"What didn't I know and when didn't I know it." Political cartoon by Gorell about Pres. Obama
"...He is not unconnected, he is not a bystander. This is his administration. Those are executive agencies. He runs the IRS and the Justice Department...A president sets the mood, a tone...If he is arrogant, arrogance spreads. If he is too partisan, that spreads too." Peggy Noonan on the Obama administration scandals.
"...He is not unconnected, he is not a bystander. This is his administration. Those are executive agencies. He runs the IRS and the Justice Department...A president sets the mood, a tone...If he is arrogant, arrogance spreads. If he is too partisan, that spreads too." Peggy Noonan on the Obama administration scandals.
- Allow me to make an important point before I begin. While the Obama administration's--via the Justice Department---gathering the phone records of the Associated Press (AP) is certainly an excessive use of government power, the fact is the AP and many others in the media didn't express the same kind of outrage when they knew conservatives and other Americans were targeted by the government. It wasn't until they were targeted that they started whining. That's what happens when the frog asks the scorpion for a ride across the river.
- For example, where was the outrage from the presstitutes in 2009 when the government targeted returning veterans from war implying---because of their reintegration into the community---could lead to potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists. In her report entitled, "Right Wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," she wrote: "Returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to right wing extremists." And that was quite mild compared to other remarks in that report.
- Throughout the 2012 campaign, we witnessed similar attacks on pro-lifers, specific people of faith, conservative news networks, the Tea Party (recall the pejorative "tea baggers" used by Democrats and their surrogates), donors to the Romney campaign, the Catholic Church, and conservative women.
- So now, in the last year and recent weeks, we now know the intimidation and abuse of power appears to be the MO for this administration. We know the administration used the IRS to intimidate conservatives. But it's clear it was more than intimidation. It was abuse of power. Regarding the conservative groups, how can one justify the IRS requesting names of volunteers, donors (some of those donors like Frank Vandersllot, Hal Scherz and Frank Graham, son of Billy Graham, were also targeted), minutes of meetings, political affiliations, Facebook postings, and much more? One cannot. And most of this took place leading up to the 2012 election.
- Similarly with the targeting of the Associated Press by the Justice Department, we found out the phone records of their reporters were seized. But, as with the IRS, it didn't stop there. Records of office, home and cellphones of some individual reporters were also seized (this was on the grounds the AP leaked part of an investigation about a failed al-Qaeda plot. But that would be similar to the FBI eavesdropping on an entire city block of apartment buildings to find a leak from one guy living in one apartment building. It's insane and wrong and probably unconstitutional).
- And, in the last seven months, we already know about the Benghazi scandal even though many questions remain.
- So the question remains will Americans tolerate a continued fear and smear strategy from this administration? This administration needs a serious examination of conscience regarding its behavior. It certainly needs to confront its own abuse of power. Or as Michael Goodwin wrote recently, "We'll need a lot of sunshine to disinfect this rot."
