This entire episode does indeed seem to reek of DOJ’s panic over unlawful methods of gathering information that inadvertently came to light. Since they would have a difficult time making a credible case of national security to justify the warrantless wiretapping/email capturing that is pretty clearly the elephant in the living room here, they are acting perhaps less out of petty vindictiveness than out of desperation to buy time so they can think of a strategy to deny/shred their way out of this turkey.

Either way, it’s clear that from at least Holder on down, they’re in deep doodoo. It’s one of those “oh shit” moments that, after you’ve been around a while you learn to recognize in the machinations of people like the low-level George that get stuck with the mess.

OK, maybe the vindictiveness part still plays in, or they never would have gotten themselves into this mess.

This entire episode does indeed seem to reek of DOJ’s panic over unlawful methods of gathering information that inadvertently came to light. Since they would have a difficult time making a credible case of national security to justify the warrantless wiretapping/email capturing that is pretty clearly the elephant in the living room here, they are acting perhaps less out of petty vindictiveness than out of desperation to buy time so they can think of a strategy to deny/shred their way out of this turkey.

Either way, it’s clear that from at least Holder on down, they’re in deep doodoo. It’s one of those “oh shit” moments that, after you’ve been around a while you learn to recognize in the machinations of people like the low-level George that get stuck with the mess.

OK, maybe the vindictiveness part still plays in, or they never would have gotten themselves into this mess.

This entire episode does indeed seem to reek of DOJ’s panic over unlawful methods of gathering information that inadvertently came to light. Since they would have a difficult time making a credible case of national security to justify the warrantless wiretapping/email capturing that is pretty clearly the elephant in the living room here, they are acting perhaps less out of petty vindictiveness than out of desperation to buy time so they can think of a strategy to deny/shred their way out of this turkey.

Either way, it’s clear that from at least Holder on down, they’re in deep doodoo. It’s one of those “oh shit” moments that, after you’ve been around a while you learn to recognize in the machinations of people like the low-level George that get stuck with the mess.

OK, maybe the vindictiveness part still plays in, or they never would have gotten themselves into this mess.

“…This begs the question, did Obama’s people not privately have a quick talk ….”

You wanna talk petty? Or just pet peeve? Well, that’s mine. IMPROPER USE OF “Begs the Question!”

as my eighth grade teacher used to say, “go look it up!”

Focusing on the drug war is only half the equation. The other is guns. You might wonder why the gun sales business is so strong in Arizona and Texas. Guess! They’re the main source of advanced (semi-automatic and more) guns going in to Mexico. A lot of money is being made supplying Mexican cartels with their weapons, and needless to say the U.S. gun businesses aren’t about to advocate any policy or law that might affect this income stream. Smuggling them across the border is not a significant problem.

Guns to Mexico, drugs to the U.S. Meanwhile, keep looking at this shiny object :: illegal immigrants! Is everybody happy?

This entire issue is so suffering from a lack of coherent framing. What’s needed is to break down the $$700 Billion that the tax cut for the rich costs into a message that everyone can relate to. And here it is:

The government could either give a tax cut to the rich, or give every taxpayer in America a check for $5000!

That’s the cost to every taxpayer to extend tax cuts to the richest! Which is a better policy to stimulate the economy?

[doubt the math? 700,000,000,000 / 138,000,000 = 5072]