Barack Obama petulantly punishes NYC because he’s upset with Chuck Schumer.

Short version: I don’t like Sen. Chuck Schumer, but he and I agree on one thing. To wit, he and I think that the administration’s nuclear deal was insane. Now, Barack Obama may not personally care what I think, but Schumer’s defection clearly disconcerted the Obama administration, given that they dislike being opposed by anybody, let alone a New York Democrat. So now it’s being alleged – based on these comments by former Police Commissioner Ray Kelley – that the Obama administration cut terrorism funds to NYC as a petty tit-for-tat for Schumer’s public rejection of the Iran deal. Specifically, the allegation is that the administration slashed the Urban Area Security Initiate (UASI) from six hundred to three hundred and thirty million.  The administration’s response? To quote the Examiner:

“At some point, Sen. Schumer’s credibility in talking about national security issues, particularly when the facts are as they are when it relates to homeland security, have to be affected by the position that he’s taken on other issues,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday.

That’s the sort of thing that you say about a political opponent or enemy. Not someone who you want to play nice with later.  And that’s what really makes this noteworthy.  We are absolutely used to the Obama administration generally acting in a childish and petulant fashion when it comes to dealing with Republicans, although admittedly cutting a counter-terrorism fund in half would be fairly raw, even for Barack Obama. But to do this to the next Senate Minority Leader? That’s a little bit surprising.

And the interesting bit is, it doesn’t even matter if the administration was being petulant originally!  Even if there’s a perfectly good reason to cut UASI funding like this, the fact that Schumer and the rest of the NYC Democratic apparatus is fuming over the cuts suggest that the President should be spending some time soothing ruffled feathers and spreading oil on troubled waters. Instead, he sent out Josh Earnest to pluck out some more feathers, set them on fire, and use them to ignite the existing oil patch. Which suggests one of two things.  Either Barack Obama really is so upset over Schumer’s defection that Obama’s letting it overrule his judgement; or, I suppose, Barack Obama just doesn’t care any more about anything and he’s just looking forward to a 24/7/365 golf schedule.

Well… I suppose that he might think both of these two things at once. It’d be tricky, sure – but if anybody could possibly be indifferently vindictive, it’d be Barack Obama.

Via @freddoso.

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