Must Read: Fortune Magazine Totally Destroys the ‘Fast and Furious’ Fake Outrage

“Republican senators are whipping up the country into a psychotic frenzy with reports that are patently false”
Politics • Views: 29,187

Fortune Magazine has a truly devastating in-depth article on the Republican Party’s “Fast and Furious” scandal, definitively revealing it to be a politically driven witch hunt based on outright lies: The Truth About the Fast and Furious Scandal.

Quite simply, there’s a fundamental misconception at the heart of the Fast and Furious scandal. Nobody disputes that suspected straw purchasers under surveillance by the ATF repeatedly bought guns that eventually fell into criminal hands. Issa and others charge that the ATF intentionally allowed guns to walk as an operational tactic. But five law-enforcement agents directly involved in Fast and Furious tell Fortune that the ATF had no such tactic. They insist they never purposefully allowed guns to be illegally trafficked. Just the opposite: They say they seized weapons whenever they could but were hamstrung by prosecutors and weak laws, which stymied them at every turn.

Indeed, a six-month Fortune investigation reveals that the public case alleging that Voth and his colleagues walked guns is replete with distortions, errors, partial truths, and even some outright lies. Fortune reviewed more than 2,000 pages of confidential ATF documents and interviewed 39 people, including seven law-enforcement agents with direct knowledge of the case. Several, including Voth, are speaking out for the first time.

How Fast and Furious reached the headlines is a strange and unsettling saga, one that reveals a lot about politics and media today. It’s a story that starts with a grudge, specifically Dodson’s anger at Voth. After the terrible murder of agent Terry, Dodson made complaints that were then amplified, first by right-wing bloggers, then by CBS. Rep. Issa and other politicians then seized those elements to score points against the Obama administration, which, for its part, has capitulated in an apparent effort to avoid a rhetorical battle over gun control in the run-up to the presidential election.

Read the whole thing.

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140 comments
1 erik_t  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:02:10am

The lesson, compounding as usual, is that modern GOP outrage actually has a negative correlation with reality. They're not merely untrustworthy, but actively contrary to the truth.

2 Obdicut  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:09:10am

re: #1 erik_t

And if Issa is involved, it's 99% likely to be utter bullshit.

The weird part about this is the way that Holder has 'caved'. Specifically, he's said that this is a terrible thing that happened and he will take steps to make sure it never happens again.

Given that, as this report shows, prosecutors felt they didn't have the case to make against straw gun buyers, because straw gun laws are so weak, is Holder saying that they're going to crack down on straw sales? And if they do, can the NRA really complain about it, after red-faced yelling about it for so long?

I can't tell if that's serendipity, the Obama administration being overly conciliatory, as usual, or a cunning plan on their part.

3 Kragar  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:14:11am
4 Daniel Ballard  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:17:50am

Okay but this is not just about the GOP. This kind of prosecutorial shortcomings and internal strife that led to Issa getting involved at all is really the story here IMHO.

5 wrenchwench  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:18:07am

I read the whole thing. I didn't see any new information, except for some details about the infighting at the Phoenix ATF office. But the article got DB to open his eyes. Maybe it will work on some other basically reasonable people too. The outrage among the wingnuts will continue unabated. It is an unstoppable derp.

I have been following this fairly closely. I understand that there is much information here that will be new to people who haven't.

6 Targetpractice  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:18:31am
Irony abounds when it comes to the Fast and Furious scandal. But the ultimate irony is this: Republicans who support the National Rifle Association and its attempts to weaken gun laws are lambasting ATF agents for not seizing enough weapons—ones that, in this case, prosecutors deemed to be legal.

That is the key paragraph right there.

7 Obdicut  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:19:45am

re: #4 Daniel Ballard

Okay but this is not just about the GOP. This kind of prosecutorial shortcomings and internal strife that led to Issa getting involved at all is really the story here IMHO.

It's also the story that the NRA is attempting to get Holder held in contempt. That's a really important story too. The NRA should not being doing that, and it should be being honest about this story.

8 dragonath  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:19:58am

It should be interesting to see the inevitable freakout from the right as they try to bring down that bastion of liberal thought, Fortune Magazine.

9 Charles Johnson  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:20:33am

re: #5 wrenchwench

I read the whole thing. I didn't see any new information, except for some details about the infighting at the Phoenix ATF office. But the article got DB to open his eyes. Maybe it will work on some other basically reasonable people too. The outrage among the wingnuts will continue unabated. It is an unstoppable derp.

I have been following this fairly closely. I understand that there is much information here that will be new to people who haven't.

Exactly - none of this is really new. But the GOP and Darrell Issa have been pumping out so much disinformation that I think it's going to seem new to a lot of people.

10 Kragar  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:21:28am

Holder Contempt Vote Will Proceed in U.S. House, Boehner Says

The U.S. House plans to proceed with a vote on whether Attorney General Eric Holder should be cited for contempt of Congress, the first proceeding of its kind against a Cabinet member.

The contempt vote will be held tomorrow over documents that Holder declined to provide to Congress related to the Fast and Furious federal gun operation, said House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican. President Barack Obama has asserted executive privilege over the documents and declined to turn them over.

“We’d really rather not be there,” Boehner told reporters today in Washington. The White House hasn’t cooperated with the House Republicans’ requests “to get to the bottom of a very serious issue,” Boehner said.

Eat a bag of dicks, Boehner

11 HappyWarrior  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:22:54am

re: #3 Kragar

Jim DeMint: God put Christians in charge of America

Boykin and North and DeMint, that's quite a trio right there.

12 Targetpractice  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:23:54am

re: #10 Kragar

Holder Contempt Vote Will Proceed in U.S. House, Boehner Says

Eat a bag of dicks, Boehner

Election year kabuki dance. They don't expect to actually get anywhere with this before the election, just use it to keep the whole "scandal" in the news.

13 Charles Johnson  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:24:01am

OT: I finally discovered the correct jQuery incantation to make links within embedded tweets open in a new window (or tab), instead of taking you away from LGF.

A test:

14 Gus  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:25:13am

re: #13 Charles Johnson

OT: I finally discovered the correct jQuery incantation to make links within embedded tweets open in a new window (or tab), instead of taking you away from LGF.

A test:

[Embedded content]

Cool. Was thinking about that recently.

15 Daniel Ballard  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:26:04am

re: #5 wrenchwench

What opened my eyes was a factual shift of major proportions here. A whistleblower said, and Holder confirmed guns went walking as part of an ill advised program. we now know that was wrong. no guns were deliberately let loose.

That is a critical difference.

16 Bulworth  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:26:06am

I hadn't bothered with this story, just assuming it was teabag BS. But I'd assumed the problem was the gubmit had bought weapons or had others buy weapons that ended up in the wrong hands. So it turns out it wasn't even that, but the failure or inability of the feds to bust the straw buyers. And as the article points out, it's not like the GOP or NRA want to make these laws tougher. Want a typical bunch of reichwing nonsense. But they'll go ahead with the stupid contempt vote anyway.

17 dragonath  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:31:18am

I'm glad Fortune came through and did a story on this though. They did what the NRO, Weekly Standard, & Newsweeks were either unwilling or gutless to do.

It's a shame that the Wall Street Journal and Investor's Business Daily cast such a dark shadow on business reporting, because the Economist and BusinessWeek turn up some excellent articles from time to time.

18 Charles Johnson  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:32:15am

That tweet I posted is kind of interesting - the Franklin Center had a wingnut event yesterday featuring a bunch of the Breitbart goons, at which they promoted a series of wacky conspiracy theories about Twitter and the dreaded #TwitterGulag (yes, they're still raving about that) -- and advised right wingers to use block and report against imaginary "sock puppets."

They're getting even crazier with this dumb shit.

19 erik_t  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:33:07am

re: #10 Kragar

Holder Contempt Vote Will Proceed in U.S. House, Boehner Says

Eat a bag of dicks, Boehner

Laser-like focus on jobs.

20 Charles Johnson  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:37:06am

And yes, they're still insisting that I'm one of the evil masterminds behind this dastardly plot. Look at this garbage: To Silence Opposition- Suspension Gangs « Political Fireball.

21 dragonath  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:38:27am

The polls are going to break hard at the end, one way or the other. The House GOP can't refrain from being dicks until the day before the election. Win or lose they'll rub your nose in it.

22 Bulworth  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:38:42am

re: #18 Charles Johnson

That tweet I posted is kind of interesting - the Franklin Center had a wingnut event yesterday featuring a bunch of the Breitbart goons, at which they promoted a series of wacky conspiracy theories about Twitter and the dreaded #TwitterGulag (yes, they're still raving about that) -- and advised right wingers to use block and report against imaginary "sock puppets."

They're getting even crazier with this dumb shit.

The question is, when is the president/DOJ/Holder going to appoint a special prosecutor to probe the scandal known as #twittergulag? //

23 Gus  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:40:23am

re: #20 Charles Johnson

And yes, they're still insisting that I'm one of the evil masterminds behind this dastardly plot. Look at this garbage: To Silence Opposition- Suspension Gangs « Political Fireball.

I hope they're at least receiving the proper outpatient care if you know what I mean.

24 Gus  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:40:54am

re: #22 Bulworth

The question is, when is the president/DOJ/Holder going to appoint a special prosecutor to probe the scandal known as #twittergulag? //

I wouldn't put it past them.

25 HappyWarrior  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:43:12am

re: #22 Bulworth

The question is, when is the president/DOJ/Holder going to appoint a special prosecutor to probe the scandal known as #twittergulag? //

Does Dana Loesch get to be special prosecutor?

26 simoom  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:46:37am

re: #7 Obdicut

It's also the story that the NRA is attempting to get Holder held in contempt. That's a really important story too. The NRA should not being doing that, and it should be being honest about this story.

Yeah, and with the NRA scoring the contempt vote some House Dems in marginal seats will be defecting.

[Link: thehill.com...]

The nation's most powerful gun lobbyist group said it has decided to score the vote over Holder's handling of the "Fast and Furious" program because of what the group calls the "open defiance" of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the face of a congressional investigation into the botched gun-running operation.

In a letter to leaders of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is spearheading the investigation, the NRA's chief lobbyist warned that the highly influential firearms advocate will be watching closely as lawmakers cast their votes on contempt.

"This is an issue of the utmost seriousness," Chris Cox wrote, "and the NRA will consider this vote in our future candidate evaluations."

[Link: thehill.com...]

Democratic Rep. John Barrow (Ga.) said on Wednesday he plans to vote in favor of placing Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress.

Barrow becomes the second Democrat to publicly announce plans to buck his party and help Republicans pass the contempt measure against Holder ...

Barrow is facing a tough reelection fight this year in a district that leans Republican, according to The Hill’s race ratings.

Utah Rep. Jim Matheson became the first Democrat to break ranks on Tuesday. He announced plans to vote for the contempt measure just hours after House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) told reporters he expects some Democrats to support the contempt resolution because the National Rifle Association (NRA) is scoring the vote.

It seems hardly worth the effort though, since in recent years the NRA seems to ravenously pursue Dems even when they've done nothing to upset their agenda (or even relaxed gun regulations).

27 Killgore Trout  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:47:44am

Even NRO thinks it's stupid
Too Fast, Too Furious

Darrell Issa has dabbled in a conspiracy theory.

28 Kragar  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:49:37am

re: #26 simoom

Yeah, and with the NRA scoring the contempt vote some House Dems in marginal seats will be defecting.

[Link: thehill.com...]

[Link: thehill.com...]

It seems hardly worth the effort though, since in recent years the NRA seems to ravenously pursue Dems even when they've done nothing to upset their agenda (or even relaxed gun regulations).

Not attacking the NRA is proof they're planning to attack the NRA.

29 AK-47%  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:51:05am

re: #28 Kragar

Not attacking the NRA is proof they're planning to attack the NRA.

Being Democrats is proof they want to dismantle the 2nd Amendment.

30 Targetpractice  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:51:17am

re: #26 simoom

Yeah, and with the NRA scoring the contempt vote some House Dems in marginal seats will be defecting.

[Link: thehill.com...]

[Link: thehill.com...]

It seems hardly worth the effort though, since in recent years the NRA seems to ravenously pursue Dems even when they've done nothing to upset their agenda (or even relaxed gun regulations).

Yeah, knock me over with a feather. Blue Dogs running scared because the NRA's threatening to mark them as "anti-gun" if they don't go along with the witch hunt.

31 Gus  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:54:08am

Bottom line is that the NRA wants gun manufacturers and gun dealers to be able to sell weapons and ammo to the drug cartels. Some say the would even go as far as being able to sell weapons and ammo to terrorist organizations.

32 HappyWarrior  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:54:38am

It's because the NRA has an agenda. See, LaPierre claiming that Obama's lack of action on gun control is "proof" that he wants to take away guns. In our last gubertorial election, we had a race between a Democrat who usually voted the NRA's way on gun issues and Bob McDonnell. NRA came out strongly for McD. And I think they will do the same for Romney despite the fact that Romney's own record with gun control what their members would like but Wayne LaPierre is a political hack and cares more about being a right winger than he does actually protecting the right to bear arms.

33 Killgore Trout  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:54:50am

Here's a bunch of guys who wish Bush was still in office
Somalia’s Prisons: The War on Terror’s Latest Front

The U.S. wants out of the international jailing business. So what happens when we catch a terrorist abroad? In Somalia, they end up in a living hell.

34 Kragar  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:55:20am

Listening to Pandora quietly in the office when Black Sabbath's "Children of the Grave" came on. Our eternally quiet office manager popped his head out, listened for a second, "HEY! TURN THAT UP!" Upon compliance, he tossed me the Devil Horns and head banged back into his office.

35 Bulworth  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:56:05am
The National Rifle Association has so successfully opposed a comprehensive electronic database of gun sales that the ATF's congressional appropriation explicitly prohibits establishing one.

Maybe somebody should mention this.

36 abolitionist  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:56:25am

Whether or not any guns were intentionally allowed to "walk" across the border, or wherever, there was significant merit to the plan, IMO.

“When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarely, in your thoughts advanced to the stage of science.”
― [Sir] William Thomson
(Lord Kelvin)

Of course, any loss of life attributable directly or indirectly to a decision to undertake such measurements about arms trafficking is regretable. It does not follow that the plan was stupid, reckless, irresponsible or criminal.

37 Targetpractice  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:57:14am

re: #35 Bulworth

Maybe somebody should mention this.

There's a lot of shit in that article that you won't hear in the mainstream media, because they're now devoted to investigating the "cover-up," fighting for space on CBS' coat-tails.

38 Shiplord Kirel  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:58:38am

My mother just came to my house. She had to borrow my bathroom because my sister-in-law, her two children, and her mother are at mom's house and they have monopolized her bathroom continuously since 7 o'clock this morning. It is indelicate, but necessary, to clarify that she cannot go at will and every time she decides to try, there is someone in there. This is entirely typical of my family and is the number one reason I do not have relatives other than my daughters and grandchildren as house guests. I also have antique model planes and books, art glassware, and my wife's Madame Alexander dolls. I am not about to turn the extended tribe loose with them. When my older daughter got married, I was terrified some of the family members would loot or vandalize the old Boston church where we had the wedding and I would have to pay for it. I was lucky that time, only 60 bucks for a broken lamp, but I am disinclined to take chances.

I am seriously thinking about having a porta-potty delivered to my mom's driveway to see if they get the message.

39 lawhawk  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:59:20am

re: #34 Kragar

Hell yeah!

Been listening to Chickenfoot here, and Avenida Revolution comes to mind when we're discussing the drug wars, F&F, and the border:

40 Gus  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:59:22am

re: #35 Bulworth

Maybe somebody should mention this.

For obvious reasons. Those slime bags don't care who they sell guns to.

41 William of Orange  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:59:27am

We continue with the little known facts about Darrell Issa.

Little known fact:

His mother was house keeper at the Joseph McCarthy mansion. (Nudge, nudge...)

42 Kragar  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 11:59:56am

The NRA’s Nightmare Claims Over Eric Holder Don’t Hold Up

On paper, Thursday’s vote on a resolution finding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress is about a subset of internal Justice Department documents and whether such executive branch communications are subject to legislative oversight.

In reality, as Democrats argue, and even some Republicans will admit, the vote is about much more: Targeting a top administration official who has been a long time target of the GOP’s ire.

Whether it is his initial decision to try Khalid Sheikh Muhammed in federal court in New York City, or to reopen an investigation into torture during the Bush administration, or DOJ’s legal opposition to state voting restrictions, or their refusal to defend a federal law banning same-sex marriage, Holder has been a lighting rod for much of his tenure.

But it’s an issue that caused problems for Holder in the first months of the Obama administration — gun control — that overshadows the entire vote over what is theoretically a deep-in-the-weeds debate over the limits of executive power.

43 Bulworth  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:00:22pm
Voth's mandate was to stop gun traffickers in Arizona, the state ranked by the gun-control advocacy group Legal Community Against Violence as having the nation's "weakest gun violence prevention laws." Just 200 miles from Mexico, which prohibits gun sales, the Phoenix area is home to 853 federally licensed firearms dealers. Billboards advertise volume discounts for multiple purchases.

Maybe somebody could bring this up before the contempt vote.

44 HappyWarrior  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:02:00pm

re: #43 Bulworth

Maybe somebody could bring this up before the contempt vote.

Jan Brewer would probably cry that the meanie feds are being mean to her state again. That's a really good point though.

45 Bulworth  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:02:38pm
Customers can legally buy as many weapons as they want in Arizona as long as they're 18 or older and pass a criminal background check. There are no waiting periods and no need for permits, and buyers are allowed to resell the guns. "In Arizona," says Voth, "someone buying three guns is like someone buying a sandwich."

Maybe some media peoples could talk about this.

46 Kragar  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:03:36pm

Black Sabbath was followed up by "The Immigrant Song" and AC/DC's "Long way to the Top" and Iron Maiden's "Number of the Beast"

All in all, a good day's rocking.

47 Gus  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:03:39pm

Read anything here: nra guns "no fly list"

48 Bulworth  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:03:57pm
Customers can legally buy as many weapons as they want in Arizona as long as they're 18 or older and pass a criminal background check. There are no waiting periods and no need for permits, and buyers are allowed to resell the guns. "In Arizona," says Voth, "someone buying three guns is like someone buying a sandwich."

No one could have predicted that this might lead to people getting killed.

49 Charles Johnson  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:06:21pm

How to make links in embedded tweets open in a new tab or window:

$(document).on('click', 'div.twitter-tweet-rendered a', function() {
  $(this).attr('target', '_blank');
  return true;
});

50 uncah91  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:06:59pm

re: #15 Daniel Ballard

What opened my eyes was a factual shift of major proportions here. A whistleblower said, and Holder confirmed guns went walking as part of an ill advised program. we now know that was wrong. no guns were deliberately let loose.

That is a critical difference.

Well, accept for the instance involving Dodson that wasn't even part of Fast and Furious.

That coming to late might be why Holder changed from saying "no gunwalking occured" to "gunwalking occured".

51 Kragar  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:08:04pm

Top 10 Reasons Republicans Want To Impeach President Obama

# 2 is my favorite just because of the lolwat value

52 Daniel Ballard  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:10:26pm

re: #9 Charles Johnson

Nothing new? Not about Issa or the GOP but past that I think we do have some important new information.
Isn't the bit with the whistle blower being a liar new information? Did we have any clue how difficult the prosecutor was being? Or maybe how the straw man laws need strengthening in Az?

That's all new info. If correct of course. It looks to me like Forbes has a good scoop here that completely changes the facts behind the straw buys. Just not the politics of Issa.

To me the GOP/Issa thing is one big issue. But the longer term problem is the inability to arrest straw buyers IMO. Long after Issa and the GOP is past this, we still will need to stop cartel straw buys.

53 Charles Johnson  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:10:29pm
54 Targetpractice  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:10:32pm

re: #50 uncah91

Well, accept for the instance involving Dodson that wasn't even part of Fast and Furious.

That coming to late might be why Holder changed from saying "no gunwalking occured" to "gunwalking occured".

And that "change," of course, is what Issa is basing the entire contempt charge on, namely that the "change" is proof of a cover-up on Holder's part.

55 Charles Johnson  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:11:52pm

re: #52 Daniel Ballard

I'm pretty sure I read all of those things before, except possibly the bit about Arizona's straw man laws being that weak.

56 HappyWarrior  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:12:08pm

re: #51 Kragar

Top 10 Reasons Republicans Want To Impeach President Obama

# 2 is my favorite just because of the lolwat value

For a bunch of people who claim they understand the Constitution, the "high crimes and misdemeanors" not "policy differences" seem to go right over their heads. Though the one abut the Arctic islands is hilarious because it's that crazy and probably involves good old fashioned red scares.

58 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:13:28pm

re: #51 Kragar

Top 10 Reasons Republicans Want To Impeach President Obama

# 2 is my favorite just because of the lolwat value

I love #10 due to Obama's total control of setting and approving the Federal budget as part of his Executive powers.
:p

59 HappyWarrior  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:15:18pm

re: #57 Kragar

Companies Fight New Regulation That Would Force Them To Disclose Pay Ratio Between CEO And Workers

Of course, these companies don't want to be required to tell their employees that their executives and management are making more and more while they lose pay. The worst thing to me is reading about companies that aren't profitable and the executives still give themselves healthy six figure "bonuses." And people in this country are upset about public sector unions having pensions?!? Sorry, I'm venting but the cognitive dissonance on this issue and accusations of class jealously angers me.

60 AK-47%  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:15:35pm

There are Bigger Truths at stake here. Once you accept them, then any distortion of mere "facts" is justified, to wit,

Obama wants to destroy religious freedom

Obama wants to take away your guns

Obama wants to euthanize your granny.

Obama is a foreign-born Muslim who wants to surrender US sovereingity to an athiest-Islamist-UN-Zionist-led cabal.


Anything that vaguely reinforces these notions is fair game. And until Obama produces sufficient proof otherwise (and there can mnever be sufficient proof) these notions will continue be bantered about the press, broadcast media and the Internet

61 RadicalModerate  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:15:47pm

re: #51 Kragar

Top 10 Reasons Republicans Want To Impeach President Obama

# 2 is my favorite just because of the lolwat value

That treaty was negotiated by the Reagan administration, and enacted during the George HW Bush (41) tenure.

So, it's obviously Obama's fault.

62 HappyWarrior  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:18:19pm

By the way, I love that the man who GOP candidates and elected officials tax pledge are signing thinks it's legit to impeach a president over refusing to extend a tax cut. Norquist is not only a greedy bastard but a stupid one it seems too.

63 RadicalModerate  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:18:39pm

A couple things:

First, I noticed that a significant percentage of the calls for impeachment come from Texas Republicans, who have proven during the past few months that last year's heat wave apparently destroyed what few remaining cognitive brain cells they might have had.

Secondly, I'm honestly at the point where the Republican Party needs to jettison the elephant as the official logo of their party, and need to adopt something more in line with their worldview.

64 Targetpractice  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:19:59pm

re: #63 RadicalModerate

I'm honestly at the point where the Republican Party needs to jettison the elephant as the official logo of their party, and need to adopt something more in line with their worldview.

I've considered that too, but I've yet to think of an animal found in nature that buries its head up its own ass as often as the GOP does.

65 HappyWarrior  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:20:07pm

re: #63 RadicalModerate

I'm honestly at the point where the Republican Party needs to jettison the elephant as the official logo of their party, and need to adopt something more in line with their worldview.

turd sandwich?

66 Gus  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:20:34pm

re: #63 RadicalModerate

I'm honestly at the point where the Republican Party needs to jettison the elephant as the official logo of their party, and need to adopt something more in line with their worldview.

What about the Honey Badger?

67 AK-47%  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:24:00pm

re: #66 Gus

What about the Honey Badger?

too gay

68 Kragar  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:24:02pm

re: #66 Gus

What about the Honey Badger?

I vote for fainting goats.

69 makeitstop  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:24:15pm

re: #63 RadicalModerate

A couple things:

First, I noticed that a significant percentage of the calls for impeachment come from Texas Republicans, who have proven during the past few months that last year's heat wave apparently destroyed what few remaining cognitive brain cells they might have had.

Secondly, I'm honestly at the point where the Republican Party needs to jettison the elephant as the official logo of their party, and need to adopt something more in line with their worldview.

Too bad the jackass is taken. :)

70 lawhawk  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:24:47pm

re: #62 HappyWarrior

Refusing to extend a tax cut that was scheduled to sunset by some of the same members of Congress.

But Norquist isn't dumb. He realizes that he's gotten a boost from the anti-tax sentiment across the country and has given him outsized power to set policy. Allowing tax cuts to sunsets equal tax hikes imposed by Obama, semantics. The cuts were agreed to sunset when enacted by the Bush Administration and then extended by the Obama Administration with Congressional approval in both instances.

Would the end of the temporary rate reductions result in hikes? Yes; though everyone seems to concede that the reduced rates would be retained for the low and mid income brackets. The fight, as it has been for quite some time, is what to do at the top end of the bracket. The Democrats want to push it back up to 39.6%, close loopholes, etc., while the GOP wants to make the 35% rate permanent, thereby reducing revenues available for federal programs (everything from guns to butter).

But because of the no-taxes-pledge nuts in Congress, the GOP can't even engage in concessions that would be practical or reasonable. And tax reform is DOA for the same reason (closing loopholes have been considered tax hikes to the Norquist adherents).

71 Gus  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:25:04pm

re: #67 Expand Your Ground

too gay

My first thought was the common "sewer rat".

72 uncah91  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:25:26pm

re: #54 Targetpractice

And that "change," of course, is what Issa is basing the entire contempt charge on, namely that the "change" is proof of a cover-up on Holder's part.

My understanding is that the documents at issue are just the ones from after Feb 4 2011, once the "change" was understood. So, yep, ...

73 RadicalModerate  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:26:00pm

re: #66 Gus

What about the Honey Badger?

I'd really love to hear Randall (the honey badger video narrator) talk about the Republican Party of today.

74 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:26:11pm

re: #63 RadicalModerate

A couple things:

First, I noticed that a significant percentage of the calls for impeachment come from Texas Republicans, who have proven during the past few months that last year's heat wave apparently destroyed what few remaining cognitive brain cells they might have had.

Secondly, I'm honestly at the point where the Republican Party needs to jettison the elephant as the official logo of their party, and need to adopt something more in line with their worldview.

How about the tapeworm?

75 Kragar  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:28:42pm

re: #74 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste

How about the tapeworm?

Hagfish?

76 Charles Johnson  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:30:17pm

re: #63 RadicalModerate

I'm honestly at the point where the Republican Party needs to jettison the elephant as the official logo of their party, and need to adopt something more in line with their worldview.

Maybe a chihuahua - a loud, constantly yapping, senselessly angry critter that tries to bite your ankles when you turn your back on it.

77 Shiplord Kirel  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:31:20pm

re: #63 RadicalModerate

A couple things:

First, I noticed that a significant percentage of the calls for impeachment come from Texas Republicans, who have proven during the past few months that last year's heat wave apparently destroyed what few remaining cognitive brain cells they might have had.

Secondly, I'm honestly at the point where the Republican Party needs to jettison the elephant as the official logo of their party, and need to adopt something more in line with their worldview.

Baboon
Texas Republicans search a suspiciously colored car for further signs of teh ghey. Note that conservative youth are doing their part.

78 Gus  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:31:40pm

re: #76 Charles Johnson

Maybe a chihuahua - a loud, constantly yapping, senselessly angry critter that tries to bite your ankles when you turn your back on it.

Hyena

79 Killgore Trout  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:33:07pm

Romney to seek Washington Post retraction

Mitt Romney campaign representatives will meet with The Washington Post today to seek a formal retraction of its June 21 report that Bain Capital invested in firms that specialized in outsourcing American jobs, POLITICO has learned.

The representatives will meet with executive editor Marcus Brauchli and other senior Post staff at 2 p.m. today at the Post's offices in Washington.

The group intends to argue that the Post's allegations against Bain Capital and the firms in question are either incomplete or inaccurate, sources familiar with the meeting say. Specifically, the group will argue that the Post misinterpreted the SEC filings it examined for its report and failed to adequately account for the support these firms gave to U.S. exports or U.S. businesses through foreign hiring. The campaign raised similar objections to the story prior to its publication.

I think Mitt will get his retraction. Politifact, factcheck and even WaPo's own factchecker all agree the claims aren't true.

80 RadicalModerate  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:33:26pm

re: #76 Charles Johnson

Maybe a chihuahua - a loud, constantly yapping, senselessly angry critter that tries to bite your ankles when you turn your back on it.

No, because that would imply that they support Mexican immigrants - and they sure can't have that, now can they?

81 iossarian  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:34:46pm

re: #79 Killgore Trout

Romney to seek Washington Post retraction

I think Mitt will get his retraction. Politifact, factcheck and even WaPo's own factchecker all agree the claims aren't true.

Does that make you incrementally more likely to vote for him?

82 Killgore Trout  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:36:02pm

re: #81 iossarian

Does that make you incrementally more likely to vote for him?

Nope.

83 iossarian  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:36:21pm

re: #82 Killgore Trout

Nope.

Good!

84 wrenchwench  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:37:16pm

re: #15 Daniel Ballard

What opened my eyes was a factual shift of major proportions here. A whistleblower said, and Holder confirmed guns went walking as part of an ill advised program. we now know that was wrong. no guns were deliberately let loose.

That is a critical difference.

I can see that Holder said there were ill advised tactics, but I don't see that he confirmed guns went walking deliberately. If you have that info from someplace linkable, please share.

re: #52 Daniel Ballard

Nothing new? Not about Issa or the GOP but past that I think we do have some important new information.
Isn't the bit with the whistle blower being a liar new information? Did we have any clue how difficult the prosecutor was being? Or maybe how the straw man laws need strengthening in Az?

That's all new info. If correct of course. It looks to me like Forbes has a good scoop here that completely changes the facts behind the straw buys. Just not the politics of Issa.

To me the GOP/Issa thing is one big issue. But the longer term problem is the inability to arrest straw buyers IMO. Long after Issa and the GOP is past this, we still will need to stop cartel straw buys.

I guess I just didn't accept everything I heard unless I found it corroborated. I don't take the word of a whistle blower, for instance, until it's corroborated. Now we have more people speaking out and contradicting each other. I'm not sure everything in this article is gospel, either. Lots of sniping and backbiting.

The significance of Issa to me is the fact that his involvement makes it more likely the whole thing is a straw scandal. It's ginned up to get Holder and get Obama. If they find Holder in contempt, it will be a first for any Attorney General. Is it a coincidence that he's the first black Attorney General? Can we know?

85 Killgore Trout  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:38:24pm

re: #81 iossarian

Does that make you incrementally more likely to vote for him?

This may reflect poorly on Obama though since all those same bogus claims were used in an Obama ad. Mitt can't get a retraction from the Obama campaign but he can get a retraction from reputable news organizations who make the same claims.

86 erik_t  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:40:28pm

re: #85 Killgore Trout

This may reflect poorly on Obama though since all those same bogus claims were used in an Obama ad. Mitt can't get a retraction from the Obama campaign but he can get a retraction from reputable news organizations who make the same claims.

So far as I'm aware, all of those ads have been made by an Obama-not-affiliated-wink-wink Super PAC.

Don't you just love Citizens United?

87 iossarian  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:41:04pm

re: #85 Killgore Trout

This may reflect poorly on Obama though since all those same bogus claims were used in an Obama ad. Mitt can't get a retraction from the Obama campaign but he can get a retraction from reputable news organizations who make the same claims.

I don't think Obama should be particularly worried about that. You'd have to be a bit obtuse to think that Bain didn't recommend/implement offshoring at the companies it was either advising or controlling. It's a standard piece of the puzzle for consulting firms that aim to maximize "shareholder value".

88 CuriousLurker  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:42:03pm

re: #71 Gus

My first thought was the common "sewer rat".

Loon. Or lemming.

89 simoom  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:42:38pm

re: #73 RadicalModerate

I'd really love to hear Randall (the honey badger video narrator) talk about the Republican Party of today.

He's actually already sold out to a 501(c)(4) astroturf group in taking a job voicing their honeybadger parody ad. Here's what they claim they are:

Public Notice is an independent non-profit dedicated to providing facts and insight on the economy and how government policy affects Americans’ financial well-being.

What they actually are:
[Link: www.factcheck.org...]

Public Notice is a group headed by Gretchen Hamel, who has a long history of working for Republicans. She was a press assistant for former GOP Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, then press secretary to GOP Rep. John Carter of Texas and later for the House Republican Conference. She was deputy assistant U.S. trade representative during the final years of the Bush administration.

This group describes itself as "an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organization." Hamel insists that the organization is "an education advocacy group" and not a "political group." Unlike some "super PACs" and overtly partisan groups, it does not attack specific candidates. But it does echo Republican campaign themes and attacks federal spending programs identified with Democrats.

As of Oct. 6, the Campaign Media Analysis Group estimated that Public Notice had spent $3 million running a single TV spot, "Stop Digging.” The ad urged viewers to "hold Congress accountable" for "unsustainable" spending, and it made the false claim that spending is "not creating jobs" — a theme repeated in many Republican campaign commercials.

Public Notice runs a project it calls "Bankrupting America," dedicated to criticizing federal spending and the stimulus measure in particular. Its slick website contains an interactive "Spending Fail Map" of the U.S. listing supposedly wasteful stimulus projects, and a video spoof in which a woman with a microphone describes ridiculous-sounding spending projects and asks people on the street whether they are "real or fake." (Spoiler alert: They’re all real examples cited by Republican Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and John McCain of Arizona.) The website is bipartisan to this degree: It contains a page criticizing both President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush for their "unfortunate similarities," saying they both "love to spend."

Hamel would tell us nothing about who gives to her organization, or even whether or not it accepts corporate funding. “We do not discuss our organization’s finances,” she said in a telephone interview on Oct. 5. The group says on its websites that it is organized as a Limited Liability Company with tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. That leaves it legally free to accept corporate funds, without disclosing its donors publicly.

His ad:

90 iossarian  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:43:59pm

re: #89 simoom

He's actually already sold out to a 501(c)(4) astroturf group in taking a job voicing their honeybadger parody ad. Here's what they claim they are:

What they actually are:
[Link: www.factcheck.org...]

His ad:

[Embedded content]

OMG NOOOO HONEY BADGER GUY IS A REPUBLICAN STOOGE

sadface

91 Charles Johnson  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:45:09pm

"Fast and Furious" looks to me like a classic bureaucratic cluster-fuck, that ended up getting some people killed. It wasn't the first and it won't be the last, but what the Fortune article shows is that Darrell Issa and the GOP's attempt to implicate Eric Holder and Barack Obama in some way is not just wrong, it's a cynical, dishonest smear job wholly driven by politics.

92 AK-47%  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:45:23pm

they will use gays to smack down democrats and then toss them under the bus. gott admire their chutzpah

93 wrenchwench  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:45:42pm

re: #88 CuriousLurker

Loon. Or lemming.

Loon is out.

94 CuriousLurker  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:45:56pm

re: #88 CuriousLurker

Loon. Or lemming.

I changed my mind. Cuckoo bird.

95 Charles Johnson  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:46:44pm

Washington Post Will Not Retract Romney 'Outsourcing' Story.

The Washington Post will not retract their June 21 report about Bain Capital's investments in firms that specialized in outsourcing American jobs, POLITICO has learned.

"We are very confident in our reporting," Washington Post spokesperson Kris Coratti told POLITICO following a meeting between the Post's executive editor Marcus Brauchli and Mitt Romney campaign representatives, who had sought a retraction from the paper.

96 AK-47%  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:47:50pm

re: #95 Charles Johnson

Will be offered up as proof that the liberal media take their marching orders from Obama's White House

97 dragonfire1981  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:48:27pm

Gotta love Texas:

Houston adds $5 "strip club fee" to pay for rape kit processing

The Houston City Council has passed a $5-per-customer fee on strip clubs to raise money to reduce its backlog of rape kits.

The vote was 14-1, with Councilwoman Helena Brown voting no.

“We have to do something to help the 4,000-plus women, children and men who have been sexually assaulted,” said Councilwoman Ellen Cohen, the author of the ordinance, which she modeled on a similar law she got passed as a state legislator. “I think we’ve waited long enough.” Cohen is the former CEO of an organization that runs a women’s shelter.

The city actually has more than 6,600 unprocessed kits containing swabs and other DNA evidence collected in cases of sexual assault. The backlog has existed for years as police have said they do not have the resources to process the evidence as fast as it comes in.

Councilman Oliver Pennington said he supported Cohen’s measure in the interest of the administration of justice. It could well be, Pennington said, that testing rape evidence will exonerate the falsely accused as well as bring the guilty to justice.

Representatives of the strip club industry spoke against the measure in part because they believe it unfairly links their businesses with sexual assaults.

98 Sionainn  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:48:46pm

re: #30 Targetpractice

Yeah, knock me over with a feather. Blue Dogs running scared because the NRA's threatening to mark them as "anti-gun" if they don't go along with the witch hunt.

They should be renamed "Yellow Dogs."

99 dragonfire1981  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:49:02pm

re: #95 Charles Johnson

Washington Post Will Not Retract Romney 'Outsourcing' Story.

I think I just heard some wingnut heads exploding.

100 Targetpractice  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:49:13pm

re: #91 Charles Johnson

"Fast and Furious" looks to me like a classic bureaucratic cluster-fuck, that ended up getting some people killed. It wasn't the first and it won't be the last, but what the Fortune article shows is that Darrell Issa and the GOP's attempt to implicate Eric Holder and Barack Obama in some way is not just wrong, it's a cynical, dishonest smear job wholly driven by politics.

It's Election Year politics writ large. It serves them multiple purposes, from giving them a "scandal" to go after Holder's scalp with, to a smokescreen to address the very real problem of gun trafficking into Mexico, to a "pro-gun" booster that's hard to argue is anything other than an effort to attack the ATF.

101 CuriousLurker  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:49:48pm

re: #93 wrenchwench

Loon is out.

How 'bout Cujo?

102 Gus  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:50:12pm

re: #99 dragonfire1981

I think I just heard some wingnut heads exploding.

I love watching Romney get angry because he tries to pretend that he's not angry and it really doesn't work. You can see the veins bulging out of his forehead.

103 Interesting Times  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:50:23pm
104 Charles Johnson  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:50:27pm

re: #101 CuriousLurker

How 'bout Cujo?

I don't know -- Cujo started out as a good dog.

105 HappyWarrior  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:51:18pm

If I recall, alot of the jobs outsourced went to China. Kind of makes Romney's tough guy talk on China look hollow to me.

106 iossarian  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:51:43pm

re: #95 Charles Johnson

I actually went and read the Romney camp's "objections" powerpoint available at the link.

First of all it's got some great consulting flourishes (the highlighted factoids! the direction-of-reasoning block arrows!) but mostly I noted that the rebuttals all came from people running the companies accused of offshoring jobs.

What, truly, would anyone expect those guys to say?

"Oh, sure, we closed that plant in Spokane and moved the operation to China - saved a bundle and I bought a new Bugatti."

?

107 simoom  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:51:50pm

re: #79 Killgore Trout

Romney to seek Washington Post retraction

I think Mitt will get his retraction. Politifact, factcheck and even WaPo's own factchecker all agree the claims aren't true.

Glenn Kessler didn't dispute their Tom Hamburger story, he instead tried to make a distinction between it and the Obama Campaign ad because he complains they cited Romney's Bain "grey area" too much in their sourcing:

[Link: 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com...]

“I see no reason to change the rating at this point,” Kessler said in an e-mail. “The ad was based on specific allegations that were incorrect, relating to the fact that the Obama people took advantage of the grey area between 1999 and 2002 regarding Romney’s involvement in Bain.”

...

“Unlike the Obama campaign, he was careful to only look at things in the pre-1999 context,” Kessler said. “And to be clear, there is a distinction between saying someone is responsible for shipping jobs overseas (the ad) and saying someone invested in companies that specialized in helping companies subcontract work to overseas factories (Tom’s story).”

108 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:52:09pm

re: #94 CuriousLurker

I changed my mind. Cuckoo bird.

Good one. They outsource their egg sitting and child support.

109 Sionainn  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:52:11pm

re: #38 Shiplord Kirel

My mother just came to my house. She had to borrow my bathroom because my sister-in-law, her two children, and her mother are at mom's house and they have monopolized her bathroom continuously since 7 o'clock this morning. It is indelicate, but necessary, to clarify that she cannot go at will and every time she decides to try, there is someone in there. This is entirely typical of my family and is the number one reason I do not have relatives other than my daughters and grandchildren as house guests. I also have antique model planes and books, art glassware, and my wife's Madame Alexander dolls. I am not about to turn the extended tribe loose with them. When my older daughter got married, I was terrified some of the family members would loot or vandalize the old Boston church where we had the wedding and I would have to pay for it. I was lucky that time, only 60 bucks for a broken lamp, but I am disinclined to take chances.

I am seriously thinking about having a porta-potty delivered to my mom's driveway to see if they get the message.

Make sure you put a new handle on the bathroom door, one with a key that only your mother has. I really don't understand inconsiderate people.

110 CuriousLurker  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:52:27pm

re: #104 Charles Johnson

I don't know -- Cujo started out as a good dog.

I guess Old Yeller is out too then. *sigh*

111 Interesting Times  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:52:28pm

re: #63 RadicalModerate

I'm honestly at the point where the Republican Party needs to jettison the elephant as the official logo of their party, and need to adopt something more in line with their worldview.

This is what dKos came up with (though for completeness, it could use a person riding on its back)

112 erik_t  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:54:04pm

re: #91 Charles Johnson

"Fast and Furious" looks to me like a classic bureaucratic cluster-fuck, that ended up getting some people killed. It wasn't the first and it won't be the last, but what the Fortune article shows is that Darrell Issa and the GOP's attempt to implicate Eric Holder and Barack Obama in some way is not just wrong, it's a cynical, dishonest smear job wholly driven by politics.

Dumb thought it seems to have been, I think even that is a bit of an overstatement. A gun that touched the program was used in the killing of an ATF agent, but this wasn't close to the only source of guns, etc etc etc. Calling that cause-and-effect is, I think, a bit strong.

Again: dumb program.

113 CuriousLurker  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:54:07pm

re: #110 CuriousLurker

I guess Old Yeller is out too then. *sigh*

Wait, I've got it—squirrel!

114 Killgore Trout  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:54:16pm

re: #95 Charles Johnson

Washington Post Will Not Retract Romney 'Outsourcing' Story.

Interesting. I suppose they'll have to reprimand their own fact checker.

115 simoom  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:54:52pm

re: #114 Killgore Trout

Interesting. I suppose they'll have to reprimand their own fact checker.

See [Link: littlegreenfootballs.com...]

116 Daniel Ballard  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:55:01pm

re: #55 Charles Johnson

I'd love to know who really had the scoop on the whistle blower lying.

117 wrenchwench  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:56:52pm

re: #112 erik_t

Dumb thought it seems to have been, I think even that is a bit of an overstatement. A gun that touched the program was used in the killing of an ATF agent, but this wasn't close to the only source of guns, etc etc etc. Calling that cause-and-effect is, I think, a bit strong.

Again: dumb program.

They don't know which gun killed Brian Terry [who was a Border Patrol agent] because the bullet was too damaged. Two guns the numbers of which were recorded by Phoenix ATF officers after they were sold were found at the scene. Might have been neither of them that killed Terry.

118 CuriousLurker  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 12:57:24pm

re: #116 Daniel Ballard

I'd love to know who really had the scoop on the whistle blower lying.

Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!

119 AK-47%  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 1:00:05pm

re: #104 Charles Johnson

I don't know -- Cujo started out as a good dog.

Republicans were once a viable conservative party

120 Targetpractice  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 1:00:20pm

re: #117 wrenchwench

They don't know which gun killed Brian Terry [who was a Border Patrol agent] because the bullet was too damaged. Two guns the numbers of which were recorded by Phoenix ATF officers after they were sold were found at the scene. Might have been neither of them that killed Terry.

Not to mention that every story I've read on Fast & Furious, including this one, points out that the two rifles whose numbers were flagged by it were amongst others recovered at the scene. So you subtract those two rifles and it's just another border shoot-out that saw a Border Patrol agent dead.

121 CuriousLurker  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 1:00:25pm

There's nary a peep about the Fortune scoop on #tcot.

122 Daniel Ballard  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 1:01:33pm

re: #118 CuriousLurker

Yeah, it really would have been better for all if that bastard had kept his complaints to actual events. Without that Issa would not have had this issue to grab headlines with at all. The whole thing would simply not have been there.

As it is, Holder admitted something that never happened. oh boy. That's a right mess now.

123 Targetpractice  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 1:04:00pm

re: #122 Daniel Ballard

Yeah, it really would have been better for all if that bastard had kept his complaints to actual events. Without that Issa would not have had this issue to grab headlines with at all. The whole thing would simply not have been there.

As it is, Holder admitted something that never happened. oh boy. That's a right mess now.

Dodson's the sort of "whistleblower" that we always get warned about, the one disgruntled employee with an axe to grind and a lot of "evidence" that can be twisted to fit whatever narrative he wishes to put forth.

124 Daniel Ballard  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 1:07:35pm

re: #121 CuriousLurker

Heh. This will be my first use of that hashtag.

125 Sionainn  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 1:08:23pm

re: #110 CuriousLurker

I guess Old Yeller is out too then. *sigh*

How about the turkey vulture?

126 CuriousLurker  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 1:08:55pm

re: #122 Daniel Ballard

It's depressing. We have a great country that could be even better if more of our politicians gave an actual damn about its welfare instead of caring more about scoring points to grab at more power and enrich themselves.

Sometimes I feel like they're slowly tearing everything down, and they won't realize the awful thing they've done until it's too late and we've become just another corruption-ridden backwater.

127 CuriousLurker  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 1:09:36pm

re: #125 Sionainn

How about the turkey vulture?

Good one!

128 Bulworth  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 1:09:49pm

I'm still not sure what the "program" was supposed to be.

129 Sionainn  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 1:10:07pm

re: #113 CuriousLurker

Wait, I've got it—squirrel!

Better idea.

130 CuriousLurker  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 1:11:02pm

re: #129 Sionainn

Better idea.

LOL, perfect!

131 allegro  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 1:27:30pm

re: #71 Gus

My first thought was the common "sewer rat".

I'm thinking turd beetle.

132 sizzzzlerz  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 1:50:23pm
Republican senators are whipping up the country into a psychotic frenzy with reports that are patently false

Total number of individuals I've heard mention this since Issa held his little theater of the absurd: Zero. Zilch. Nada.

The only people whipped into a psychotic frenzy are teabaggers and they've been at 11 on the psychotic frenzy dial since Obama was elected.

133 dragonath  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 1:55:26pm

re: #76 Charles Johnson

Vote for me, man! Yes, me! Ren Höek for preseedent! Power, money, (heh heh) peectoral muscles!

134 Elias  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 2:44:25pm

There is something I don't understand.

Of course the gun control conspiracy theory "cooked" by the Republicans is totally crazy. But that doesn't change the fact that an American agent was killed with a weapon the Obama administration voluntarily "released". Isn't that very serious ?

135 CuriousLurker  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 2:50:48pm

re: #134 Elias

There is something I don't understand.

Of course the gun control conspiracy theory "cooked" by the Republicans is totally crazy. But that doesn't change the fact that an American agent was killed with a weapon the Obama administration voluntarily "released". Isn't that very serious ?

That has already been addressed. There is no such "fact".

See comment #117 by wrenchwench, above.

136 wrenchwench  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 2:52:03pm

re: #134 Elias

There is something I don't understand.

Of course the gun control conspiracy theory "cooked" by the Republicans is totally crazy. But that doesn't change the fact that an American agent was killed with a weapon the Obama administration voluntarily "released". Isn't that very serious ?

The part about the Obama administration voluntarily releasing weapons was also cooked up.

(Thanks, CL!)

137 CuriousLurker  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 2:55:28pm

re: #136 wrenchwench

I'm glad you were paying attention and caught the point I missed. ;)

138 Elias  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 3:13:08pm

re: #135 CuriousLurker

Even if the fatal shot did not come from this gun, the gun contributed to the death of the agent if the killer had it on him, you don't think so ?

139 Destro  Wed, Jun 27, 2012 7:43:14pm

The right will claim it is a conspiracy and ignore reality.

140 Neo_  Thu, Jun 28, 2012 8:55:38am

Essentially, Fortune said the "whistleblower" was lying, but it's like Fortune is stuck in a time warp ...

Internally, over the course of the next eight months, the Justice Department identified 140,000 pages of documents and communications responsive to the Committee’s subpoena. Yet,the Department handed over only 7,600 of these pages. Through a series of accommodations and in recognition of certain Executive Branch and law enforcement prerogatives, the Committee prioritized key documents the Department needed to produce to avoid contempt proceedings. These key documents would help the Committee understand how and why the Justice Department moved from denying whistleblower allegations to understanding they were true; the identities of officials who attempted to retaliate against whistleblowers; the reactions of senior Department officials when confronted with evidence of gunwalking during Fast and Furious,including whether they were surprised or already aware of the use of this reckless tactic, and; whether senior Department officials are being held to the same standard as lower-level employees who have been blamed for Fast and Furious by their politically-appointed bosses in Washington.

Fortune sounds exactly like the DOJ position prior to withdrawing their Feb ’11 letter to Issa last November.


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