Breaking: Issa threatens Holder with Contempt charge

Just two days before Attorney General Eric Holder is set to appear in front of the House Oversight Committee, Chairman Darrell Issa has sent Holder a letter, threatening a contempt charge unless the DOJ complies with subpoenas.

Via Fox News:

In a four-page letter to Holder, Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., claims the Department of Justice has "misrepresented facts and misled Congress," which began its investigation of Operation Fast and Furious one year ago.

Issa wrote that Holder's "actions lead us to conclude that the department is actively engaged in a cover-up" because it refuses to comply with previous subpoenas.

"If the department continues to obstruct the congressional inquiry by not providing documents and information, this committee will have no alternative but to move forward with proceedings to hold you in contempt of Congress," Issa warned in the letter.

I also received a copy of the letter in my inbox. You can view it HERE. There is a reason why verbiage on the first page is in bold.

In referring to an email that names Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer, the letter says:

One e-mail reads, "Breuer suggested allowing straw purchasers cross into Mexico so SSP [Secretariat of Public Security] can arrest and PGR [Office of the General Prosecutor] can prosecute and convict. Such coordinated operations between the US and Mexico may send a strong message to arms traffickers." These new documents show that Breuer made this statement on February 4, 2011, the same day Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich wrote to Congress denying that the Department allowed guns to walk.

After this February 2nd hearing, the Super Bowl might just be a letdown.

2003 Video: Did Santorum call for Stimulus?

In 2003, when George W. Bush was president, Rick Santorum seemed to advocate for an economic stimulus package while Democrats said it was too much money. Note that the reporter asked Santorum about a $600 Billion stimulus package. The Democrats stimulus package in 2009 was only $187 Billion more.

Santorum seems quite comfortable with the package. In fact, at the end of the clip, he said something about not having to worry about deficits during a recession.

Uhhhhhhhhh.... I..... think.... what... he... meant..... was........ never mind.



h/t Free Republic

Has Rubio been bitten by the Establishment Vampire?

Florida Senator Marco Rubio has been a Tea Party favorite, much like South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was. Haley endorsed Romney and was thoroughly rebuked by her state's voters when Gingrich won going away.

Rubio hasn't officially endorsed Romney but he has come about as close as Sarah Palin has to endorsing Gingrich. In fact, Rubio's rebuke of Gingrich's ad that went after Romney for being anti-Immigration may have been almost as effective in deflating the Newtmentum in Florida as Romney's negative and egregious ads that targeted Gingrich. The Senator from Florida even rebuked Gingrich when the former Speaker likened Romney to Crist. Rubio defended Romney as someone who stood by him in his race against Crist.

As John Hawkins points out at Right Wing News, Romney didn't get behind Rubio until the Tea Party had spent a year pushing Rubio past Crist:

Back in May of 2009, I got together with Erick Erickson, Stacy McCain, and other bloggers to support Marco Rubio and went after the National Republican Senatorial Committee for endorsing Charlie Crist over Marco Rubio.... 

Back then, when Charlie Crist had what looked like an overwhelming lead and the support of the GOP establishment, guys like Mitt Romney were absolutely nowhere to be found. 

Of course, Mitt did eventually BOLDLY endorse Marco Rubio. It was almost a YEAR later on April 17 of 2010 and the GOP primary was already as good as over.

So why is Rubio siding with the establishment in this Florida primary? What has happened to these Tea Party favorites who wouldn't be sniffing higher public office if not for the conservatives who fought for them?

I can think of only two possibilities. Either Rubio got bit by an establishment vampire or it's nothing more than the disgraceful human tendency to betray instead of doing what's right.

Catholic Bishop slams Obama

The good news? The Catholic church is now angry about what Obamacare has wrought. The bad news? The church could have helped to prevent it in the first place but seemed to be all too willing to either stand by or endorse it.

Nonetheless, a Bishop is delivering some tough talk to the president.

Via CNS News:

Roman Catholic Bishop David A. Zubik of Pittsburgh says the Obama administration is telling American Catholics: “To Hell with you.”

“The Obama administration has just told the Catholics of the United States, ‘To Hell with you!’” the bishop said in a column posted on his diocesan website. “There is no other way to put it.”

The bishop was responding to a regulation, finalized by Health and Human Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Jan. 20, that orders all health-care plans in the United States to cover sterilizations and all FDA-approved contraceptives--including those that induce abortions--without any fees or co-pay.

The regulation includes an exemption for “religious employers.” But to qualify for this exemption, the employer must primarily serve members of its own faith, primarily employ members of its own faith, and primarily focus on inculcating the tenets of that faith—a rubric that would not apply to Catholic hospitals, universities, or charitable organizations.

We'll see if the phrase, "better late than never" actually holds true here but I don't see how at this point. The horse is out of the barn; the genie is out of the bottle.

Read it all. 

Jeffrey Lord hits back at the Republican Establishment

If you're a conservative and don't know if you should go with Gingrich or Romney, Jeffrey Lord's latest piece at the American Spectator should help you decide.

Via the Spectator:

"Ford Declares Reagan Can't Win" -- Headline in The New York Times, March 1, 1980

Yet still more mush from the wimps.

To borrow a famous Reagan phrase: "Well, there they go again."

Somewhere an exasperated Gipper is doubtless shaking his head.

The war between conservatives and the Republican Establishment -- and make no mistake, this is a war -- is on once more.

The people who brought the GOP losing candidates from Dewey to Dole are at it again.

Last week's assault on Newt Gingrich -- with various Romney supporters seriously and deceptively trying to tell unwitting voters that Gingrich was never really a real Reagan ally -- in reality has nothing to do with Newt Gingrich at all.

A certain staunch conservative - former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin - has been practically screaming for people to vote for Newt as her 2008 establishment running mate - John McCain - continues to stump for Romney.

Lord continues:

Sarah Palin is dead-on right.

If Newt Gingrich disappeared from the planet today and in his place stood only Rick Santorum -- or Sarah Palin herself or some other conservative -- you can be certain the Establishment GOP would have their sights trained on that conservative, running some version of precisely the same multi-gazillion dollar campaign they are running against Newt Gingrich right now. As a matter of fact, they did exactly this to Governor Palin from the very moment she stepped on the national stage in 2008. If by chance Rick Santorum emerges as the sole conservative left in this race -- look out Rick.

Here is Sarah Palin's appearance on Hannity one night before the Florida primary:


Read Lord's entire piece. It's long but well worth it.

Video: NBC's Plastic Man, Brian Williams and Misplaced Outrage

There's quite a bit of feigned outrage over Arizona Governor Jan Brewer pointing her finger at Barack Obama as he met with her on the tarmac in the Governor's state. One of those outraged is none other than a certain NBC news anchor who would much rather bow to Obama.

Williams, whose "objective" news casts are belied by blatant bias, has a bit of a problem and should probably move on at this point. In 2006, he not only pointed his finger directly at then President George W. Bush's chest but held it there for quite some time.

Via NewsBusters:



Objectivity? Ha!

Remember this?