Obama Denies Knowing About ATF Gun Walking Scandal

Barack Obama gave an interview to Univision's Jorge Ramos and the subject of ATF's Fast and Furious operation came up. The policy of allowing guns to 'walk' into Mexico goes all the way to the Justice Department. In fact, emails and documents show that there seems to have been significant coordination at the Phoenix U.S. Attorney's office.

Now, both Obama and Eric Holder are maintaining that the reason they didn't tell Mexican president Felipe Calderon about the operation was because they didn't know about it. While that's possible, the history of lying in this administration does cause one to question the assertion, especially in light of how far up the policy seems to go.

Via CBS:



MySanAntonio has more:

Obama told Univision‘s Jorge Ramos that President Felipe Calderon wasn’t informed of the operation because he — the president of the United States — wasn’t informed either. When asked whether he knew of the weapon smuggling plan, Obama responded that it is “a pretty big government” with “a lot of moving parts.”

The investigation into the program comes after it was connected to two weapons that were found at the scene of a border shootout that killed U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry in December. Likewise, a gun smuggled from the U.S. were used to kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent Jamie Zapata, but it has not been determined if it was part of “Fast and Furious.”

When President Calderon came to visit Washington recently, the two presidents came together on a policy to stop drug and weapon smuggling across the border.

As I noted before, the idea that Holder and now Obama are pointing to the Inspector General (IG) is borderline laughable based on how the Gerald Walpin situation was handled back in 2009.

To get caught up on the Fast and Furious scandal, go HERE and HERE.

Wisconsin Law to State Supreme Court?

The biggest problem I have with this is that the Wisconsin collective bargaining bill that was signed into Law by Governor Scott Walker has no business being in the courts at all. The whole notion of an appeal to the Supreme Court is based on a completely false premise. When Dane County judge Maryann Sumi issued a temporary restraining order on the law, she set an entirely new precedent for a judge overstepping his / her bounds. It was learned soon thereafter that she has family inside the SEIU.

There is a side story that is likely to become very important in the coming days. There could be a balance of power shift on the Supreme Court on April 5 and you can bet the Union thugs will be taking great interest.

Via the New York Post:

Wisconsin's Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen appealed Judge Maryann Sumi's decision earlier this week, arguing that the Dane County court does not have jurisdiction over the state legislature.

It is not known when the Wisconsin Supreme Court will decide whether it should rule on the controversial law. The appeals court decision kicks the issue to a court where conservative jurists currently hold four seats while three are held by more liberal judges.

One of the conservative justices, David Prosser, is up for re-election on April 5. His challenger is Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg, who is garnering support from the unions and their supporters.

Again, the problem here is that the right is fighting on the left's terms. This is a law that has absolutely no business being adjudicated in the first place. Since it's already on a judicial course though, this April 5 election could very well determine its fate.

One of the reasons Republicans are having to play ball here is that the Secretary of State for Wisconsin is required to certify the law. As a Democrat, he'll no doubt keep his arms folded while pointing to Sumi's decision in response to questions about his refusal to certify. It's beyond pathetic.

h/t Free Republic

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano insists Mexican Border is Safer than Ever

Janet 'Baghdad Bob' Napolitano is insisting that the United States border with Mexico is safer than 'it has ever been' and that there is no significant violence spilling into the United States. In light of the fact that her Department has been implicated in the Project Gunrunner scandal in which the ATF 'allowed guns to walk' into Mexico, does she really think anyone will believe her? Since two of the guns the ATF let 'walk' showed up at the murder scene of a Border Agent, shouldn't Napolitano be more focused on getting to the bottom of that situation?

Via the AP:

EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said Thursday that security on the southern U.S. border "is better now than it ever has been" and that violence from neighboring Mexico hasn't spilled over in a serious way.

......

Napolitano said the Department of Homeland Security will deploy 250 more border agents and expects to have 300 more under their next budget if it's approved. She stated that Homeland Security is investing "millions of dollars in the side of commerce and trade" to improve infrastructure and technology along the border.

However, she added that there is a need to correct wrong impressions about the border region. Napolitano said border towns are safe for travel, trade and commerce. She noted that the total value of imports crossing the Southwest border was up 22 percent in fiscal year 2010, she said.

"There is a perception that the border is worse now than it ever has been. That is wrong. The border is better now than it ever has been," she said.

In this case, it depends upon what your meaning of the word 'is' is, I guess. In light of the high powered weapons that have been allowed to 'walk' into Mexico (50 caliber and AK-47), the whole 'commerce and trade' comment rings hollow at best and macabre at worst. Estimates of the number of guns ATF has let walk climb as high as 'thousands.'

Watch this short news report to see how DHS appears to be involved.



h/t Weasel Zippers

IDF Discovers Iranian Missiles Disguised as Humanitarian Aid to Gaza

It should be more than obvious why there were those who vehemently opposed turning the Gaza Strip over to the Palestinians in 2005. Anyone with an ounce of rational thought knew that Gaza would descend into a terrorist bastion and that the concession wouldn't satiate the Palestinians; it would provide them another platform from which to attack Israel. That is precisely what's been happening ever since. We can now add the confiscation of C-704 Missiles to the list.

On March 15th, IDF forces discovered six missiles believed to have come from Iran, which had earlier announced it had begun producing models similar to those originating in China. The C-704's were part of a shipment that included 50 tons of 'sophisticated weapons' on a ship that was supposed to contain humanitarian aid. The fact that Egypt is falling to the Muslim Brotherhood only compounds a serious problem.

Via Washington Examiner: