I wrote earlier today about how the problem with DACA is bifurcated into the original immigration dilemma and the abuse of power by President Obama. That double problem is made even less workable by the extremists on both sides refusing to leave behind absurd notions and assumptions. Count Obama among the extremists. The former President took to Facebook to whine about his problematic executive order being rescinded, an executive order he once described as “not a permanent fix.”

First he defended his executive order on the basis of prosecutorial discretion.

We did so based on the well-established legal principle of prosecutorial discretion, deployed by Democratic and Republican presidents alike, because our immigration enforcement agencies have limited resources, and it makes sense to focus those resources on those who come illegally to this country to do us harm.

Is it really prosecutorial discretion if prosecutors are being directed by the White House on how to proceed? I’m not a lawyer but I expect that prosecutorial discretion was being used prior to this order and will continue to be used if and when it is rescinded.

Just like the reactionaries on the right, Obama paints an absurdist picture of how rescinding DACA will mean that deportations will commence. I guess he thinks prosecutors won’t exercise discretion without his official directive and imprimatur.

But today, that shadow has been cast over some of our best and brightest young people once again. To target these young people is wrong – because they have done nothing wrong. It is self-defeating – because they want to start new businesses, staff our labs, serve in our military, and otherwise contribute to the country we love. And it is cruel. What if our kid’s science teacher, or our friendly neighbor turns out to be a Dreamer? Where are we supposed to send her? To a country she doesn’t know or remember, with a language she may not even speak?

Obama is intentionally fanning the flames of ignorance here. Removing an arguably unconstitutional executive order and demanding legislation from the Congress addressing the issue is not “targeting” anyone. It’s an attempt to fix a mess Obama helped create. If anything is being targeted here it’s Obama’s ego and his delusion that he fixed the problem with his flowery words.  When he first issued DACA in 2012 he described it as a temporary fix. A stop gap measure.

“This is not amnesty. This is not immunity. This is not a path to citizenship. It’s not a permanent fix,” Obama said to take on conservative criticism of the step. “This is a temporary stopgap measure.”

Now he is acting as if it was the only thing standing in the way of mass deportations. Back to his Facebook whinging.

Ultimately, this is about basic decency. This is about whether we are a people who kick hopeful young strivers out of America, or whether we treat them the way we’d want our own kids to be treated. It’s about who we are as a people – and who we want to be.

He’s lying. Ultimately it’s about law and order. If anything is indecent it is using scare tactics like this, telling people that rescinding DACA with the intent of implementing real legislation is tantamount to kicking people out of the country. Obama remains one of the biggest and most manipulative liars to ever sit in the Oval Office.

What makes us American is our fidelity to a set of ideals – that all of us are created equal; that all of us deserve the chance to make of our lives what we will; that all of us share an obligation to stand up, speak out, and secure our most cherished values for the next generation.

That’s only partially true though. Being an American isn’t just a belief. Believing is part of it but being an American is also a legal status. You don’t become a naturalized citizen through faith alone.

If anything, Obama should be applauding the Trump administration’s move pushing Congress to legislate a permanent solution to his temporary fix. You’d think he’d be saying “Thank you.”