Joe Biden said he spends four or five hours every day with Pres. Obama. In response, Obama said hiring that Obama impersonator was the best decision he's ever made...Conan
- NBC reported today that Eric Holder did sign off on the search warrant for Fox News reporter James Rosen. This revelation is significant considering Holder denied he had any involvement in the seizures of AP's records. He made that denial to the House Judiciary Committee about a week ago. He also announced he had recused himself from the AP investigation.
- Both of these events raise serious questions especially with the announcement from the White House that Eric Holder will still investigate these scandals. Say what? Remember, this is the same guy, who when questioned by the House Committee said he couldn't remember anything.
- Just as disturbing was the announcement last week that Sarah Ingram, the woman who ran the tax-exempt office of the IRS, was promoted to run the agency's health care office. In other words, she will have oversight of ObamaCare's regulations as they relate to the IRS.
- All of these and more (e.g, the many questions remaining regarding the Fast and Furious and Benghazi scandals) oblige me to ask this question: Is the Obama administration flipping us the bird?
- One thing is certain: Pres. Obama is looking increasingly weak.
- In fact, these revelations are so disturbing even the Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin wrote a piece making the case that Eric Holder should resign.
- And then all of this leads to one of the most important questions not answered yet: Did Holder inform the White House of the Rosen warrants? Unfortunately, there are probably only two people that can answer that question: Obama and Holder.
- Holder has to go.
Remember, this weekend is not about BBQ's---
Obama Fed Grapes While Urging Press Conference To Enjoy Orgy...The Onion
- In several previous posts I wrote about how the media's fawning over Pres. Obama was a national disgrace (In fact, I got the idea to write that piece from Michael Goodwin of the NY Post when he wrote, "For more than four years, the fawning mainstream coverage of the president has been a national disgrace. The only standard was a double standard."). In another one of my posts entitled, "The Presstitute Media's Impulse Is To Shadow-Box Against The Truth," I pointed out the media's first impulse is to either blame America or conservatives. How can anyone forget Salon's David Sirota's wishful thought after the Boston bombings when he said, "Let's hope the Boston bomber is a white American." Or the resident lunatic on MSNBC, Chris Mathews, who proclaimed, "Normally, domestic terrorists, people, tend to be on the far-right." Both assertions and others were absurd.
- So now, after years of kissing the administration's ass, they are suddenly distressed when they are the target of the government. Of all publications, even the NY Times wrote this recently, "the Obama administration has moved beyond protecting government secrets to threatening fundamental freedoms of the press." Well, pigs do fly occasionally especially when someone starts shooting at them.
Obama Supporter Has Perfectly Improbable Explanation Absolving President From Blame For Scandals...The Onion Politics
- Today, after Lois Lerner, who runs the IRS's section on tax exemption, took the 5th Amendment rather than testify; I immediately recalled the film Blazing Saddles and the stinking badges quote. In short, she was not going to show the House Oversight Committee any smoking gun. Her testimony would have been important because there is one important and critical question that needs to be answered in this scandal. Namely, who directed the targeting of conservative groups and why? In addition, what role did top executives like Lerner have in this scandal? (In fact, the same question--who?---needs answering in the AP, Fox and Benghazi scandals too).
- This scandal also appears to have longer legs than the other scandals. As I wrote when the IRS scandal initially broke, the IRS touches every American. The IRS can be scary. Most people get nervous when the letter arrives in the mail with the IRS in the return address? In fact, the most recent Gallup Poll shows that 85% said the IRS story was important. On the other hand, over half of the respondents believe the IRS acted alone with only 37% believing the White House was directly involved.
- So the search for the smoking gun---if it exists---is important (If there is a smoking gun, it might be found in the minutes of the meeting Pres. Obama had with the head of the IRS union the day before the targeting of conservatives began---if we ever get our hands on the minutes of that meeting).
- Regardless of what happens, all these scandals should concern every American. If for anything--for the utter incompetence shown by all of these government agencies and representatives. Acting IRS Commission said he didn't know anything. Hillary said she didn't know anything about the attack on Benghazi. Eric Holder said he didn't know anything about the Fast + Furious scandal, although it was his Department and under his watch. And, of course, the president finds everything out from the media. Perhaps they should bring back The Know Nothing Party of the 1950's.
- As Michael Goodwin of the NY Post pointed out so well: "Leaks that make the president look strong and decisive don't lead to real investigations, even when they involve the release of classified information" He added, "The pattern is obvious: there are good leaks and bad leak---depending on whether they flatter or damage Obama."
- A word about the reporting on the Oklahoma tornadoes. No, I'm not referring to the erroneous initial reports of number of those who died. That can be understandable with the chaos and the downed communication systems. I'm referring to those who made erroneous statements about the severity of the tornado itself. We heard reports that it was the "worst tornado in history." That was repeated often. Yes, it was a severe tornado but did you know there have been almost 60 F-5 tornadoes in our recorded history? In fact, in March of 1925, there was the Tri-State tornado that lasted three and a half hours. A tornado in Hallam, Neb, in 2004 was measured at two-and-a-half miles wide. And then there was the Super Outbreak from April 4 to April 5 in 1974 for a duration of 18 hours (I remember it well) where 148 confirmed tornadoes that crossed 13 states covering 2600 miles. Seven F-5 tornadoes were confirmed that day.
- Even more disturbing than the hysterical reporting by the media was the reaction of some in the political class like Sen. Boxer and Sen. Whitehouse, both trying to blame the Oklahoma tornado on global warming. There's only one reason progressive democrats react this way after every tragedy: They exploit the tragedy to try to legislate more control over us.
"I'm waiting for Jay Carney to blame the scandals on Dennis Rodman." One of my Tweets today.
- "It turns out our 'paranoia' was nothing more than reality," said Jennifer Stefano of Americans for Prosperity. She was of course referring to the revelations last week of the IRS targeting conservative groups including the Tea Party.
- It also turns out---after the administration, Democrats and their enablers in the media tried to portray the Tea Party and those sharing their values as nuts---the Tea Party was right after all. One can no longer come to any other conclusion.
- What remains now are key questions that need to be answered in addition to the questions the administration has not answered whether referring to the targeting of the news media or Benghazi.
- For example, who actually directed the targeting of these conservative groups? Why did they target them? What role did executives play in these obvious scandals?
- We also know this yo-yo, acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller, did not answer those questions. In fact, he followed the lead of Pres. Obama and others in his administration when he answered most questions posed to him as: "I don't know." (I lost count when he uttered that statement and similar ones at 25).
- Even more revealing is what we found out just days ago. Pres. Obama's counsel, Kathryn Ruemmler, was told about the IRS targeting these groups the week of April 22, 2013. (WSJ ) Remember, Pres. Obama said he found out about the targeting last Friday in the media. So are we now to believe the president's chief counsel did not tell Pres. Obama? If that's the case, we're witnessing an administration that is not only incompetent and perhaps even corrupt but also clueless (How can the president of the United States not know of so many things going on in the country he leads from behind?).
- And the threads in all of these scandals appear to be unraveling. For example, Michael Horowitz, the Inspector General, reported yesterday that the former US Attorney for Arizona leaked information to the media to retaliate against a federal agent who helped expose the Fast and Furious gun-running operation and scandal. NY Post
- But it does not end there. Sharyl Attkisson, a CBS investigative reporter who has been doing outstanding work regarding Benghazi, said her computers were compromised. She reported that to Politico yesterday.
- By the way, yesterday another yo-yo, Dem. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, blamed the OK tornadoes on global warming. You need to know---in 1975---Newsweek blamed outbreaks of tornadoes on GLOBAL COOLING. Newsweek, April 28, 1975
I was outside for a little bit yesterday. I was sweating like Pres. Obama at a press conference...Leno.
The last joke has been seized by the Department of Justice...Leno
The Fable Every Journalist Should Become Acquainted With:
A scorpion once asked a frog to carry him across the river. But the frog was scared the scorpion would sting him on the trip and both would drown. But the frog agreed and began carrying the scorpion on his back while wading across the river. Half-way across the river, the scorpion stung the frog. When the frog asked the scorpion why he stung it, the scorpion replied it's just his nature.
Be it for me to defend the presstitute media but after hearing the news today that the feds targeted yet another reporter; it really came as no big surprise to me, nor should it come as a surprise to anyone else.
Fox News reporter, James Rosen (and two other Fox staff members), was targeted for some alleged leaks to him from State Department security advisor Stephen Kim. What's even more troubling is Rosen's personal emails were reportedly targeted as well as his phone records. This, of course, is reminiscent of what DOJ did to the Associated Press.
From what I've heard and read so far, it's not a crime for reporters to classified information with the exception of rare circumstances. In addition, the Code of Federal Regulations placed restrictions on the government from the seizure of media records. First Amendment attorney Charles Tobin told the Washington Post this is a very dangerous road for the government to go down.
Even the Huffington Post, in their piece today---"DOJ Targeting Of Fox News Reporter James Rosen Risks Criminalizing Journalism." The piece points out that Rosen was named a criminal co-conspirator by the Justice Department for simply doing his job as a reporter. Fox News VP Michael Clemente said Fox will unequivocally defend Rosen.
This story is just developing so we'll see how it unravels---if it does--in the next few days.
But regardless of what happens, it reminded me of the fable of the scorpion and the frog. In this case, the frog is the media. After five years of covering for Mr. Obama, it appears they too are getting stung. And, as even USA Today reported last week, the quest to plug leaks yields a torrent of abuse by the government. In fact, they began their opinion piece with this: "Another day, another excessive use of government power by the Obama administration."
Americans should also be concerned about these reports. It appears this administration is doing a frontal assault on the First Amendment. It's flagrant intrusion on records, phone calls (including cellphones) and emails is chilling. For example, who will want to speak to reporters now if the sources feel the phone calls and emails of the reporters are monitored by the government?
Right now, there does not appear to be any direct link to Pres. Obama that suggests he ordered these attacks on the media (including the IRS attacks on only conservative groups). But will these developments spur them to try to connect the dots? Again, only time will tell. One thing is clear: the appearance of the abuse of power stinks to high heaven. Just ask the frog.
"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.
- 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.
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