You say criminal I say act of war, tomato tomahto.

Oh hey I must say that I'm glad to see that the Left now apparently believes that voter suppression is a bad thing.  That's nice.

brb adding to the Hume shrine

Obama's Executive Privilege Claim Has the "Stench of Cover-Up"

***

And today highly placed White House staffers are experiencing the clench of buttholes.

I don't think this is a cover up.

We (and by we, I mean "I") thought that the fact Obama fought so hard to prevent disclosure of his long form birth certificate meant that he was hidding something.

But there turned out to be nothing there.  No mbarassing mention of his father being arab, not black, or muslim, or negro or incriminating, like he was really born in Africa.  Nothing at all.

Obama just didn't feel like we needed to see that.

I think there is a very good chance that Obama is doing the same thing.  He thinks that we peons have no business dictating to him or his people anything at all.

We want the Fast and Furious documents?  Well Obama doesn't agree, so we can go take a flying leap as far as Obama cares.

I think he will fight this just on the "principal" that we don't dictate a damn thing to him.

For the first time in my adult life, I am not proud to be an American.

Jay Carney today....pointed out how many times other Presidents had invoke executive priviledge....

"....and this president has done it only once!" he said.

That's all they've got.

Holder needs to be in an orange jumpsuit sharing a cell with Big Bubba.

Look, just because Big Bubba killed those families and ate those endangered lemurs doesn't mean he deserves that. 

Even NBC's Today show had some coverage this a.m. Although you'd think that the contempt vote would be more newsworthy than the 3 leading stories: East Coast heatwave, Sandusky, feeling of woman whose family DIAF at Christmas, at least it made the broadcast. And it was as "balanced" as those asshats get.

The stink of this needs to be on Hillary's ankles too.

To clairify my comment #14.  I very much doubt there is a smoking gun where a memo states that Obama personally approved of sending guns south for the purpose of killing a lot of people to discredit the second amendment.

And I doubt Holder has his fingerprints on anything like that either.

I DO believe that that was their real intent.  But I don't think you will find anything in writting that supports that.

Juan Williams says

I am telling you, at some point Brit Hume is going to wander onto the Fox News set in a bathrobe, plaid pajamas, slippers, glasses on the end of his nose, glass of scotch and rolled up newspaper that he will use to smack Juan Williams on the nose.

Posted by: Jane D'oh at June 21, 2012 01:50 PM (UOM4

Plus they came up with the name of Jaime Zapata being killed in this clowncar shitshow also.  Of the voluminous number of things to despise Stedman and the JEF over this, their callous indifference to the deaths of these two agents is the thing that infuriates me the most.

I'm getting really sick of hearing Team Barky say that this was "Bush's policy".....and that "we are the ones who  ended it".

What a crock.

Committee member Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., spoke in written remarks about the active intimidation of ATF agents and potential witnesses in the Fast and Furious probe by high officials at the Department of Justice.

___

Meehan is my rep. He's not creating the fireworks that Gowdy and Chaffetz have, but as a former US Attorney he knows his stuff and is relentless.

Oldsailors Poet, Team Dagny at June 21, 2012 01:54 PM (9TTOe)

****************

Well, maybe I missed something.  What did I miss?

Posted by: alexthechick - SMOD 2012 at June 21, 2012 01:53 PM (VtjlW

I nominate you Queen of the Interwebs.

I nominate you Queen of the Interwebs.

I graciously accept.

Love, despair, bitches, you know the drill.

“Stench is a good word.”

True, but its better when used with putrid and festering.

Posted by: dogfish at June 21, 2012 01:58 PM (NuPNl)

Something tells me that genius adviser, Valerie Jarrett, was behind the EP recommendation.   That one has 'chokit icream' written all over her.

Demand Letter 3 was so named because it would be the third ATF program
demanding gun dealers report tracing information

The same ATF that was demanded that the gun store owners sell the guns in the first place.  Neat trick.

Posted by: Ken at June 21, 2012 02:03 PM (fFh95)

I thought their policy was the destruction of America and our policy was entirely different.

88 Watergate with toe tags.

Heh.

And a Time Machine... Barky and Hillary were talking about the "flow of guns to Mexico" a year before it supposedly started!

Posted by: Truck Monkey at June 21, 2012 02:07 PM (jucos)

In this one case, I'm all in favor of using union labor.

I guess I'm unclear which documents the committee is seeking now. Do we have all the paperwork that would lead us to whoever authorized this clusterfuck? Is the committee just seeking documents that flew around when the OA was trying to put out the fire?

Because it does seem to me that the damage control emails would be covered by privilege. The only way they wouldn't is if there was an attempt to cover up a crime. We can't find out if there was a crime committed unless we see evidence of the cover-up. Is this even close to the issue?

Posted by: Schwalbe: The Me-262© at June 21, 2012 02:00 PM (UU0OF)

Nothing says "finding out what happened" like withholding documents.

Watergate with toe tags.

I'm stealing that one Iowahawk if it's ok.

lol

"The fight, which a police report said “caused visible damage to both parties,” pitted Jonathan Dawes, a hulking, 217-pound Secret Service agent, and Eric “Bomb Squad” Gahagan, a Massachusetts State Police bomb technician assigned to Biden, against three Air Force officers who had just been assigned to the same detail. The airmen, who suffered black eyes, head contusions and a chipped tooth, thought their assailants were local cops. Gahagan and Dawes knew the airmen were part of the Biden detail."

Let me see if I have this right -

Barky's administration can "leak" highly classified information on things like Stuxnet and Flame, and that is hunky-dory.

But correspondence on something that we have been assured over and over again is a great big nothing burger is deemed to be "For Your Eyes Only", and releasing that information could endanger national security or something.

We are living in Bizarro World.

From yesterday's post, "Holder 'Retracts' Claim That Bush was Briefed on Fast and Furious":

---------------

This has the "stench" Valarie Jarrett.  Every piece of advise Obama takes from her turns to, well, you know what.

When your initials are B.O. the stench doesn't surprise.

How many times have we heard the phrase...."the failed policies of the Bush administration".....over and over and over again.

So if this was indeed, one of those "failed policies of the Bush administration" ......then, why did they continue it??

Hmm?

They still haven't answered the question of ...'What was the purpose of this operation?'

Or....'What did you hope to accomplish'?

Is it too 'tin foil' to ask "What if State was involved?"

Justice *was* mucking about in a foreign country, right?  Wouldn't it be logical that Cankles was briefed as well?

Was the DOJ, the DOS, and the WH involved in plotting an act of war against a foreign, sovereign  government?  There has to be a reason why the WH would go nuclear on this.

Posted by: Merovign, Dark Lord of the Sith at June 21, 2012 02:17 PM (bxiXv)

HAH!   That WOULD be educational for our dipshit legislators.

Posted by: laceyunderalls has twitter dependency issues apparently at June 21, 2012 02:18 PM (pLTLS)

Sweet Christ, what an ASSHAT.   Hipster douchebag!

Posted by: imagine at June 21, 2012 02:21 PM (HOOye)

That would be the only illegal immigrant Obama would demand be deported.

Posted by: Jane D'oh at June 21, 2012 02:12 PM (UOM4

Eric Stoltz doens't seem well cut out for this job; and by "this job" I mean anything that requires backbone and integrity.

156 Regarding the WH leaks, Michael Reagan was on Megyn Kelly's show a couple of weeks ago and said the leaks have Joey Biden's fingerprints all over them.

 

He said when his father was in office, Biden would sit in on briefings and literally threaten leaks to the press if certain things didn't go his way.

 

I find that amazing.

Yeah, Jane.....Biden is one of the sleaziest partisan Dems ever.

Everything he does...is for political reasons.

Just like Barky.

I said yesterday that I bet the fight between Axelrod and Holder was epic.

Feather pillows at ten paces.

Kimberly Guilfoyle said last night "All indications are that this is an abuse of discretion."

Or as I like to think, all roads lead to Rome and ultimately at the feet of Emperor Zero (even though he was probably playing with a golf club while F&F burned).

Posted by: SpongeBob Saget at June 21, 2012 02:24 PM (SDkq3)

I believe it falls under the auspices of the District of Columbia.

Smoking gun, anybody? And this from that well known right wing racist hate propaganda spewing CBS News.

I think it's Sharyl Atkinson at CBS who has been doing actual real journalism about this for a few years.

Any bets on when Carney leaves? I'm predicting he'll resign the end of July.

I am tanned, rested and ready!

Regarding the WH leaks, Michael Reagan was on Megyn Kelly's show a
couple of weeks ago and said the leaks have Joey Biden's fingerprints
all over them.

My only argument with that -- and it's pretty slim -- is that when Reagan was Prez, Biden was     the   opposition.   Now he's the #2 and directly in the line of fire should there be any fallout.

Of course, he might be trying to be sneaky and get Obama ousted so that he can slide into the Oval Office for the remainder of Barky's term and then run at the head of the     Dem ticket.    The old Joe, pre-brain surgery, might have done that.   

The new Joe?   Senile     as a dollop of rancid mayonaisse.    I just don't see it.

Posted by: runningrn at June 21, 2012 02:24 PM (WGmy2)

That could be the JEF's stay out of jail card:  That everybody knows he's a lazy cumguzzler who's never done a day of work, honest or otherwise, in his pampered clusterfuck life.

WAAAAH!  NYT op-ed:

"The political feud between the White House and Congressional Republicans has now culminated in a House oversight committee vote to cite Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. for criminal contempt. His supposed crime is failing to hand over some documents in an investigation of a botched gunrunning sting operation known as “Fast and Furious."

The Republicans shamelessly turned what should be a routine matter into a pointless constitutional confrontation. And the White House responded as most administrations do at some point: it invoked executive privilege to make a political problem go away.        While Mr. Holder has turned over more than 7,600 documents to the committee, he has withheld some subpoenaed documents. The committeeÂ’s chairman, Representative Darrell Issa, has treated this refusal as a cover-up of wrongdoing by the Justice Department. Mr. Holder claims that surrendering some of the documents would jeopardize criminal investigations and the confidentiality of the departmentÂ’s decision-making process."

Can you imagine the NYT response to F&F if GWB was President?  Yeah, me either.

#227, I'm sure your electricity does not come from properly green sources like solar or wind power.

And today highly placed White House staffers are experiencing the clench of buttholes.

---

that's never helpful

What best to do in such situation, Let Romney beat em then jail em, or jail em and let the rats raise up another Alinsky disciple for POTUS?

The similar program...under Bush...involved enlisting the help of the Mexican govt, to intercept the gun runners at the border.

It also used tracking devices and surveilance from point of sale.

....And, even with those elements....the program was declared a fail.

So the program was discontinued.

So what do Barky's people do?

They resurrect a failed, discontinued program....took out the elements of it that might help it succeed, the tracking and help from the Mexican govt.....and ran with it!

I would like to see them explain....'Why?'.....why did you think this would work?

What was the purpose?

What were you hoping to accomplish?

Posted by: and, how does it help Obama? at June 21, 2012 02:37 PM (HOOye)

Been reading about Issa, I wouldn't be surprised if he has a copy of what he wants them to release in a lock box somewhere and several other copies, sent to the right folks in the republican party.   The dems/libs are seriously underestimating issa.

I would like to see them explain....'Why?'.....why did you think this would work?
What was the purpose?
What were you hoping to accomplish?

Yeah, still waiting on an answer to that.

240 Any 'ettes besides me develop a mad crush on Trey Gowdy? Wow! He was en fuego the other day. I like my men firey!

Yep. ....Gowdy is teh hotness.

He reminds me of Barry Pepper.

Posted by: the morning coffee crew at June 21, 2012 02:35 PM (oZfic) <<<<<

Right. That is the Sandusky plan too. We'll see how it works out.

Yep. ....Gowdy is teh hotness.
He reminds me of Barry Pepper.

Barry Pepper's best role--the sharp shooting sniper in Saving Private Ryan.  Loved him in that!  I cried when he died.  Sniff!

Too bad there's a 99% chance this will backfire on the GOP.

Your deep Christian, conservative concern is duly noted.

Posted by: sandy burger at June 21, 2012 02:46 PM (lA8yt)

And this is about toe tags, not blow jobs.

Posted by: runningrn at June 21, 2012 02:45 PM (WGmy2) <<<<<<

When you take pot shots at a tank, bad things happen to ya.

The GOP really has no understanding of how to use the media to lambaste an opponent and obtain results.  Why not send a Congressman or Senator out to the media and ask this simple question:

"Why are the President and the Attorney General attempting to cover up an act of war committed by the United States against the sovereign nation of Mexico?"

Think about it.  The US Government permitted Mexican drug cartels (who are engaged in open warfare with the Mexican military and police forces) to obtain hundreds of military-style assault rifles, didn't notify the Mexican government and refused to track the weapons.  This action resulted in the deaths of 300 Mexican citizens and 2 Americans (that we know of).  There are likely to be many, many more.  What would the United States have done had Mexico supplied Timothy McVeigh with a few hundred pounds of TNT, not notified the US and decided not track it?  Suppose you could trace Oklahoma City straight to the Mexican government.  Is that not an act of war?

To me, this is probably the worst scandal in the history of the United States.  Watergate?  Big deal.  The President had a merry band of misfits who attempted to screw over the Democrats.  Who got hurt?  No one.  Iran-Contra?  We sold weapons to Iran and used the money to train anti-communist forces in Nicaragua.  Yes, it was kept from Congress, who likely would not have authorized it, but again, who got hurt?  Did the US contribute to the deaths of Americans and 300 foreign nationals?  No. 

I truly cannot believe that the GOP doesn't get this.  If what's been reported about F&F is true, and the GOP doesn't find out: who created it and who authorized it, and send those people to jail, then they're a bunch of incompetents.  And if the President had any knowledge at all that this was going on, he needs to be impeached.  Now.  And if Congress votes to hold Holder in contempt, I would put him in jail until he releases the documents.  Forget the civil suits.  This is a matter of national security and criminal wrongdoing on a scale unheard of.

Still, Obama is no Clinton. He'll probably find a way to shoot himself in the foot, and blame it on Biden.

Heh!  Well, I am known as the brains behind the operation.  That's why I get to tend the rabbits!

278....Barry Pepper's best role--the sharp shooting sniper in Saving Private Ryan. Loved him in that! I cried when he died. Sniff!

Yeah....he was great in that. ....Also good in that baseball movie.

And was the only redeeming thing in that dreadful 'Battlefield Earth' flick.

Posted by: wheatie at June 21, 2012 02:22 PM (M2JTb)

------------------------------------------------

Yup.  Biden and  Baraka.

Two peas in a pod.

Two turds in the bowl.

Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dumb.

Pork and Beans.

Beevus and Butthead.

This is the only time that I'll say that I hope Baraka stays in office until Jan.  We think he's bad.  I shudder  at the thought  of  "President Biden".

Oh yeah. Gowdy. Smart, intense. I'm a girlie fan. Besides, I'm lucky enough to have him as my rep. You can all thank me for being the smallest part in elected him

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  He is truly awesome!

Posted by: wheatie at June 21, 2012 02:49 PM (M2JTb) <<<<<

I thought that movie was pretty funny. In the same vain as "Mars Attacks".

289Oh yeah. Gowdy. Smart, intense. I'm a girlie fan. Besides, I'm lucky enough to have him as my rep. You can all thank me for being the smallest part in elected him

Thank you Lady In Black! ....Thank you, thank you.

When you take pot shots at a tank, bad things happen to ya.

Aw, you have to bring that up?  OK, so not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he was a darn good shot.  (They were all kind of doomed anyways, and at least he wasn't as stupid as Vin Diesel.)  I also cried when the medic died. 

Chariots of Toast at June 21, 2012 02:28 PM (ksERZ)

********************

You could be right.  Maybe there is the smoking gun.  If so, I hope we find it.

Oldsailors Poet, Team Dagny at June 21, 2012 02:01 PM (9TTOe)

******************

No, I got that part.  I think he is misusing EP just to stick it in our eye.  We want something?  Tough.  Obama yields to no peon.

Lee Harvey Oswald at June 21, 2012 02:28 PM (e8kgV)

******************

Oh I wouldn't doubt for a second he lied on his college applications about where he was born.

Posted by: runningrn at June 21, 2012 02:51 PM (WGmy2) <<<<<

Fish! Fish! Come over here and git yer ass shot off! Give this to my Dad.....It's got blood on it......*croak*

You know we're always told that The Bamster is the smartest fellow ever to occupy the Oval Office.  (Okay you guys in the peanut gallery, stop laughin yer ass off!)

But Jay Know Carney had this spin this morning.  "This all started in the previous administration.  It was a field directed operation out of the Phoeniz Arizona ATF office.  When Eric Holder found out about it, he put a stop to it! "

Okay there's the obligatory blame Bush shot.  But if this is true then why not just put all the cards and documents on the table and be done with it?

Well there is that little problem that Eric Holder first told Congress  he'd never heard about it before February of 2011.  He said that under oath.  But then he had to "retract" the statement--i.e. he admitted he'd lied.  He's since had to retract a couple of other sworn statements to Congress.

Okay Holder is a fuckup of limited intelligence and credibility. He's done this several times before so throw him under the bus and dump all the documents.

But no the genius in the Oval Office has to invoke executive privilege--which covers communications within the White House and between the President and his closest advisors--for documents relating "to a field operation directed out of the  Phoenix ATF office".  WTF--was Da Bamstah out in Phoenix directing this thing?  I don't think so.

But stupid things like that are par for the course for the SSCOAMF--aka Stupid Stuttering Clusterfuck Of A Miserable Failure. 

307...I thought that movie was pretty funny. In the same vain as "Mars Attacks".

Heh. Yeah, maddog....it was. ...But unlike 'Mars Attacks', I don't think they intended for 'Battlefield Earth' to be funny.

Posted by: Gunsmoke at June 21, 2012 02:45 PM (nJaAC)

--------------------------------------------------------

If the MFM had gotten wind that the fed was smuggling cartons of smokes across the border, they would have been on this like flies on shit.

Well, this is an administration that has just leaked everything you want to know about Stuxnet, the secret war against Iran, just leaked details about the drone war, the double agent in Yemen — including, this morning in the Washington Post, [disclosures about] the Flame virus, the other one [cyber attack] now active.

It’s not a leak, but a flood. What does all that [public disclosure of foreign policy secrets] have in common? It’s a way to show how strong and assertive this administration is in foreign affairs. This [Fast and Furious] might show negatively on the administration. That is the only difference. If it’s national security, then they have no regard for secrets — and here [with Fast and Furious] all of a sudden they are extremely guarded.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at June 21, 2012 02:59 PM (piMMO)

---------------------------------------------

Okay.  Someone get the straight-jackets and sedatives.  I see a major mental emergency brewing.

Posted by: tasker at June 21, 2012 03:00 PM (r2PLg)

--------------------------------------------------

As I was saying yesterday, I think everyone in Baraka's inner WH circle knew about FF  and there's a paper trail to each of them.

Watergate?

Well, there's some similarity, but Watergate was an illegal act to directly attempt to undermine the political process. FnF was an illegal act, but it remains somewhat speculative as to it being an indirect attempt to instigate political change. Personally, I believe it - but it's unproven.

"Dead bodies"? Yes, but let's keep in mind that DOJ was complicit, not directly responsible. The argument against bearing arms is that "guns kill people", rather than "(bad) people kill people (sometimes using guns)", so let's be careful with that kind of talk. That being said, when you give weapons to drug lords, it's reasonable to expect that said "lords" will kill more people.

Posted by: Gregory of Yardale at June 21, 2012 01:47 PM (gPDxp)

I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

The fact that weapons were supplied to drug lords is practally a side-issue, at this point.

The BFD is that DOJ lied to Congress (gave a statement with - as THEY put it -" inaccuracies"). That was part of a cover-up, but now they are covering THAT up, too.

With Plame, in contrast, there wasn't even a crime, and the only prosecution was for some schmuck who was stupid enough the lie to the investigators.

349 BE was LRons masterpiece (it's only 1/2 bad for space opera dribble). It's Travoltas self made tribute to his idol. And yet it's so appalling you can't tell if him or Forrest Wittaker are phoning it in.

---------

The fiction part? The idea that there's any gold in Fort Knox!

76What did the president know and when did he know it?

How convenient.  You guys normally claim that Pres. Obama knows Fu*k nothing.  Well, I tell you, Pres. Obama knows fu*k all.  The sweet variety, naturally. 

That wasn't mine.  I think Director Michael Curtiz (Director of Charge of the Light Brigade) said something like this and it was recounted by David Niven in one of his autobiographies (maybe "Bring on the Empty Horses).   Another fun fact, surprisingly, it is believed both men died with the pleasure of never having experienced Mr. Obama in any way.