does it, that means it's not illegal," as quoted was the brazen words uttered by Richard Nixon in his famous interview with David Frost in 1977.

Nixon continued and argued that the President is immune. As the book describes about eavesdropping, cover up, and bend government agencies like the CIA and the FBI for his own political purpose. National Security and "Executive Privilege" hence when exposed were "mistakes". With such words and predicament came about "Obstruction of Justice", the case for impeachment which led the way for Nixon to resign as it was inevitable.

Reading through this book trying to get a well deserved sleep gave a lot of comparison to the new book, 

The Case For Impeachment by Allan J. Lichtman . Professor Allan J. Lichtman, who has correctly forecasted thirty years of presidential outcomes, makes the case for impeaching the 45th president of the United States, Donald J. Trump.

Excerpt of the book annotation, "The Case for Impeachment also offers a fascinating look at presidential impeachments throughout American history, including the often-overlooked story of Andrew Johnson’s impeachment, details about Richard Nixon’s resignation, and Bill Clinton’s hearings. Lichtman shows how Trump exhibits many of the flaws (and more) that have doomed past presidents. As the Nixon Administration dismissed the reporting of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as “character assassination” and “a vicious abuse of the journalistic process,” Trump has attacked the “dishonest media,” claiming, “the press should be ashamed of themselves.”

Historians, legal scholars, and politicians alike agree: we are in politically uncharted waters—the durability of our institutions is being undermined and the public’s confidence in them is eroding, threatening American democracy itself."

With the recent testimony of the Former FBI Director James Comey about being asked repeatedly on the Russian interference investigations in  the 2016 elections, and the case of holding on to his position simply gives a more stronger case of Obstruction than the last impeachment case of Bill Clinton on an affair which never got passed. 

The months and circumstances to follow next will be part of the American history books as it unfolds. From the time this new book by Lichtman was release in April 2017, it hasn't yet gotten that much sales from a bookseller standpoint yet however this book is soon to be such an enormous bestseller that the publisher Dey Street Books will probably continually be making reprints.

For now, this is a new discussion between supporters of then failed candidate Hillary Clinton and the current 45th President Donald Trump.

Alex Esguerra

https://www.usedbooksworld.com

Foreign Policy, Global Security and Target Outcome

While starting my Sunday reading the,

New York Times on 59 Missiles and Foreign Policy

reminds me of the years following through the various travails of different political administrations, the news media and current events.

Reminiscing back a few months prior to the November 2016 Presidential elections in the few times I've overhead topics being discussed by both Hillary and Donald, I've sort of expected today as forthcoming when regards to Foreign Policy. While I do recognize the deeper thought on putting America first and focusing more domestically, never in the history of the world that Foreign diplomacy and policy has been put aside considerably as what the initial speeches stated.  Given the recent developments in Syria, the chemical attack and the missiles deployment, admittedly brings the realization for the new commander in chief that there's no such thing as domestic focused Foreign Diplomacy and Policy. 

The Obama administration for sure had deliberated on the same type of missile firing yet only went that far with sanctions and over involvement in foreign diplomacy. Contrary to what this new president thought about Obama's too much involvement with Syria he had to use military force to retaliate. Exercising military force is another discussion point but the shift now has tremendously change on vital importance of Foreign diplomacy as a leading World Power.

Now the whole world watches as to what will be the next steps to the current scenario on Syria, maybe to the  extent of finally ousting President Assad of Syria now that Generals are back in the core of the Inner Security Council planning strategies together with the president. Hence with these deliberations on security goes hand in hand with foreign policy strategy recommendations needed which this president might exercise or not.

So I'm going to end this short blog with Richard Haass latest bestselling book, A World in Disarray where he writes about  "The United States remains the world’s strongest country, but American foreign policy has at times made matters worse, both by what the U.S. has done and by what it has failed to do. 

As Richard Haass explains, the election of Donald Trump and the unexpected vote for “Brexit” signals that many in modern democracies reject important aspects of globalization, including borders open to trade and immigrants."

Alex Esguerra
ADLE International
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Barack Obama's Legacy as he winds down his "Yes We Can"

Obama's Legacy: What He Accomplished as President hardcover book was released right after 9/11's historic day on 9/13/2016. Written by Michael I. Days who is an editor of the Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia was one of the turn around states on the recent US presidential elections which Obama won in 2008 and again Hillary's magnanimous campaign did not persist seeing high wins of newly elected US President Donald Trump.

Michael Days showed how Obama surpassed the Greatest Recession of Modern Time in 2008. President Obama the first African American in US Presidents is credited as having the biggest lifeline of job growth in all US Presidents, two thirds reduction in the federal budget deficit and how he revitalized the greatest slow and record numbers of the stock market.

As any sitting president, the greatest challenge is the lack of cooperation of the US Congress, a scenario that President Elect Donald Trump has not seen yet. After his inauguration this January 20, 2017 starts his new life as president politician entirely different from the scope of doing business as an business person. 

This book on Obama writes " Through it all, the President who campaigned a slogan of "Yes We Can!" has persevered in his determination to make a difference and left an indelible mark on American politics and the world". Days continued is stating LEGACY is a commemoration of his eight years in the White House.

One of the remarkable things Obama started off after taking office was implementing the auto industry rescue plan that saved almost 1 million jobs in GM and the like. General Motors in turn retrieved it's glory as the premier car company in the globe.  Hence this year, GM reach enormous profits it gave one share of profits to every GM worker with individual checks to a tune of US$11,000. 

Obama also signed the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act, closing many of the loopholes that allowed corporations to send jobs overseas and avoidance in paying US taxes by moving money overseas/offshore. This is one particular policy that is going to be scrutinized by the new incoming administration when the new president starts his slogan of "Making America Great Again".  Another on the watch list is the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" where the health sectors inflation had tremendous ceiling drops in 50 years. Nevertheless, Trump and the Republican controlled Congress vowed  this to be repealed.

In August of 2011, the NLRB or National Labor Relations Board issued a final rule under Obama's directive requiring employers to notify employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act of Nov. 14, 2011.  The notice states that employees have a right to act together to improve wages and working conditions, to form, to join and assist a union, to bargain collectively with their employer, and to refrain from any of these activities. Examples of unlawful employer and union conduct and instructs employees how to contact the NLRB with questions or complaints.

Thus, the current White House has the historical library of policies and enactments of Obama. It is fair to note that Obama had also repealed some of the policies of then George W. Bush when he took office. So it just justifies the plans for newly elected President Trump that he plans to revisit and repeal some of Obama's policies.

Over the years in business, seeing politicians and or working through inter government projects of an ensuing administration, I can say that politicians always have a signature policy they want to accomplish, be known for, leave history and may or not continue the previous policies of the former administration. But it is also fair to say that every political figure including US Presidents that their main goal is to improve the lives of the citizens they were elected by.

Hence on January 20, 2017 as we watched the traditional setting off of US President Barack Obama, the first black president in US history in Marine One, we can simply say, "Thank you President Obama" till we meet Citizen Obama.

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