Sharyl Attkisson: DOJ IG Report on Fast and Furious throws ATF Arizona under the bus

According to CBS' Sharyl Attkisson, the much anticipated DOJ IG report on Operation Fast and Furious is particularly hard on ATF's Phoenix office and may just give Justice Department leadership a pass.

Via CBS News:

Those familiar with the contents say ATF Phoenix officials shoulder much blame, including then-Special Agent in Charge Bill Newell, the lead Fast and Furious case agent Hope MacAllister, and group supervisor David Voth.

Since the controversy was first exposed, a divide has developed between the ATF staff in Phoenix who oversaw and implemented Fast and Furious; and their supervisors at ATF headquarters and the Justice Department. The Phoenix officials say higher-ups approved of the case. But the higher-ups say it was all the brainchild of rogue ATF officials in Phoenix.

Phoenix ATF officials tell CBS News that higher-level officials were integral in shifting focus away from arresting ground level gun buyers, to "a cartel focused strategy" that allowed guns hit the streets in an attempt to make a bigger case. They say the idea was codified in the September 2010 ATF document "Project Gunrunner-A Cartel Focused Strategy." The document refers to using the tactic of "limited or delayed interdiction" of guns, while cautioning that such investigations "must be closely monitored."

A little bit further into Attkisson's article, it appears that we could be watching the beginning stages of a circular firing squad; ATF leadership in Phoenix does not appear to be all that interested in just rolling over:

As alleged proof that they had the blessing of their superiors, ATF officials in Phoenix point to regular briefings provided headquarters and the Justice Department's National Drug Intelligence Center. Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had agents working the case. The Justice Department also approved seven wiretaps in Fast and Furious. However, then-head of ATF Kenneth Melson and officials at the Justice Department say they never intended for agents to allow guns to walk, and didn't know it was happening. They also say they either didn't read written briefings submitted about the case, or that the briefings and affidavits didn't reveal the controversial strategy being used. Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano, who oversees ICE, also says she knew nothing of the case.

Back on July 30th, the Oversight Committee issued the first of three reports on Fast and Furious. In it, the focus of that report wasn't all that dissimilar from what we're being told is in the IG Report. Report 1 of 3 was extremely critical of Phoenix ATF officials as well as ATF senior leadership. It will be interesting to see if the timing of the release of Report 2 of 3 will correspond with the testimony of the DOJ IG, who was recently called to testify this coming September 11th. That second report is supposed to point directly to the involvement of senior DOJ leadership. Watching the IG defend a position that involves singling out Phoenix ATF leadership while having to respond to a stinging report that outs DOJ leadership will be compelling to say the least.

In testimony before Congressional Committees, Attorney General Eric Holder, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, FBI Director Robert Mueller, and others all pointed to this IG Report instead of answering uncomfortable questions. Now that the Report is complete, the Inspector General is where the buck will have to stop.

The September 11th hearing may just top them all.

Read it all.

Reagan: Soviet Union is run by nice guys; it's just failing

Yes, the headline is intended to prove a point and not to be taken literally. When Ronald Reagan was president, he referred to the Soviet Union as an 'evil empire' and said his strategy for dealing with them was simple: 'We win, they lose'. At summits like Reykjavik, the mainstream media was apoplectic when it reported on the palpably visible conflict that existed between Reagan and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. Like a mother whose inclination is to chastise her husband for wanting to sufficiently discipline a disrespectful child, the media sought to blame Reagan instead of Gorbachev for the tension that existed between the two men.

Thankfully, Reagan didn't worry about what the media said or thought about him too much, especially when it came to dealing with the Soviets. Tough talk was backed up with tough action.

Fast forward to 2012 and an article at POLITICO that reports on an interview the liberal news site had with Mitt Romney. The presumptive Republican nominee is apparently going to continue the meme that says Barack Obama is a 'nice guy' but a 'failed president'.

Via POLITICO:

Ohio — Mitt Romney conceded President Barack Obama has succeeded in making him a less likable person, but he offered a defiant retort to those hoping he will open up this week: “I am who I am.”

Romney quoted that Popeye line three times in a 30-minute interview with POLITICO about his leadership style and philosophy, swatting away advice from Republicans to focus on connecting with voters in a more emotional, human way at this convention. Instead, he vowed to keep his emphasis — in the campaign and any administration to follow — on a relentlessly goal-driven, business-minded approach that has shaped his life so far.

“I know there are some people who do a very good job acting and pretend they’re something they’re not,” Romney said. “You get what you see. I am who I am.”

To press the point, he said the GOP would even try to turn Obama’s still-high personal favorability rankings back on him at its convention this week, by making the simple case to voters: nice guy, failed president.

Ok, so a base that is screaming for red meat is being told it will have to settle for tofu injected with Red Dye #5. Or, to continue with the parent / child metaphor, little Johnny is being forced to eat more liver instead of getting dessert, despite eating more than his share of liver.

Some might call it a stretch to compare a presidential election in the United States with a battle of wits between Reagan and Gorbachev but consider that Obama is steeped in Soviet-style Marxist ideology, beginning with the mentoring of Communist Party USA (CPUSA) member and Soviet agent Frank Marshall Davis, then continuing on with the likes of Marxist Bill Ayers and Marxist Jeremiah Wright.

The Republican base / Tea Party instinctively knows this; it also knows that Obama's gloves are off and Romney is hoping that by keeping his on, that the Obama campaign will eventually relent or suffer the self-inflicted consequences of its own wickedness. In fact, the Romney campaign seems to be doubling down on this by attempting to showcase Mitt's 'tender side'.

Furthermore, the choir that Romney will be preaching to is tired of lies, whether bald-faced or politically strategic; they want truth and the truth about Obama is that he is, at minimum, a socialist and at maximum, something much worse. Romney's base not only knows that Obama is not a nice guy, they see him for what he is - very dangerous for the future of their country. Calling him a 'nice guy' is more than just a little bit de-energizing. It's a lie.

Compare Reagan's meetings with Gorbachev to Obama's now infamous meeting with current Russian President Dimitri Medvedev. In it, Obama was caught off-mic telling his Russian counterpart something that should send chills down the spine of every American voter:



Calling Obama a nice guy is an insult to the intelligence of Romney's base.

Perhaps a few Rocky IV clips at the Convention would be in order. Then again, that wouldn't be "nice".

Wow: Darrell Issa calls DOJ IG to testify on 9/11... about that Fast and Furious report

The Fast and Furious investigation started in early 2011. It has been both compelling and painfully slow to watch. Ever suspicious of congressional investigations that almost always lead nowhere - unless the subjects are not politicians - I often waffled between believing that Oversight Committee chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Senate Judiciary ranking member, Charles Grassley (R-IA) would give it all they have or succumb to the political pressure that demands little more than dog and pony shows that precede such investigations' fade into the abyss.

When I saw what was billed as the first of three reports to come out of the Oversight committee relative to its Fast and Furious investigation, I'll admit it was discouraging. It appeared that Holder had successfully coughed up his fall guys - five local ATF employees in Arizona. The letter from Issa's committee identified them as the responsible parties; DOJ leadership would escape.

Hang on just a minute. Issa still appears to be fighting despite having limited options. Sipsey Street calls it "three-dimensional chess".

The long anticipated DOJ Inspectors General report that every leader of consequence has deferred to whenever questions from Congress became too uncomfortable, is finally coming out and Rep. Issa is summoning the IG himself - Michael Horowitz - to testify in front of the Oversight Committee on September 11, 2012.

Via Kerry Picket at the Washington Times:

Congressman Darrell Issa, California Republican and House Oversight Committee Chairman, sent a letter on Friday to the Justice Department's Inspector General Michael Horowitz that summoned the IG inspector to a Capitol Hill hearing to testify before the House Oversight Committee on September 11.

According to Mr. Issa's letter, Horowitz already sent a draft of the eagerly awaited for Fast and Furious report to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) as well as Attorney General Eric Holder and the Office of the Deputy Attorney General on August 21.

Here is a copy of the letter. Note that in addition to calling Horowitz to testify, Issa is doing so prior to the 30-day window the IG has given for the report to be released after DOJ leadership has had a chance to review. Issa points out that 30 days is not customary; two weeks is. Perhaps that's why Issa has decided to split the difference and request Horowitz to appear three weeks after completion of the report.

Issa addresses this concern in the letter.

These committee members have got to be F-E-D U-P with the number of times they've heard testimony that included deferrals to the IG. On September 11th, they'll be grilling a guy that has no one to defer to.

I'm back to believing Issa has no interest in dog and pony shows.

Should be big.