Scandal,Hyperbole and Politics All Mixed Together

I don't know if I'm being an apologist for President Obama until I hear all the pertinent facts, or I’m missing the point people like Andrea Mitchell, Tom Brokaw,David Gregory are trying to make by saying that this president is too aloof, and it’s going to lead to his downfall. Those three and others are saying that the president needs to fire someone or his political enemies will destroy him.

I think that the Department of Justice stepped over the proverbial line, although it might not be illegal, by subpoenaing all those phone lines in trying to find a leaker. They weren’t going after the Associated Press or those reporters ,they were searching for a leaker and sending a message to potential leakers. I don't know where the line between freedom of the press and maintaining National-Security secrets is, but it has to be established. I'm not surprised that the GOP is not making much noise about this scandal because they don't like the press, and it wasn't too long ago that they were demanding that this president go after the leakers. 

President Obama needs to regain the respect he has shown during the past for the free flow of information by supporting a Federal Shield law. Whoever ordered this obvious overreach and at this time leads to the deputy Atty. General, should be relieved of duty and a new policy put in place that doesn't leave anything to interpretation (loopholes).

I read bits and pieces of the Inspector General's report concerning the IRS scandal. It still seems like the Cincinnati office had a few IRS agents who did not know the specifics of 501 c(4) so they made up the criteria, something called BOLO (be on the lookout)of their own. When the head of the IRS Tax-Exempt Organization, Lois Lerner, heard of this, she put a stop to it but those agents disobeyed her orders and continued the practice. I believe the president can only remove a commissioner (don’t have one at the moment) but those lower employees are civil servants, so they are entitled to a hearing before dismissal. I don't think anyone would have mined if the IRS went after Karl Rove, Bill Burton and Glenn Beck for their obvious abuse of their tax-exempt status. If nothing else, the 501 [c] [4] should remove the word “primary” and stick with “exclusively” in the requirement section of social welfare.

There are just too many exaggerations, assumptions and politics that come with every scandal. You get crazies like Michelle Bachmann, who’s saying that the administration brought up this IRS scandal to get people's minds off Benghazi. That doesn't even make sense and neither does the comparison of Watergate nor talks of impeachment. I heard a legitimate reporter say that the Obama Administration is worse than Nixon; a president who left in disgrace.

I am surprised that no one on the VA forum has commented on the 3 ongoing scandals (if you will). Could be that they are confused, or just disinterested? I know we have a lot of posters that shoot- from- the- hip, so this should be right up their alley.

Our own little city has a conspiracy brewing in the mayor's race. Without any facts whatsoever, there are people who believe that a city councilman and a former mayor made an agreement beforehand to ensure one of them would become mayor. The two conspired in a closed-door meeting had to know in advance the outcome of the election for this scheme to work. When I read the City Charter; I wasn't clear if it addressed the withdrawal. I would be against a runoff, although I think, Paul would prevail, because the third candidate didn't do that well. I think it's all about sour grapes to which some people think it gives them a license to hurl accusations without offering any proof. Who in the world made Clara Ramos an authority on elections?

Is there something in the water?

The democrats and the republicans said they will gladly sit together, at the next State of the Union. Is this the first baby step toward civil discourse? I'm taking this symbolic gesture in stride because there are many controversial issues to be hashed out. We will know soon enough because the republicans are trying to repeal the Health Care Law(mathematically impossible) and representative Darrell Issa will begin his investigations on the financial crisis of 2008 and what he thinks are policy improprieties by the Obama administration.

It’s a strange and bad day for democrats because Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota will not run in 2012 and Independent /Democrat Joe Lieberman may resign. CNN is reporting that Joe Lieberman will not seek re-election. That might be a good or bad. I think Joe Lieberman is looking at the unfavorable poll numbers but I'm not real sure about Kent Conrad. Wiki leaks? We are already seeing the influence of John Daley has on president Obama. The new chief of staff might have advised Obama to write the piece in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, “decrying how regulations have sometimes "gotten out of balance, placing unreasonable burdens on business -- burdens that have stifled innovation and have had a chilling effect on growth and jobs." That's all we need, for the president to start, coddling to Wall Street. They're sitting on two trillion dollars of surplus and still paying record bonuses. Whenever the reforms are; they aren’t hurting Wall Street.

The right is still trying to deflect all the blame to the liberal left. Did anyone watch the pathetic interview Sean Hannity had with Sarah Palin? It was advertised as an “exclusive interview with Sarah Palin.”Really, she works at Fox News! It's pretty bad when Newt Gingrich says “ Sarah Palin needs to slow down and be more careful and think through what she’s saying and how’s she’s saying it.” As many gaffes as Newt makes, he should know.

On the local front, our resident know- it- all, SpeakUp1968, blamed the usual, The Daily Kos, Huffington Post, and Moveon.org for all the vitriol. What a sheltered life he lives. He gets all his news filtered.  I didn't follow his definition of normal liberal protocol because he posted “I am shocked, and I say thank you to Mike….Mike, of all the liberals I would expect to act in the way I have accused these others, you shockingly have not…To that I say thanks.”… How vain, my two comments were intended for Rebecca but does anyone really care what he thinks? Am I supposed to take his gratitude as if it's some sort of award? SpeakUp1968 then went onto say “Yes Rush is arrogant and bombastic. I cannot stand him personally. Doesn't make what he says wrong though. What he says is correct, despite that the way he says it is off-putting.”Then out of nowhere ,Rebecca ,(I don’t know if that was her intention..She has been a sneaky one lately) hit him with the line that cracked me up, by posting “Speak, thank you for answering my question, but in doing so, you were harsher on Rush than I was. “..BAM!.. I still don't know what the "all democrats are not liberals,” is all about? SpeakUp1968 said he wasn’t a republican. He was a conservative. All republicans say they are conservatives. It's a monolithic group.

I almost forgot, Megan McCain is personally taking Rachel Maddow to the next NRA convention. I don't know why that matters but it's a good place to stop for the day. I can't wait for the pundits to sort it all out for me.