The Oval Office (Lumine/SJoyce Administration) (Au Revoir!)

[Lumine]

The Oval Office:
Lumine & SJoyce

Welcome to the public office of the administration! This thread will contain information, speeches, events, schedules and it will be open for questions from the Atlasian public, thus leaving the more formal aspects for the White House thread soon to be opened in the Government board.

LumineVonReuental, President of Atlasia.

[Lumine]

Information:

Cabinet:

President: LumineVonReuental (CR)
Vice President: SJoyce (TPP)

Secretary of the Interior: HagridOfTheDeep (Independent)
Attorney General: Zuwo (Independent)
Secretary of State: Superique (TPP)

Game Moderator: Kalwejt (Arab Socialist Ba'ath)
Deputy Game Moderator: Barnes (Labor)
Registrar General: Fritz (Labor)
Secretary of Federal Elections: Homelycooking (Independent)

Wiki Secretary: Rpryor03 (CR)
Deputy Sec. for Defense and Intelligence: SJoyce (TPP)
White House Chief of Staff: Cris (CR)

Index/Schedule:

November 2014:

November 7th - Inauguration Day (Speech)
November 8th - Cabinet Appointments (Update)
November 9th - Remebering the Past and the Dead (Update/Speech)
November 13th - Foreign Trip, Part I (Update)
November 16th - Foreign Trip, Part II (Update)
November 20th - State of Emergency N°1 (Update)
November 26th - Dealing with ISIS/Islamic State (Update/Speech)

December 2014:

December 1st - Full Cabinet Confirmed (Update)
December 2nd - Remarks by the President on current events (Excerpts)
December 4th - Regarding the Confirmation Issue (Speech)
December 6th - An address to the nation, on ISIS (Speech)
December 12th - Russia, Impeachment and Other Things (Update)
December 17th - Syria/Iraq, Budget and so on (Update)
December 21st - (Not) Running for a Second Term (Speech)
December 21st - Update on Several Issues (Update)
December 24th - Supreme Court, Presidential Veto and a Merry Christmas! (Update)
December 30th - Weekly Update and the Vega Scandal: (Update)

January 2015:

January 4th - An address to the nation, on Russia (Speech)
January 6th - Two Months of Government (Speech)
January 9th - Press Release on Paris Terror Attacks
January 16th - The Legislative Front (Speech/Update)
January 26th - Another Presidential Update (Update)
January 27th - Civil Rights Act (Speech)

February 2015:

February 4th - United we Stand (UN Speech)
February 4th - Press Release on Justice Department
February 5th - Announcement: Kalwejt nominated as GM
February 6th - Announcement: Policy Report Act
February 10th - Thoughts on Recent Legislation (Update)
February 12th - Press Release on Riley/Potus's Departure
February 17th - Recent Events (Update)
February 18th - A Speech on the current Political Situation (Speech)
February 19th - Press Release on Census Bureau Attacks
February 21st - President Lumine meets with Crown Prince Muqrin
February 21st - White House Press Conference (Update)
February 25th - Press Release
February 25th - We will prove them wrong (Speech)

[Lumine]

November 7th:
Inauguration Day: (Speech)

Nyman, District of Columbia:

President Cranberry, Vice-President SJoyce, Vice-President Duke, Chief Justice bgwah, Justices Oakvale and Torie, Senators, and my fellow Atlasians,

Young or old, new or ancient, all nations must look upon their history in order to draw crucial lessons, in order to appreciate the present, and in order to have a better past. This year has marked the 10th Anniversary of Atlasia, a nation-game that has managed to last an unusually long time. We’ve had lots of different Presidents, all of them singular in their own way, and all of them with a different lasting legacy regardless of whether they hold the office for months or year. And here we stand, ten years after the founding of this nation, and we put an official end to our long national nightmare.

The task ahead of us is a major one. We need to create a new budget for the year 2015, we must repair and rebuild our relationship with the international community, we will have to reform our voting system and amendment our Constitution so we can adapt to the challenges of this era. For the first time I speak to you as the President of the Republic of Atlasia, and today I enter the White House along with Vice-President SJoyce and a large group of trusted friends and officeholders, an administration which shall work hard and give the best of efforts to follow the legacy of President Cranberry and restore what our government and the office of the President itself lost after the tragedy.

This administration has a deep belief in the game, and we believe that in order to have a better Atlasia it is crucial that rules are enforced. We will not shy away from the major responsibility that has been entrusted upon us by the people of Atlasia, and we will fight to uphold the laws and the rules of this game, so this nation can be spared from a repeat of the ban of a sitting President or a rebellion led by a cabinet member. We will fight for reform, reasonable and focused reform, and we shall do our best to reform the “instant government” of which I spoke about in order to build a lasting and positive legacy for Atlasia.

Thank you very much.

LumineVonReuental, President of Atlasia.

[Lumine]

Congratulations Mr. President and Mr. Vice President.

This is an historic occasion for Atlasia.

This is a great day for Atlasia!

Thank you very much!

I am also happy to announce that I have found a Secretary of the Interior for the Administration, thus almost completing the cabinet (save for the Deputy GM). IDS Speaker Flo will serve in the position, and I look forward to see his work to revitalize another position that has seen some compicated issues in the past time.

I'll have my first executive orders ready this afternoon!

[Lumine]

November 8th:
Cabinet Appointments:

Executive Orders: November 8th:

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Subject: Old Cabinet:

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Subject: New Cabinet:

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As you can see, I have made almost all of the appointments outlined on the cabinet proposals, enacting the unofficial renaming, dismissing most of the old cabinet members and creating the new positions like the Chief of Staff, the Commission on Electoral Reform, the Ambassadorship At-Large and so on. The Deputies for Defense and Environment (etc) have not been created yet since they take their authority from the Secretaries of State and Interior, and thus both positions will wait until the end of the confirmation vote (assuming both Flo and Riley are confirmated by the Senate). SirNick is still Game Moderator as well, I feel it's unwise to leave the position vacant during Dr. Cynic's confirmation hearing.

In terms of other events, tomorrow I plan to travel to New York and California to meet with the victims of the Pacific earthquake and Snowstalker's revolt, and after that I will announce my schedule for the week of November 10-16, which will probably include an extensive foreign trip to meet with crucial allies through the globe.

LumineVonReuental, President of Atlasia.

[Lumine]

November 9th:
Remembering the Past and the Dead:

New York City, Northeast Region:

Today, as planned, I had the occasion of touring New York City and a couple of areas in the state of California, both areas that have suffered quite a bit in the past time. While reconstruction makes progress in both places, it is rather distressing to see the marks left by disaster, both human and natural. The Pacific Earthquake taught us that we need to be more prepared for emergencies of the sort, and the situation that developed in New York City thanks to Snowstalker's militia gave us a terrible lesson of the woes that a civil conflict can bring to our nation. The victims will be honored and never forgotten, and I sincerely hope that we will never have to see similar amounts of damage inflicted on our nation. There's little that I can personally do to end the suffering or change the past, but I do plan to take steps to ensure that we can secure our future.

Tomorrow I will start my planned foreign tour, a trip of six days (Monday to Saturday) in which I will visit key friends and allies of Atlasia. I believe it is rather important for a President to build lasting personal relationships with other heads of state, and after the Atlasian Conflict I feel it's crucial that we reassure our allies and we show that we are indeed worried about the current state of the world. Thus, and while the Confirmation Hearing process begins (and hopefully ends as well), I will visit Canada, the United Kingdom, NATO and European Union in Brussels, Ukraine, Palestine/Israel and Japan/South Korea. I look forward to that trip, and I hope the results end up being positive for the nation.

Finally, I have called President Glauck and Chancellor Merkel to congratulate them on the 25th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and I wish to extend my congratulations not only to all our German friends, but to all the victims of the Iron Curtain that kept fighting and hoping until its fall: a true struggle for freedom that lasted generations and that, just like the victims of New York and California, will never be forgotten.

LumineVonReuental, President of Atlasia.

[Lumine]

November 13th:
Foreign Trip, Part I:

Currently on the road to the Middle East:

As promised, during the past days I have been travelling across North America and Europe in order to visit a few key places and lay the groundwork for the job of the State Department, soon to be led by Secretary of State nominee Riley, Vice-President and soon to be Deputy Secretary SJoyce and At-Large Ambassador Cassius. Starting on Monday, I have visited four countries and I will visit three more until the tour ends on Saturday, so I can return to Nyman just in time for the end of the Special At-Large election (don't forget to vote on that!).

It's hard to give detailed summaries given that it could create the impression that I'm pretty much saying what I want, but so far I have met with the Canadian government in order to discuss the outcome of the Atlasian conflict, some issues regarding the Common Market and overall the need for increased cooperation on issues like drug policy, potential refugees coming from the Northeast Region and the situation of our citizens living there. I also held some productive meetings with the British government, and I had a rather detailed conversation with Prime Minister Cameron regarding the need to maintain the Special Relationship and increased cooperation regarding ISIS and Putin.

The meeting in Brussels with representatives of the European Union and NATO was considerably shorter (since Ambassador Cassius will deal with these organizations after this tour is over), but nonetheless the chance was there to debate on how to proceed regarding recent foreign crisis, along with my personal assurance of the internal conflict in our nation being over. Finally, I managed to meet with President Poroshenko in Ukraine (I already had the chance of meeting him when I was Special Envoy to Ukraine) and talk about the future of his nation regarding NATO and integration into Europe. There are some understandable concerns regarding Russian actions, and the administration will act on that soon.

Finally, I'm rather pleased to see that the nomination process has begun and I hope to see very informative hearings for the nominees and hopefully future cabinet members.

LumineVonReuental, President of Atlasia.

[Lumine]

November 16th:
Foreign Trip, Part II:

Landing on Nyman, District of Columbia:

Well, after a week I have finally ended my foreign trip across the world, and needless to say it was rather enjoyable experience. It's been a while since a President has left Atlasia in order to tour the world, but I think this is something all Presidents should do at least once in their terms.

Last time gave an update I was leaving Ukraine for the Middle East, and on Friday I had the chance of meeting with the governments of Palestine and Israel in order to see the progress of the Superique Peace Deal and overall gain a better insight on the whole situation. There re some issues to correct, of course, but I can't stress how encouraging it is to see both nations engaging in meaningful talks, to see peace finally arriving on that corner of the world. There's still a lot of work to be done, but I expect that in a few years we will see two developed nations that will leave behind a terrible past (let us remember the OTL Gaza campaign never happened here).

My visit to Asia was extended by an extra day in order to cope with the distances and the need for a meeting with two allies instead of one, and I feel the opportunity is there for major diplomatic achievements. Meeting with Prime Minister Abe was particularly interesting, and we were able to discuss the ongoing conflict with China, the situation in Okinawa and the potential reforms to the Japan Self-Defense Forces. The extra day was spent on visiting South Korea to discuss the Chinese situation as well, and hopefully lay the ground work for the upcoming efforts on an Asian version of NATO.

As I return to Nyman I find myself satisfied with the results of this brief trip, and I am happy to see that the confirmation hearings have been rather active and that the Special Election find itself with a good level of turnout, both healthy signs of the stability that has slowly returned to Atlasia.

LumineVonReuental, President of Atlasia.

[Lumine]

You're doing a great job, sir!!

Thank you, outofbox!

[Lumine]

We would love to host the President on our territory. While Atlasia and the Papal Patch has no diplomatic relations, he can always be the guest of the Holy See.

I am very pleased to hear that, Your Holiness, thank you. Engaging in a more active way with foreign affairs will likely have to wait until the confirmation of a Game Moderator and a Secretary of State, but I would certainly consider visiting the Papal Patch at some point.

[Lumine]

November 20th:
State of Emergency N°1:

Nyman, District of Columbia:

State of National Emergency: November 20th:

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After the end of the Speaker of the Senate election I have discussed a couple of issues with Speaker Bore, and he has expressed his interest in quickly passing an amendment to the Senate rules that will limit Senators to two bills on the floor so others can also introduce their own ideas without having to wait weeks. Since the Senate rules (Article III, Section 5) state that the eight thread of the Senate depends on a State of National Emergency:

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I have decided to declare one, based on the need of improving the performance of the Senate, which means Speaker Bore will be able to send this to the floor as quickly as possible. Wihle unexpected, I do think it's great that we can put this new mechanism to the test right away, and I personally think the more diversity we can get on the Senate's legislation the better for the nation.

LumineVonReuental, President of Atlasia.

[Lumine]

More than an official statement, I just wanted to step in and state that while the month has been somewhat slow things should really pick up once the entire cabinet is confirmed (and since most of my classes end on Friday I will have more time for Atlasia).

As of now, I can state that as soon as we have a SoEA we will start to see some action regarding the Middle East, and I have already started preparations for the 2015 Budget. It will take a lot of work, but I think passing one before the year ends is a huge priority. In the legislative front we only have the Sanity in Foreign Policy Act (which might or might not turn into a more comprehensive effort regarding other bills), but it will take time for it to reach the floor and in the meantime other pieces of legislation will be considered and hopefully sent as well.

I am also quite happy to see the Commission on Electoral Reform now fully active, and I want to invite all Atlasians to follow the debate and participate in the appropiate thread. I feel we have a genuine chance of improving the game with proposals that will seek a consensus.

President Lumine.

[Lumine]

November 26th:
Dealing with ISIS/Islamic State:

Nyman, District of Columbia:

For the past few months we have seen a lot of debate regarding ISIS and the Islamic State, and as events have evolved and they have grown in strenght Atlasia has suffered from some internal contradictions that have made a response harder. Day after day we have seen entire cities fall to them, we have seen their sudden rise in Iraq, Syria, Libya and many other nations, and we have seen some of the most brutal and horrying act commited against Atlasia and its allies: the attacks on Germany, Kuwait and our very own White House, attacks that President DemPGH would refuse to acknowledge, an act that would lead to his downfall.

We have waited two months, but now it is our time to respond, and from a White House still in reconstruction after the attacks I can tell you that we will not tolerate having ISIS humilliate our nation just for us to ignore them. I have issue two executive orders to clear this situation:

Executive Orders: November 26th:

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With the Foreign Department ready to go, I can confirm that Secretary of State Riley will handle diplomatic affairs in the Middle East along with a potential coalition to fight ISIS as a united bloc, and that Vice-President SJoyce, now entrusted with the Pentagon and our intelligence forces, will handle the strikes and their respective results from Nyman. And, of course, I will be watching the situation closely as it evolves, reacting and responding to the results and the new challenges that might arise.

I have a firm and undying belief in Atlasia's postive role in the world, and I do not take these steps on the basis of aggression, nor do I take them to satisfy any kind of "imperalistic dreams". I have decided to act because I believe that ISIS and their crimes against humanity and international law have to be stopped, because there are people out there asking us to step in and help them, because we as a nation cannot forget that so many of our citizens have already perished at their hands. Today I ask for your support and your understanding, for the decision to start combat operations is not one that should ever be taken lightly. There will be risks, and there will be complications, but I am confident that ISIS will be defeated.

Thank you very much,

LumineVonReuental, President of Atlasia.

[Lumine]

December 1st:
Full Cabinet Confirmed!

Nyman, District of Columbia:

It has been a lenghty process, but finally the confirmation process is over, with the whole cabinet confirmed!

I'd like to thank Vice-President SJoyce for his handling of his legislative duties so far, Speaker Bore and the Senate as a whole for their hard work and for their willigness to listen the nominees put forward by the administration, and, of course, Secretary Flo, Secretary Riley, Attorney General Zuwo, Deputy Attorney General Rpryor and Game Moderator Dr. Cynic for being willing to take on the challenge to join the cabinet and for their work so far.

LumineVonReuental, President of Atlasia.

[Lumine]

December 2nd:
Remarks by the President on current events:

Chicago, IL, Mideast Region:

(Excerpts from comments on a visit to Chicago)

A lot of events have happened in the past days, and I feel it's worth to comment on them and provide my own point of view. I don't believe the White House should stay silent or neglect the handling of events, and I think our regrettable experience when we were under the banner of the White Rose is pretty eloquent in that regard.

Iraq/ISIS: First things first, I am rather pleased with the developments in Iraq thus far. The Atlasian public has reacted in a positive way and with wide support in the polls, and the international community has been quite receptive. The State Department is really doing a fantastic job on the issue, and rest assured, we are looking at our options and preparing ourselves for the potential evolution of the Middle East situation, so you can expect further updates on that, and hopefully another of my unnecessary long speeches. I'm not going to lie, I always wanted to address the UN at some point...
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Pacific/Midwest: In second place I would like to express my concerns over the current crisis that we are seeing in some of the regional government, given that consequences are starting to appear across the country. While openly judging Governors Simfan and Adam Fitzgerald would be irresponsible on my behalf, I do hope the Pacific and the Midwest will be able to sort out these crisis with the speedy and efficient action of their regional governments. We cannot allow our nation to fall into higher levels of unemployment, and I am of course following the situation as closely as I can.
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Legislation: Third, I believe, should be a few remarks on some pieces of legislation that have made the news, and those that have passed the Senate. So far, I have gladly signed Senator Polnut's bill on biodiversity, Senator Yankee's effort to curb the militarization of the police forces, and with some reluctance I have signed Senator TNF's experimental program regarding Co-Determination, which thankfully was scaled down quite a bit before passing the Senate. There are some good bills, some not so good bills, and for the time being there are two which I am very much against: the Household Appliance Deregulation Act (consumer protection agencies can trust me to veto this one) and, of course, the Civil Rights Act of 2014 for a good number of reasons already posted before the Senate. I am not a fan of abusing the veto power, but I would veto those two if passed.
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Presidency and Reelection: Finally, I do want to state that so far being President has been quite the interesting experience, and beyond Adam Griffin's creepy stalking of some of my actions outside the forum I do feel quite satisfied with the progress that is being made. It is with great surprise that I notice that debate, polling and announcements have already begun on the February Presidential Election, and I'd like to welcome Former Pacific Justice IBDD into the race and wish him well. I haven't made up my mind on a second term since it's far too early and an announcement on that would be irresponsible, but I will make my intentions clear to Atlasia once I reach a decision (most likely in January, so we have a lot of time until then).
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Other: I think it's necessary to commend Game Moderator Dr. Cynic on his first day in office, he had a wonderfully active start and it is greatly encouraging for me to be able to respond to new and unexpected events, it really makes my job more interesting!

Thanks for your attention,

LumineVonReuental, President of Atlasia.

[Lumine]

I am encouraged to see the President is closely following events in our (yours and mine! ) region. I am confident this will be only to our gain.

Indeed, I hope that with the new Council of the issues that the Pacific faces can be solved soon.

Presidency and Reelection: Finally, I do want to state that so far being President has been quite the interesting experience, and beyond Adam Griffin's creepy stalking of some of my actions outside the forum...

No surprise there.

I know, but it is pretty disturbing, xD

[Lumine]

December 4th:
Regarding the Confirmation Issue:

Nyman, District of Columbia:

Ladies and gentlemen,

For the past few hours there has been an interesting debate on the most recent allegations by Former Vice-President Griffin. Trying not to make this address too long, Part Eight of his famous thread has either the Administration or the leadership of The People's Party being responsible for delays on the confirmation of the cabinet, with special focus being given to new Game Moderator Dr. Cynic. Among the theories proposed it has been suggested that we wanted to wait until having a new Senate (as if I would wait two months for having a cabinet) or avoid yet another special election.

First of all, I will confirm that there is no conspiracy here. It was my intention to have a speedy process so we could get to work as soon as possible, but a series of factors including the confusion of the status of the new Senate rules, Vice-President SJoyce not having internet access during some of the days of the hearings and so on forced a couple of delays. I accept full responsibility for this delay and I want to apologize to Game Moderator Dr. Cynic, Deputy Attorney General Rpryor (who also suffered a delay) and the Atlasian public for the inconveniences. I am the President, the buck stops here and with me, period.

Second of all, it's not the first time Griffin accuses me of having some sort of devious plot. Many of you remember the whole Tyrion/Persepolis/Otis/whatever confirmation fiasco, and I was blamed for that as well. For a whole month I have patiently waited and coped with Griffin charging this administration with inactivity, incompetence and shady dealings, just as I have tried my best not to be concerned with his stalking and other ridiculous claims like the one that had me as a Manchurian candidate. But the fact that this man currently has nothing to do in this game but complain about the job I am trying to do while he is "above politics" is what I actually find deeply disturbing.

Long story short, the bottom line here is that even if this continues until part Cent that won't make most of these allegations true nor will it affect the way this Administration is trying to work for the nation. And I appeal to the Atlasian public to carefully consider what is being said and what is being done, and ignore these feeble attempts to incite false hysteria.

Thank you for your attention,

Francis Urquhart, President and Machiavellian mastermind of Atlasia.
(According to Griffin, that is)

[Lumine]

News Flash from the White House:

The President wishes to offer his most sincere condolences to the British government over the loss of life involving the humanitarian aid plane shot down over Iraq. The situation has been analysed and a televised statement will come as soon as possible.

[Lumine]

December 6th:
An address to the nation, on ISIS (Speech)

Televised from the Oval Office:

My fellow Atlasians,

As many of you have heard in the news, tragedy has struck in the skies of Iraq. A British plane carrying humanitarian aid was shot down by ISIS/Islamic State forces firing from the ground, causing a good number of deaths. I have offered my condolences to the British government over this loss of life, and my prayers are with the families of those who gave their lives in an act of bravery, doing their very best to bring help to those who are threatened or oppressed by these totalitarian extremists.

Situations like this one are a stark reminder of the costs of war and the decisions a President has to take. I am not and I have never been a warmonger, nor I am a man who easily ignores the costs involved in acting in foreign affairs. But I am a man who believes very strongly that we as a nation have a place and a role to play in the world, and I refuse to ignore what is going on in Iraq. I will do everything I can to secure the defeat of ISIS and avoid all the suffering and the destruction that their triumph would bring to today's world. The lesson the 20th Century taught us is that totalitarianism can and must be defeated for societies to prosper, and it is time for us to take a stand against those who would bring us again into dark times.

The reason why I have been so insistent in creating a coalition is because the mistakes of 2003 must never be repeated. If we want to defeat ISIS we need to see nations joining together to do so, not just having our nation intervene without any regard for the consequences. As a result, I have ordered further strikes, air cover for allied air missions and a deployment of more intelligence and special forces operatives, but troop deployment is something that must be discussed and agreed upon with our allies, so we can all go in the same direction. I have spoken on the phone with many foreign leaders who have pledged their support and others who have expressed their doubts, but the desire to defeat ISIS is there. I can not thank these heads of government and state enough for their confidence and their willingness to participate in this broad and global effort.

We just went through a terrible conflict in which we stood close to having some individuals creating a twisted and horrible version of Atlasia, and I ask our citizens to consider how terrible it would be for Iraq, for the Middle East, and for the world to see the triumph of a totalitarian and terrorist state. We were already struck once by ISIS in this very same White House, and a victory of them would only mean that those attacks would eventually become common. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a chance to repair some of the damage we helped to create by doing things right and working with other nations to defeat ISIS. Securing peace in the Middle East is a hard and complicated task, but as the peace deal between Israel and Palestine has showed to us, even the most bloody and extended conflicts can reach a positive end.

It is up to you to consider this situation and create your own view on the subject, but I invite you to think and meditate, to craft your own speech and be open about it. The White House, the State Department and this administration as a whole has a plan and a mission, and the citizens of Atlasia must not stay in the sidelines.

Thank you very much for your attention,

LumineVonReuental, President of Atlasia.

[Lumine]

For the sake of transparency I should state that Attorney General Zuwo is acting in agreement with the administration and that all judicial matters have been discussed beforehand. We take the judicial system quite seriously, and we share the belief that we were elected to follow and enforce the laws of Atlasia, no matter how hard that may be at times.

I don't see how going after citizens is good for the game. If they are banned from voting or holding office it reduces the number of active people. I don't agree with trying to exclude citizens.

Yes, that is quite a big concern, and it's also a huge dilema from the point of view of the gameplay. Ignoring all the situations in which the rules are broken means that our judicial system continues to be mocked like with President Tyrion/Otis/Persepolis, ignoring some of these situations leads to biases and a similar outcome, and enforcing the actual rules of the game has the side effect of causing losses among our citizens.

It's not going after citizens or trying to exclude citizens, I would say that the Justice Department has decided to try enforce the rules we have (which is after all its legal and constitutional duty), and that is something I support. It's also why I haven't granted any pardons so far.

[Lumine]

December 12th:
Russia, Impeachment and Other Things:

Nyman, District of Columbia:

Russia: I spoke with President Putin a couple of days ago in the aftermath of the incident that saw the British plane being shot down over Iraq, and one of the things that I tried to emphasize is that is that fighting ISIS in the best interest of Russia. The actions of this administration have been focused on the goal of building coalitions and reaching a consensus to fight the threat of totalitarianism, and it is regrettable that President Putin has decided to use the type of incendiary language that we saw too well during the crisis in Ukraine. On related news, the State Department will start to focus on Eastern Europe as well, as recent developments have proved that we can't wait until the Iraq situation is solved. The idea of building a much closer relationship to some of the countries in the area is one that I find laudable, and so we will start working to achieve that goal.
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Impeachment: I have many flaws as a President, but I try very hard to avoid having inactivity as one of them. While I haven't been very engaged with the Senate, I have tried to remain in the public eye as best as I can while going through my college exams, which meant doing most of my business in the Atlas Fantasy Election board. I don't believe the Vice-President and I have done anything that deserves impeachment, a view that I hope is shared by the Senate and the public of Atlasia. Of course, SirNick's proposed amendment to the Constitution has my full support, and regarding Griffin I have already made my opinion of his recent moves and motives fairly clear.
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Other: I apologize for the delay on the budget, it has become fairly clear that with the time constraints and my lack of skill on the subject I will need help in this area, which I have already requested. Hopefully I will be able to introduce the 2015 in the next few days. I should also note that the rise in inflation has not gone unnoticed, and the administration will consider the steps to be taken regarding that complicated issue.

Thanks for your attention,

LumineVonReuental, President of Atlasia.

[Lumine]

December 17th:
Iraq/Syria, the Budget, and so on:

(Note: The President has decided to abandon Michael Heseltine for some time and adopt Francis Urquhart as his new image, mostly to satirize Griffin's portrayal of the administration. Plus, who doesn't like House of Cards?)

Nyman, District of Columbia:

Iraq/Syria: It is with great pleasure that I am able to comment on the most recent developments regarding the struggle against the Islamic State, since the most recent air strikes have dealt a tough blow to the enemy forces across the border between Syria and Iraq. While the loss of life is always a regrettable thing, I am confident that the efforts to the broad and global coalition will prevent further loss of life by preventing the victory of totalitarianism in the Middle East. Our mission is far from over, but moments like this encourage us to continue to do our best and prove that coalitions are indeed an excellent way to proceed against threats like this one.
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Budget: A President shouldn't be afraid of admitting what he doesn't know, and I won't shy away from that. I have spent the past weeks trying to find ways of calculating the extent of the spending spree that our nation started since the last budget has passed, and the task has proved too large for my personal knowledge on the subject. After asking for the advice of Atlasian experts and friends, I have crafted a proposal based on minor spending cuts to provide a balance with my promised spending raises in the defense sector, international affairs and the area of technology and science. I hope to work with the Senate so we can all determine the extend of the likely deficit Atlasia is facing, and I promise to do my best so we can pass a balanced budget without making the mistakes of the past.
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Other: First of all, congratulations to all the winners of the Senate election, who fought hard and challenging battles to get to Nyman. Same goes for those who didn't make it, and it is my hope that they can return or reach the Senate in the future. I am particularly pleased with White House Chief of Staff Cris's victory, and I am looking forward to working with the next Senate starting next January. In second place, arrangements have been made in case Secretary of the Interior Flo wins the IDS Emperor race, and the administration is prepared to nominate a replacement should there be a vacancy in the cabinet.

Thanks for your attention,

LumineVonReuental, President of Atlasia.

[Lumine]

Francis was my Press Secretary... But if you want to be him, that is fine.

Thanks, Superique! I was aware that you had used him during the alien crisis, but I figured that since I am only using his image instead of actually turning into Urquhart it would be a reasonable choice...

[Lumine]

December 21st:
(Not) Running for a Second Term: (Speech)

Nyman, District of Columbia:

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good day to all of you. For the past seven weeks I’ve had the privilege of serving this great nation as its President, and I have tried to do my best to provide a stable an active government that will leave our most recent crisis behind. I had my share of mistakes and my share of success, and for the nine weeks of the rest of the term I plan to continue to work hard from the White House. That said, my time in office has removed most of my fondness for ambiguity, and there’s an issue in which I want to be absolutely clear, that of the February 2014 Presidential Election. As former President Calvin Coolidge once said: I do not choose to run (for reelection).

Real life concerns brought forward by the end of my first year of college made it impossible for me to be as active as I wanted to be during the early weeks of my term, and with my second year starting on March and being significantly more complicated than the first one I simply won’t have enough time to serve as President for four more months. And, if I’m allowed to be honest with all of you, I am a bit tired after two years of being Assemblyman, Archduke, Governor, Senator, PPT and President in an almost continuous timeline. You can bet I’ll stay here, but I look forward to take a different road once the time comes.

I struggled with the thought of making this early announcement because it might turn me into a lame duck or it might start the February race too early, but to hell with that, I have a right to choose my own timing. Besides, not running for a second term does not mean I have the intention of turning into a lame duck, and I expect to leave the White House in early March with a good record behind me and my administration.

I would like to take his opportunity to thank my cabinet for their service and their friendship, and for the support they have given me so far.

Thank you very much, and stay tuned for today’s update on other events!

LumineVonReuental, President of Atlasia.

[Lumine]

December 21st:
Update on Several Issues:

Nyman, District of Columbia:

Russia and the World: We remain pleased by the progress we have made in the Middle East, and we will now give more attention into Eastern Europe, an area that has been sadly neglected in the past despite the worrying developments regarding Crimea and Ukraine. Secretary Riley is already handling certain negotiations on behalf of the administration, and we expect to significantly strengthen our ties with nations on that zone of the world like Poland, Ukraine and some of the Baltic States, to name a few. And, if everything goes right with the proposed Sanity in Foreign Policy Act we expect to be able to act on that front as well.
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Budget: Senator Polnut’s concerns are noted, and I expect to have a full version regarding income proposals by tomorrow. Of course, it should be noted that I am by no means an expert on this particular field, so once again my apologies for all the delays. I would like to be the last President who has to deal with a potential shutdown, so I will propose an amendment to include budget mechanisms into the Constitution soon enough.
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Other: I would like to thank Justice Torie for his service in the Supreme Court, and I am currently taking a look at the potential nominees to replace him. I do have a frontrunner, so either way we will have a quick appointment or a quick process of application so the Court can continue to handle the many cases brought forward by the Attorney General and the citizens of Atlasia.

Thanks for your attention,

LumineVonReuental, President of Atlasia.