Lambs Sacrificed in Fast and Furious Scandal
The head of the ATF and a Deputy Assistant Attorney General “resigned” yesterday:
Fourteen federal law enforcement officials — from field agents in Arizona to top managers in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Justice Department in Washington — created a “significant danger to public safety” under Operation Fast and Furious, an investigative report found.
Those officials still employed were referred for possible job discipline for carrying out the gun-trafficking operation that saturated the Southwest border with more than 2,000 illegally purchased firearms.
Less than an hour after the findings were announced Wednesday by the Justice Department inspector general’s office, two of the individuals — Kenneth Melson, the former head of the ATF, and Deputy Assistant Atty. Gen. Jacob Weinstein — announced they were stepping down.
The 18-month investigation, the only independent review of Fast and Furious, concluded that Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. had no prior knowledge of operation, a position he has long held despite intense criticism from Republican lawmakers who earlier voted him in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over some Justice Department documents regarding Fast and Furious.
I thought nobody in the Attorney General’s office knew anything. And it didn’t involve gunwalking. And Holder didn’t know about it until just before a hearing, even though he did.
Oh, well. The lambs are sacrificed. Move on dot org. Nothing to see here.
The last deputy assistant attorney general to hit the news was John Yoo.
Will the media devote equal interest in this new guy?
Dumb question.
AZ Bob (1c9631) — 9/20/2012 @ 8:03 amSince this is a blog with a lot of lawyers, we like precedent, don’t we?
Isn’t there precedent for unpopular, ie really independent, IG’s to get fired by this administration?
Nothing personal, just historical precedent.
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 9/20/2012 @ 8:04 amThere is enough evidence to impeach Holder already in the possession of the House.
SPQR (26be8b) — 9/20/2012 @ 8:09 amGood thing Holder was able to review and edit that IG report before it came out to make sure it arrived at the correct conclusion. True independence right there if he was actually to make changes.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 9/20/2012 @ 8:28 am“Gentlemen, swords pointy side up, and — wait for it — fall FORWARD!”
Icy (981d7a) — 9/20/2012 @ 8:44 amWhat other result was anyone expecting.
AD-Restore the Republic/Obama Sucks! (b8ab92) — 9/20/2012 @ 9:08 amThose that embarrass Dear Leader (and his inner circle) have to be cast adrift.
The question is:
What does it take to initiate a clean-out of the “politburo”?
And, Yes, I think that Dear Leader is capable of having a “Long Knives” moment.
Greetings:
Quoting: “the only independent review of Fast and Furious”.
Independent ??? Really ???
11B40 (fc95f1) — 9/20/2012 @ 9:24 ambaa baa dark color sheep
pdbuttons (eacc89) — 9/20/2012 @ 9:29 amhave u any wool?
The next administration will have to have a very close look at this.
Milhouse (15b6fd) — 9/20/2012 @ 9:31 amcheck your gag reflex
and with His stripes we are healed
inshallah Babu
https://store.barackobama.com/obama-2012-store-collections/artists-for-obama/our-stripes-flag-print.html
Colonel Haiku (7f832f) — 9/20/2012 @ 9:39 amThey will probably say ‘we’re moving forward instead of looking back’.
I hope not.
Dustin (73fead) — 9/20/2012 @ 9:43 am“In April 2009 Barack Obama traveled to Mexico and blamed US gun sellers for “This war being waged with guns purchased not here but in the United States.” Just to be sure, a few months later the Obama Administration started running their own guns to Mexico, at least 2,000.”–Gateway Pundit
They knew exactly what was going on; they made it happen. And, wee lil Barry and his henchmen ought to be locked up in prison (at least). Although I’d say it’s pretty unlikely they’re going to imprison themselves.
“The 18-month investigation, the only independent review…”
Independent??? Hardy har har. Not even liberal LAT readers are dumb enough to believe that one.
Dave Surls (46b08c) — 9/20/2012 @ 9:51 amhttp://www.mainjustice.com/2012/09/19/mukasey-wasnt-briefed-on-gun-walking-ig-report-concludes/
“George W. Bush administration Attorney General Michael Mukasey was not briefed on “gun-walking” tactics used in Operation Wide Receiver, a predecessor to the controversial Operation Fast and Furious, a Department of Justice Inspector General report has found.”
Dang
sleeeepy (b5f718) — 9/20/2012 @ 10:08 amAnd recall, Yoo was in the dock, among other things for correctly interpreting EU court decisions, in order to have enough leeway to make it safe.
Instead we have Bizarro Justice Department, arming cartels, dragging filmmakers in the middle of the night, maybe with Lex Luthor as Atty Gen
narciso (ee31f1) — 9/20/2012 @ 10:08 amMelson was earlier tagged for execution but arrogantly refused to go file alone to slaughter.
Unless they present the head of Eric I will not dance.
gary gulrud (dd7d4e) — 9/20/2012 @ 10:10 amShorter sleeeeeeerpy – Bush! Squirrel!
Care to explain the differences, clown?
JD (dbb735) — 9/20/2012 @ 10:15 amThe fact, that they atleast tried tracked the weapons, with RFID’s suggest it was more well
narciso (ee31f1) — 9/20/2012 @ 10:26 amthought out.
sleepy,
Operation Fast and Furious armed drug lords without any attempt to track or recover the weapons, and without cooperation with the country this operation occurred in.
It is not similar to the Bush admin’s more reasonable operation.
An attempt to conflate the two is dishonest hackery.
Was it under the radar creation of evidence to support gun control? Was it some kind of proxy war to rebalance cartels? we can’t know because the DOJ has stonewalled oversight.
Dustin (73fead) — 9/20/2012 @ 10:27 amThey will probably say ‘we’re moving forward instead of looking back’.
“Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.”
AD-Restore the Republic/Obama Sucks! (b8ab92) — 9/20/2012 @ 10:28 amObama surrogates never lie. Just ask Jay Carney; he’ll tell you.
Icy (981d7a) — 9/20/2012 @ 10:29 am“Operation Wide Receiver involved several failed attempts at coordinating with Mexican law enforcement in the apprehension of suspected arms traffickers, with Mexican authorities in one instance saying they didn’t see the vehicle cross the border.[32] Details of Operation Fast and Furious were not shared with Mexican government officials and they were deliberately kept out of the loop after related firearms began to be found at crime scenes and in criminal arsenals in 2010. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico and ATF office in Mexico were also kept in the dark. According to Attorney General Morales, the Mexican government was told about the undercover program in January 2011, but they were not provided details at the time.”
Until Obama took office they were trying to catch arms smugglers, after he took office they were trying NOT to catch them.
What a coincidence.
And, everyone knows why. Obama and his people wanted people to get killed by arms smuggled into Mexico so they’d have an excuse to shut down private arms manufacturing and sales here in the USA.
This should be a major campaign issue, btw
Dave Surls (46b08c) — 9/20/2012 @ 10:31 amBy the by, TPaw has quit the Romney campaign.
Icy (981d7a) — 9/20/2012 @ 10:37 am‘Senator Charles E. Grassley (IA) initiated an investigation with a letter to ATF on 27 January 2011,[42] and again on 31 January 2011. ATF responded through the Department of Justice by denying all allegations.[43] Senator Grassley responded with specific documentation supporting the allegations in letters to U.S. Attorney General Holder on 9 February 2011[44] and 16 February 2011.[45] ATF refused to answer specific questions in a formal briefing to Senator Grassley on 10 February 2011.’
‘In October 2011, documents were released that indicated Holder was sent memos in regards to Operation Fast and Furious in 2010,[46] contradicting Holder’s sworn testimony before the House Judiciary Committee in which he said he was unaware of Operation Fast and Furious until April 2011.[47] In response, Lamar Smith, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to President Obama, requesting the appointment of an independent special counsel to investigate whether Holder committed perjury by lying to the committee while under oath.’–Wikipedia
Holder knew what was going on…and so did his boss (see Obambi’s speech in Mexico in April 2009).
“The 18-month investigation, the only independent review of Fast and Furious, concluded that Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. had no prior knowledge of operation…”-The Los Angeles Obamatimes
LOL. An independent investigation of Obama’s DOJ…carried out by Obama’s DOJ. There isn’t any lie too big for a liberal to tell.
Dave Surls (46b08c) — 9/20/2012 @ 10:37 amBy the by, TPaw has quit the Romney campaign.
And the down-side is….
AD-Restore the Republic/Obama Sucks! (b8ab92) — 9/20/2012 @ 10:39 amThere isn’t any lie too big for a liberal to tell.
Which is why Jay Carney has a job.
AD-Restore the Republic/Obama Sucks! (b8ab92) — 9/20/2012 @ 10:40 am“significant danger to public safety…”
Dudes. People died. I’m no lawyer, but if you create a danger, and then people die, it’s really not just a “danger.”
Thousands of guns in the hands of criminals are not just dangerous. Show me someone who will get indictments!
ukuleledave (c59551) — 9/20/2012 @ 10:53 amAnd do not forget that Holder is still in contempt of Congress for refusing to release docs on this matter.
SPQR (6f30cb) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:01 amWhich is interpreted by cynics as “let’s not investigate past administrations, lest our successors investigate us”, which feeds the cynical and utterly false meme that “they all do it”, and “they’re all the same”. No, they don’t “all do it”. Democrats are corrupt as a general rule, with a few honourable exceptions. Republicans are honest as a general rule, with a few shameful exceptions, whose detection and prosecution Republicans support.
Milhouse (15b6fd) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:08 amYes I know any comparisons to Nazi Germany are bound to be flawed, but…
one common question has always been how much did the German people know, for that matter, how much did allied governments and public know
It is a bit easier to conceive in one way. I bet a good percentage of people will not believe the evidence of just how bad and corrupt Obama and Holder and company are, even if trials were live on TV with a blog site willing to explain technical matters for those following along and confused.
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:14 am“Democrats are corrupt as a general rule, with a few honourable exceptions. Republicans are honest as a general rule, with a few shameful exceptions, whose detection and prosecution Republicans support.”
LOLOLOL! Thanks for letting us peer inside the bubble that you live in, Milhouse.
P. Tillman (fcbc8b) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:15 am“..in contempt of Congress ”
In contempt of the car alarm salesman you mean..and for good reason.
P. Tillman (fcbc8b) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:16 amDemocrats are corrupt as a general rule, with a few honourable exceptions. Republicans are honest as a general rule, with a few shameful exceptions, whose detection and prosecution Republicans support.
Comment by Milhouse — 9/20/2012 @ 11:08 am
I think there is good reason for this. Dems are primarily “outcome focused”, they think they can make things closer to a fair utopia on earth, and hence whatever it takes to get there is OK. (A version of utilitarianism).
Conservatives are more oriented towards thinking of basic principles that guide our actions, with a belief that right living will end up taking us in the right direction, insofar as possible on this very fallible Earth. Hence, behaving correctly is the prime concern, not intentions.
Unfortunately in the PR wars, the Dems/Libs can point out “hypocrisy” and make an issue of it, the Dems/Libs have no “hypocrisy” unless you can prove their outcomes are bad (which means predicting the future, past doesn’t count) or prove their intentions are evil in being selfish rather than for the good of others. That is hard to prove, short of a tape that says, “Boy, we really f’ed them over this time! (In reference to the American people, not their political enemies).
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:23 amOne other thing happened that I suppose ought to be mentioned –
People died.
Amphipolis (d3e04f) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:23 amIt’s far simpler than that: The Democratic Party is committed to theft as a matter of principle, and once you accept that it’s OK to steal for the public benefit, it’s hard to explain to yourself why it’s not OK to steal for your own benefit instead.
Milhouse (15b6fd) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:26 am“The Democratic Party is committed to theft as a matter of principle, ”
You mean like the allocation of tax dollars to a war that was not necessary and was deceptively sold to the American people?
I’d like my money back Republicans.
P. Tillman (fcbc8b) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:32 amIn contempt of the car alarm salesman you mean..and for good reason.
Liberal denigrating a “public servant” who actually has a background in private enterprise and did very well for himself? Check. I assume that P. Tillman prefers “public servants” like Holder who get rich pulling the levers of power in Washington.
JVW (edec8d) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:40 amOh, Good Grief!! (re #35)
https://patterico.com/2012/09/19/obama-i-dont-call-my-political-opponents-unpatriotic-what-video/#comment-1060743
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:42 amThese are Obama’s wars now. And he’s added several new campaigns. It’s interesting how these wars become evil if a Republican is responsible.
Dustin (73fead) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:46 am“You mean like the allocation of tax dollars to a war that was not necessary and was deceptively sold to the American people?”
PT – You mean the Democrats who voted for it want a do over?
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:47 am“You mean like the allocation of tax dollars to a war that was not necessary and was deceptively sold to the American people?”
PT – I don’t feel deceived about anything.
What were you deceived about.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:49 amThe democrats were fooled by all those lies from Al Gore and John Kerry and Bill Clinton about Saddam’s WMDs. Yeah, we found WMDs, but the talking point is that we didn’t and that Bush fooled everyone… especially those who were saying this stuff years before Bush was President. Yeah, the Syria-has-some-of-them claim is looking pretty good lately, but please forget that too.
Dustin (73fead) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:50 amWhat war was unnecessary? Oh, you must mean Clinton’s war on Serbia, or maybe 0bama’s war on Gadaffi’s forces in Libya. And what deception? Which of these 5 points, or these 23, was deceptive?
Milhouse (15b6fd) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:55 amMilhouse, Obama did not bother to “sell” the Libyan op to the public, nor even Congress.
SPQR (6f30cb) — 9/20/2012 @ 12:00 pmI prefer car alarm salesmen to mobbed-up lawyers like the Democrats Majority Leader.
SPQR (6f30cb) — 9/20/2012 @ 12:03 pmSPQR, I didn’t say he did. I said that it was unnecessary. That it was also beyond his powers is a bonus.
Milhouse (15b6fd) — 9/20/2012 @ 12:03 pmCar alarm salesmen create value. Democrats don’t.
Milhouse (15b6fd) — 9/20/2012 @ 12:04 pmMilhouse, I was reinforcing your point.
SPQR (6f30cb) — 9/20/2012 @ 12:11 pmAs this thread and the one about Obama’s “seminar” clearly demonstrate, there is no lefty talking point too stupid, too extreme, too hackneyed and too egregiously dishonest for our friends sleeeepy, geek, and Tillman to post online.
elissa (549857) — 9/20/2012 @ 12:25 pmGot it, thank you.
Milhouse (15b6fd) — 9/20/2012 @ 12:34 pm“It is not similar to the Bush admin’s more reasonable operation.
An attempt to conflate the two is dishonest hackery.”
Dustin, you dishonest hack.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/the-guns-that-got-away-11172011.html
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/01/emails_refute_republican_suggestion_that_bush-era_gun_walking_was_coordinated_with_mexico.php
sleeeepy (b5f718) — 9/20/2012 @ 12:40 pm“What war was unnecessary? Oh, you must mean Clinton’s war on Serbia, or maybe 0bama’s war on Gadaffi’s forces in Libya.”
Agree on the first (none of our business). Not on the second. K-Daffy’s regime murdered Americans, and we should have wiped it (and him) off the planet, decades before we actually did.
Obama & co. completely screwed up the prosection of the war against K-Daffy’s regime, but smashing it was the right thing to do.
Dave Surls (46b08c) — 9/20/2012 @ 12:44 pmAnd they wait till a report is issued to fire anybody? Like that’s the first they heard of it? And everybody involved in equal and treated equally?
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 9/20/2012 @ 12:46 pmsleepy, that spin from the DOJ has long been debunked.
SPQR (6f30cb) — 9/20/2012 @ 12:47 pmSPQR – did you expect anything else from sleeeeerpy?
JD (dbb735) — 9/20/2012 @ 12:53 pmMore dishonesty from sleeeepy. Link to TPM does not even pick up correct wording of TPM headline. SHOCKA!!!!
Was Operation Wide Receiver coordinated with Mexico. Yes.
Did people claim it was always coordinated with Mexico? Show me the quotes.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 9/20/2012 @ 12:58 pmI tend to agree, Dave.
How?
From YOUR link:
Why are you posting links and suggesting they support your position, when all I have to do is read them to see that they support mine?
From your other link.
So it appears things got out of control around this time. What changed in 2009? Gee, let’s scratch our heads.
That’s according to the Obama administration. They say their own operation was different and flawed and executed stupidly. There is no controversy about this, except to hacks.
Your best effort to cherry pick has wound up proving you completely wrong.
Dustin (73fead) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:02 pmCross posted with Daleyrocks, but yes, that’s what I saw too. Sleepy calls someone a hack by posting links he probably never read. All to blindly support Obama (because he is a hack).
Dustin (73fead) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:04 pmComment by Dustin — 9/20/2012 @ 11:50 am
The democrats were fooled by all those lies from Al Gore and John Kerry and Bill Clinton about Saddam’s WMDs. Yeah, we found WMDs,
We found parts. What wasn’t found was stockpiles of chemical weapons. It looks like Saddam got rid of them before the war, possibly ion the advice of subordinates who didn’t want to be exsecuited after they were used, or who told him some accidents had hapepned to it or something – we still don’t know why they weren’t there.
I think it is clear though that Saddam wanted Bush and Rumsfeld to think they were there. He thought he could avoid war that way. Yes, avoid war. While getting rid of them AND LETTING BUSH KNOW would precipitate a war.
Saddam reasoned, or his advisers sold on him on, the following:
1) Bush really wasn’t interested in going to war against Iraq because of the WMDs so letting Bush know he was getting rid of them wouldn’t help him. No, Bush wanted to invade Iraq to correct a mistake by his father in 1991, or bnecause Saddam had had a plot to kill his father in 1993, or because he just hated him and other evil dictators.
So long as Bush thought Saddam had chemical weapons, U.S. soldiers would have to wear chemical weapon gear. So long as they wore such gear the invasion could not take place after the beginning of April, it would be too hot. IT WAS IMPORTANT TO GET BUSH TO WAIT TILL THE LAST MOMENT.
So he had to play along with inspectors and make sure the inspectors didn’t find them. If they found them the war might start sooner.
How to make sure the insopectors found nothing?
Well, if Saddam he actually got rid of the weapons, they couldn’t be found!!
And Saddam could delay the war and maybe break up the coalition.
So the thing was to get rid of the weapons but make Bush think he still had them.
Bush would get ready to invade in late March. But Saddam knew the invasion plan included troops coming from Turkey. Saddam had some members of the Turkish Palrliament in his pocket – and then suddenlky right near the deadline, Turkey withdrew its permission. This, Saddam thought would cause Bush to abandon his attack plan, and since he couldn’t invade again till October or November Bush would cancel the invasion because he couldn’t keep the U.S. troops there all summer. Since WMDs weren’t his real reason, when Bush saw it was hard or too expensive he would probably abandon the war. That was probably Saddam’s plan. Even if Bush planned to do it in the fall of 2003, there’d be time to think of something else.
Saddam’s plan failed.
Turkey double crossed the U.S. as Saddam had known would happen, but Bush went ahead anyway!
Turns out the Turkish participation wasn’t really that important anyway. It wasn’t really needed.
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:05 pmWe found stockpiles of liquid sulfur (blister agent). We separately found a cache of chemical weapons in Fallujah.
Of course. That’s what terrorists do. Saddam has backed up his claims of having such weapons by using them on civilians and stockpiling them. We also found enormous amounts of yellow cake in Iraq. He certainly didn’t abandon a nuclear program.
I think he shipped a lot of this stuff to Syria, but I also think most of his weapons, WMD and otherwise, are poor quality and poorly maintained.
Dustin (73fead) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:15 pm“Lambs Sacrificed…”
Yup. Tossing low level guys to the wolves to try and protect the people who are actually responsible.
The usual.
Dave Surls (46b08c) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:22 pmTwenty tons of WMD were captured in an attack on the rulers of Jordan several months later; caught shortly after it came over the border from Syria.
luagha (5cbe06) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:25 pm“You mean like the allocation of tax dollars to a war that was not necessary and was deceptively sold to the American people?”
Translation:
B-b-b-ut I don’t WANT to face facts about Fast and Furious!’
Look over there…a nest of Baathist squirrels unjustly squashed by that mean old Bush!!!!!!
Dave Surls (46b08c) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:25 pmThat does seem to be the point. Change the subject. Put them on defense for Bush, and that way Obama doesn’t have to defend his failed record.
Dustin (73fead) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:27 pmSorry, I forgot to mention that the Baathist squirrels were peacefully flying kites when the evil Bush-monster ruthlessly surprise attacked them, thereby starting a war with a country we’d been bombing for years.
Dave Surls (46b08c) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:28 pm“That does seem to be the point. Change the subject. Put them on defense for Bush, and that way Obama doesn’t have to defend his failed record.”
Brother, you hit the proverbial nail right betwixt the eyes.
Dave Surls (46b08c) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:29 pmThey released the “independent report” and fired the peeps because they want this to be over. But do you really believe this is over? Contempt of congress for Holder, civil suits by victims’ families on both sides of border? And there will certainly be more killings from untraced guns. Even should Obama be re-elected I think (hope) Holder has proved what a liability he is and will not be AG in a new term.
I’m out and about. Does anybody know–has Sheryl Atkisson (sp) the lone newsie who ever seemed to care about F&F had anything to say about the report and firings?
elissa (549857) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:35 pmFor Elissa.
Dustin (73fead) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:40 pmFrom the beginning of 2006 to to Sept 2007 there’s no record of coordination with the Mexicans.
“Later previously disclosed documents — from September 2007, well into the investigation that started in early 2006 — show that ATF officials were coordinating with Mexican authorities but they were unsuccessful in intercepting traffickers crossing the border and allowed weapons to flow into Mexico. Attorney General Eric Holder acknowledged that officials worked with Mexican officials during Operation Wide Receiver.
By late 2008, the Arizona Assistant U.S. Attorney assigned to the case was expressing concerns with the tactics used, saying it “is wrong for us to allow hundreds of guns to go into Mexico to drug people knowing that is where they are going.”
An email from an unknown ATF official in August 2009 — just before officials in the Gang Unit at Justice Department headquarters in D.C. took over the case — indicates that a federal prosecutor on the case was “pushing back [with] moral dilemma [with] the [government] allowing the targets to traffic 300+ firearms to Mexico.”
Republican who have been pursing Fast and Furious said the documents don’t change their view of the matter.”
sleeeepy (b5f718) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:46 pm“Yeah, we found WMDs,”
No we did not.
The war was a total waste.
sleeeepy (b5f718) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:49 pmsleeepy, your spin blew up in your face. Again.
You really should ask yourself why your source of talking points is always wrong. And quit looking like a dishonest troll.
Or dont.
SPQR (6f30cb) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:52 pm“The war was a total waste.”
Translation (from leftoidese):
Hush about that Fast and Furious stuff…I’m on a squirrel hunt!!!
Dave Surls (46b08c) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:55 pmSleepy, you didn’t respond to my proving you were lying in #56.
You just moved on to a different troll.
I’m so surprised you aren’t interested in an honest discussion!
Dustin (73fead) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:57 pmDustin–thanks for the link to Atkisson.
The report says Holder was in essence let down by his deputies. Although he received numerous briefings on Fast and Furious, they didn’t specifically mention gunwalking and Holder said doesn’t recall reading them anyway.
I do believe I detect a bit of a linguistic eyeroll from Ms. Atkisson in her final paragraph.
elissa (549857) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:58 pmhttp://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-september-19-2012/chaos-on-bulls–t-mountain
Jon Stewart is good.
SPQR, please, I’m sorry for you. I really am.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/21/iraq-wmd-poll-clueless-vast-majority-republicans_n_1616012.html
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/harrisburg_politics/Metcalfe-says-lazy-people-dont-deserve-to-vote.html
Repub State Rep:
“I don’t believe any legitimate voter that actually wants to exercise that right and takes on the according responsiblity that goes with that right to secure their photo ID will be disenfranchised. As Mitt Romney said, 47% of the people that are living off the public dole, living off their neighbors’ hard work, and we have a lot of people out there that are too lazy to get up and get out there and get the ID they need. If individuals are too lazy, the state can’t fix that.”
By all means, let’s disenfranchise the republican base.
sleeeepy (b5f718) — 9/20/2012 @ 1:59 pmYeah, that is amusing to read that way.
It makes the overall investigation look disingenuous, too.
Dustin (73fead) — 9/20/2012 @ 2:00 pm“So it appears things got out of control around this time. What changed in 2009? Gee, let’s scratch our heads.”
It was never in control. A year and a half without coordination. They never recovered those guns. And then it got even worse.
sleeeepy (b5f718) — 9/20/2012 @ 2:01 pmUh huh.
but the claims I made about tracking and coordination with Mexico… the claims you pretended your links refuted… those claims are actually supported by your links.
Hack.
Dustin (73fead) — 9/20/2012 @ 2:03 pmComment by Dustin — 9/20/2012 @ 11:50 am
That idiot frat-boy was one smart feller, wasn’t he.
AD-Restore the Republic/Obama Sucks! (b8ab92) — 9/20/2012 @ 2:03 pmSQUIRRELS
JD (dbb735) — 9/20/2012 @ 2:04 pmsleeepy, you feel sorry for me that I don’t share your booze and pot soaked delusions? Yeah, that’s sad.
SPQR (6f30cb) — 9/20/2012 @ 2:07 pmIt would be so refreshing if The Comatose One (hereafter referred to as TCO) would deign to read the crap he links to; but then, reading comprehension has never been one of his demonstrated strong suits.
AD-Restore the Republic/Obama Sucks! (b8ab92) — 9/20/2012 @ 2:08 pm“I only regret, that I have but one career to lose for my President.”
Space Cockroach (8096f2) — 9/20/2012 @ 2:39 pm— Nathan Hale Melson
“Jon Stewart is good.”
Translation:
Hey, guys! I’m not kidding, there really are squirrels. Millions of them. Everywhere. Honest injun.
Dave Surls (46b08c) — 9/20/2012 @ 2:42 pm‘Repub State Rep: “I don’t believe any legitimate voter that actually wants to exercise that right [blah, blah]’–sleeeeeeeeepy
Translation:
Squirrels…big ones…with teeth like razors.
Dave Surls (46b08c) — 9/20/2012 @ 2:49 pmgrey ones and brown ones and flying ones…
elissa (549857) — 9/20/2012 @ 2:57 pmnobody loves a recent y released state prison farm baby with a flat head ..no luggage..no memories..just trudging al9ong..veering left cuz his big flat head brain got left fluid..kicking pebbles thinking about crime..it shouldn’t be a crime..to think about crime? right..puddnhead aw shucks.. thinkin ’bout..aw shucks ..i ai8n’t thinking!
pdbuttons (da480e) — 9/20/2012 @ 3:50 pmOr they never existed in the first place, because all the money Saddam thought he was spending on them was going into various people’s Swiss bank accounts instead, and they were building empty shells.
Though we did in fact find several stockpiles of the components of binary weapons, ready to be mixed on demand. And plenty of equipment that could have had a legitimate use, but was in fact used for weapons development. For instance, nobody seriously believes that Saddam was investing heavily in weather balloons, even if it can’t be absolutely proven that he wasn’t.
Milhouse (15b6fd) — 9/20/2012 @ 3:50 pmHow do you reckon? If nothing else, Saddam Hussein is no longer funding international terrorism, and his sons are no longer feeding people into plastic shredders. That’s got to be a win.
Milhouse (15b6fd) — 9/20/2012 @ 3:54 pmThat sounds right. What’s your objection to this?
Milhouse (15b6fd) — 9/20/2012 @ 3:59 pmsleeeepy,
You’ve had a particularly passionate reaction to Romney’s remarks which were taped last May.
Elephant Stone (65d289) — 9/20/2012 @ 4:08 pmDo you perceive that your entitlements may be potentially compromised if Obama is not re-elected ?
If this report is true,
Why can Obama Exert Executive Privilege?
If Obama and Holder were not involved, why does he get to exert privilege?
rd (413de7) — 9/20/2012 @ 4:10 pm“87.What wasn’t found was stockpiles of chemical weapons. It looks like Saddam got rid of them before the war, possibly on the advice of subordinates who didn’t want to be executed after they were used, or who told him some accidents had hapepned to it or something – we still don’t know why they weren’t there.
Comment by Milhouse — 9/20/2012 @ 3:50 pm
Or they never existed in the first place, because all the money Saddam thought he was spending on them was going into various people’s Swiss bank accounts instead, and they were building empty shells.
It’s partly possible maybe. The statistics about the quantity come from what Saddam’s sons in law said around 1995 when they defected. Later Saddam lured them back by oromising forgiveness and they were killed outside of prison.
But he had them at one point. He used them in the late 1980s against the Kurds. as the UN person said, that;s not marmolade. There has to be some explanation of what happened to it.
I could also believe maybe the stockpile was corruptly sold between 1991 and 2003.
Though we did in fact find several stockpiles of the components of binary weapons, ready to be mixed on demand. And plenty of equipment that could have had a legitimate use, but was in fact used for weapons development. For instance, nobody seriously believes that Saddam was investing heavily in weather balloons, even if it can’t be absolutely proven that he wasn’t.
That was for reconnassance. He had a nuclear program. Everythinbg was burioed and he was afraid to even begin resuming it because of the no fly zone and the bombings of anything on a contraband list.
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 9/20/2012 @ 4:27 pmrd’s question wins the thread.
It should be its own post.
Dustin (73fead) — 9/20/2012 @ 4:28 pm“I don’t believe any legitimate voter that actually wants to exercise that right and takes on the according responsiblity that goes with that right to secure their photo ID will be disenfranchised.”
But anyone who owns and drives a car or is in some other way very active in commercial life, doesn’t have to do anything.
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 9/20/2012 @ 4:32 pmThe Pennsylvania law is on hold because the state, as a practical matter, is not making it as easy for someone who does not now have state ID in Pennsylvania to get it as they said they would.
Some judges would suspend it now, and some will wait till it gets closer to the November election.
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 9/20/2012 @ 4:33 pmWait a minute, the LA Times calls it an independent probe. It is a probe alright.
AZ Bob (7d2a2c) — 9/20/2012 @ 4:37 pmThe LA Times is full of crap as usual. And brings no attention to the amount of noncooperation the IG got.
With all this whitewash, Holder is barely able to keep OF&F off his lap.
SPQR (6f30cb) — 9/20/2012 @ 5:46 pmhttp://www.theblogmocracy.com/2012/09/20/an-open-letter-to-mitt-romney-and-his-campaign/#co_1080745
Richard Dawkins blows up islam
scable (e942a6) — 9/20/2012 @ 5:54 pmDon’t know if anyone had seen this…
“The Los Angeles Times, like most major media outlets, covered the leak of a video in which Mitt Romney speaks candidly to supporters about his beliefs regarding the economy and the Middle East peace process.
The video has thrown the Romney campaign off-track and undercut Romney’s outreach to the elderly and the struggling middle class. Journalists and editorialists have reacted almost with glee as they construct an unflattering image of the “real Mitt Romney.”
While the Los Angeles Times should not be faulted for covering what has become a national story, the juxtaposition of its Romney video coverage with its refusal to release an equally embarrassing video of Barack Obama feting former PLO Beirut spokesman and University of Chicago historian Rashid Khalidi is telling. In the video taken at a goodbye party as his friend departed for a new post at Columbia University, Obama reportedly talked perhaps too candidly about his views of the Middle East. That the Los Angeles Times refuses to release the video shows complete and utter hypocrisy…”
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2012/09/20/hey-la-times-wheres-the-obama-video/
Colonel Haiku (7f832f) — 9/20/2012 @ 5:54 pm93. Second.
gary gulrud (dd7d4e) — 9/20/2012 @ 5:58 pmGood find, Colonel.
The Lost Angeles Times says there’s “nothing to see” on the video, and for that reason, they’re not going to show it to us.
Elephant Stone (65d289) — 9/20/2012 @ 7:06 pmIt’s the, “Officer, no, I’m definitely not hiding anything in the glove box—but you can’t look !” defense.
E.S.–Our professional media. It is to laugh.
elissa (549857) — 9/20/2012 @ 7:19 pmYeah, they’re paid professionals—yet will always retain amateur status, as far I’m concerned !
Elephant Stone (65d289) — 9/20/2012 @ 7:34 pmWe know there’s somethin’ juicy on that video. It shows you how uniform left wing they all are over at Spring Street, that nobody in the building has snuck down into the vault to make a copy of it.
Where’s our “Fletch” or “Jim Rockford” to put on an elevator repairman’s jumpsuit in disguise and go get it !
great link, Haiku.
I hope Patterico makes a post out of it.
Dustin (73fead) — 9/20/2012 @ 7:38 pmBreitbart.com is now offering a $100K reward for the Khalidi tape.
Elephant Stone (65d289) — 9/20/2012 @ 8:32 pmi love happy feet!
pdbuttons (da480e) — 9/20/2012 @ 9:38 pmhappyfeet is awesome pawsome
pdbuttons (da480e) — 9/20/2012 @ 9:38 pmi’m kinga gling glang mad at..feets.. but..
pdbuttons (da480e) — 9/20/2012 @ 9:41 pmI love that ..happyfeet[
happyfeet
happyfeet
happyfeet
pdbuttons (da480e) — 9/20/2012 @ 9:45 pmkraftwerk
happyfeet
brian eno
happyfeet
hank williams sr
orchesty ral manoueveres in the dark
smiths
my penis is dry
touchdown!
apple fritter
everly brothers
dogmatics
i will stop
niggers
Let the suits for contributing to the deaths of Terry and Zapata proceed.
AD-Restore the Republic/Obama Sucks! (2bb434) — 9/20/2012 @ 9:49 pmI wouldn’t be surprised if there will be suits filed on behalf of the estates of victims in Mexico.
Bring it on!
im listenign to the kinks but..i can’t helping thinking about ..
happyfeet..
is he/she ray davies..david bowie..keith richards..
who is..
is guy shy kubrick hitchcock? capra..cary grant
who is happyfeet?
pdbuttons (da480e) — 9/20/2012 @ 10:05 pmshakespeares said .. like.. stuff
and ..happyfeet said stuff
Can’t pdbuttons be put in the spam filter?
nk (875f57) — 9/20/2012 @ 10:14 pmIf Obama and Holder were not involved, why does he get to exert privilege?
Comment by rd — 9/20/2012 @ 4:10 pm
— Because, if the documents show that Holder was not involved, then they will serve as proof of his incompetence.
“AG Holder, do these documents prove that you know something?”
Icy (ef28b1) — 9/20/2012 @ 10:52 pm“No sir; in fact, they prove that I know nothing.”
But executive privilege only applies if 0bama was involved. If it never reached him, as the IG report claims, then, as rd asks, how can there be any privilege?
Milhouse (15b6fd) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:16 pmToday’s headline:
President Barack Obama said Thursday that extremists used an anti-Islam video as an excuse to assault U.S. interests overseas
— Gee, some of us were saying this NINE DAYS AGO, on the day the events unfolded.
Icy (ef28b1) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:20 pmBut executive privilege only applies if 0bama was involved.
— It isn’t called Chief-Executive Privilege!
Icy (ef28b1) — 9/20/2012 @ 11:32 pmNo doubt they keep their pensions.
the friendly grizzly (4f6b89) — 9/21/2012 @ 4:06 amPatrick-I have worked in many organizations over the last 33 years (large and small) dealing with finance, legal, and accounting departments in middle and senior management. The flow of information never stopped on the way up. Never. Important decisions were almost never made by mid-level or even senior management without input or without direction by CEO, CFO, and Chief Counsel. Organizations do not operate the way cited in the AG report. It defies belief and logic that any of this went on without the express direction of Holder at the very least, and Obama as well.
Michael Schab (e69bf2) — 9/21/2012 @ 5:00 amQ: “Who will be held accountable?” asked Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the committee.
A: No one of any significance.
Funny. Bush is personally responsible for Abu Ghirab, which harmed no one.
But Fast And Furious, which killed at least one man…? “No one higher up had anything to do with it…”
The failure of the State Department to have at least a half-dozen of well-armed and armored Marines on site at US Embassies in dangerous nations to have US Embassies in — under direct orders from Hillary herself? Nawwww, that’s just an error in judgement.
Nothing to see here. Move on, Move on….
The insane degree of bias in modern “reporting” while claiming there is none is just preposterous.
“He walked back previous testimony”
This would be called “LYING” if it were said by a Republican.
Smock Puppet, 10th Dan Snark Master (8e2a3d) — 9/21/2012 @ 5:27 amThis case will continue to roll well past Jan. 20.
gary gulrud (dd7d4e) — 9/21/2012 @ 6:38 amWhat, you expected maybe probity from this crew?
Space Cockroach (8096f2) — 9/21/2012 @ 8:08 amVery early in Obama’s term, March 2009, an important meeting took place in the White House involving several individuals later important in the F&F scandal. Included were both William Newell, ATF SAC Phoenix, and Kevin O’Reilly, Director North American Affairs, National Security Council, other high ranking WH personnel were also present, but are unidentified because Obama has claimed Executive Privilege covering the names of attendees, the purpose of the meeting, the agenda, notes of proceedings, and emails about the meeting.
O’Reilly is and has been unwilling to testify to Congressional investigating Committees, nor was he willing to be interviewed for the DOJ Inspector General’s report.
Following Brian Terry’s murder, the revelation that O’Reilly was in continual email contact with SAC Newell on the details of F&F O’Reilly quickly left the WH NSC and was assigned to a State Department post in Iran where he has remained beyond the reach of Congressional subpoena.
O’Reilly had been a Foreign Service Officer for 22 years before his WH NSC assignment. His previous duties included counter-terrorism responsibilities in Latin America where he met Newell. O’Reilly was also a Pearson Fellow in the office of Senator Richard Durbin, D-Illinois.
Kevin O’Reilly is the missing link between Obama’s WH, Eric Holder’s DOJ, Janet Neapolitano’s Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and ATF, and Hillary Clinton’s State Department, all of which would necessarily be required to sign-off on coordinated personnel and procedures to implement a vast illegal gun running operation designed to cross an international border into Mexico for nefarious purposes.
ropelight (59fef8) — 9/21/2012 @ 11:28 amComment by ropelight — 9/21/2012 @ 11:28 am
Thanks for the info. You don’t give a reference, but I’ve never seen you post something that was questionable before, no reason to doubt now.
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 9/21/2012 @ 11:38 amKevin O’Reilly could be this administration’s G. Gordon Liddy – the man who would not talk.
AD-Restore the Republic/Obama Sucks! (b8ab92) — 9/21/2012 @ 11:52 amMD, recent information comes largely from an article at cnsnews.com by Fred Lucas, dated 9/20/12, quoted below, and general background information on Kevin O’Reilly is readily available online.
Additionally, a correction is required: O’Reilly was posted to Iraq, not Iran. And thank you for the kind words.
ropelight (59fef8) — 9/21/2012 @ 12:07 pmObama is blaming Bush for Operation Fast & Furious – which is another lie.
The Empty Suit(tm) sure lies a lot.
SPQR (26be8b) — 9/21/2012 @ 1:43 pmIn a similar light,
http://drawandstrike.blogspot.com/2012/09/im-speechless.html
narciso (ee31f1) — 9/21/2012 @ 1:51 pmComment by Milhouse — 9/20/2012 @ 11:16 pm
But executive privilege only applies if 0bama was involved. If it never reached him, as the IG report claims, then, as rd asks, how can there be any privilege?
He used an interpretation of executive privilege that has been repeatedly made but never accepted by Congress.
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 9/21/2012 @ 2:11 pmA Spanish language news service reporter actually asked a tough question of Obama at the press conference … and Obama lied in his answer as I noted. Elsewhere, someone made the following apt comment: “Yet another example of a Mexican doing a job Americans are unwilling to do.”
SPQR (26be8b) — 9/21/2012 @ 3:22 pmTillmann, head, ass, more separation is called for. Direct contact is no way to go through life.
a) Sarah Palin, you remember her? The one who wasn’t supposed to be ready for primetime? Even while “The One” supposedly was? You can look into it independently, but as Newt Says HERE (back in 2008), while ripping the head off of an MSNBC
dundertalking head, in the process he lists of what REPUBLICAN Saran Palin did to REPUBLICANS who put her in charge of investigating their own corruption.b) The Obama You Don’t Know. In particular, Pt-IV For the slumlord’s defense, Barack Obama, Esq. — Even *I* underestimated the degree of %$#%$#% scum The One is.
Smock Puppet, 10th Dan Snark Master (8e2a3d) — 9/23/2012 @ 8:19 pmThe president is not a “chief executive”, he is the executive. The privilege attaches only to him. If he wasn’t personally involved then there is no privilege.
Milhouse (15b6fd) — 9/23/2012 @ 11:53 pmHere’s another one of the Obama Administration’s sacrifices: ATF whistleblower fired in Denny’s parking lot.
DRJ (a83b8b) — 10/12/2012 @ 11:16 amDRJ, even discounting OF&F, the ATF is an extraordinarily corrupt and dysfunctional org. There is an astonishing story out there about how an ATF leader worked to get an ATF agent killed.
SPQR (768505) — 10/12/2012 @ 11:20 amDRJ – it appears they are trying to sully the reputation of Denny’s.
JD (9ace9f) — 10/12/2012 @ 11:28 am