Is Jim DeMint going to Torpedo his Tea Party Creds by Endorsing Romney?

It's inexplicable enough to see Ann Coulter endorse Romney but Jim DeMint? Such an endorsement would be a betrayal of the Tea Party. Senator Tea Party would risk becoming Senator Benedict Arnold. The only reason any conservative would get behind Romney is that said conservative has bought the premise which says Romney is the only candidate who can beat Obama. That is the extent to which any grace should be extended to DeMint for doing so. And it's a lame reason.

Via Roll Call:

Mitt Romney is the favorite to receive Sen. Jim DeMint's (R-S.C.) much-sought-after endorsement in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, according to knowledgeable GOP sources.

DeMint, who endorsed the former Massachusetts governor in 2008, made clear in an interview late last week that he has made no decisions on whom he will support in the 2012 primary. But Republican operatives familiar with the DeMint-Romney relationship and privy to the conservative Senator's private assessment of the GOP field believe Romney is the most likely candidate to receive the backing of the tea party favorite.

"Jim is far more likely to endorse Mitt than anyone else currently in the race," a Republican with South Carolina ties said. "Jim is a business guy and that's his background. He's not really the good ol' boy conservative type. So Mitt in a lot of ways is a more comfortable fit for him."

The first sign that endorsing Romney is a bad idea is that the mainstream media wants him to get the nod, just like it wanted John McCain to get the 2008 GOP nomination. Until McCain won the nomination, the liberal media defended him and touted him up as the best choice because he could get the independent voters.

Once McCain got the nomination, what happened? The answer is that the liberal media turned on him, and quickly. The New York Times tried to push a story that said McCain had an affair with a staffer; the media in general pushed the narrative that said four years of McCain would be like four more years of Bush; he was too old to be president and he didn't know how to operate a computer. Remember?

McCain was thrown under the bus by the media only after he won the nomination. Why, on earth, would the same liberal media not do the same to Romney? The answer is that it would. But how will they do it? They could surreptitiously attack his Mormonism by keeping it alive as an issue to debate by pitting evangelical Christians against moderates.

Last week, there was talk - though quickly denied by camp Rubio - that the chief of staff for the Tea Party favorite from Florida worked hard behind the scenes to move up Florida's primary to help Romney. Whether true or not, there is a school of thought which says the longer voters are exposed to Romney, the more support he will lose.

There's the issue of Romneycare and now it's been learned that Team Romney reached out to Obama Science czar John Holdren in 2005 for the purpose of reducing CO2 emissions in Massachusetts.

The decision to support Romney is one based in fear, a fear that says no one else can beat Obama. The fact that the liberal media is pushing Romney should cause all conservatives to check themselves before they wreck themselves (h/t Ice Cube).

h/t Hot Air

Ground Zero Mosque Islamists Haven't Won Yet

Last month, it was reported that a portion of the notorious Ground Zero mosque was being opened. There were no protesters to stop it, like there was in the summer of 2010. President Barack Obama, Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg all supported construction of the mosque, regardless of the 70% of Americans who were opposed to it. When the mosque rather unceremoniously opened a few weeks ago, it appeared the Islamists won the battle but hang on! Not so fast. Con Ed has heaved a monkey wrench into the equation.

Via New York Post:

Con Ed has given the Ground Zero mosque an ultimatum: Pay the $1.7 million you owe in back rent, or we’ll terminate your lease and take back our property.

Con Ed and mosque developer Park51 have an unusual, uneasy alliance, sharing ownership of a site slated to be one of the most controversial projects in city history.

The utility owns a former substation on the western half of the property, at 51 Park Place, and the mosque developers own a five-story building on the eastern half. The buildings were connected years ago and used to house a Burlington Coat Factory store.

Park51, which leases the substation from Con Ed, wants the two buildings so it can knock both down and build a $100 million, 15-story community center.

But the plan hit a major obstacle in August when Con Ed raised the rent from $2,750 a month, a rate set in 1972, to $47,437 a month, retroactive to July 31, 2008, The Post has learned.

A hearing has been set for November 17th.

Here are a few things to look for. First, expect Bloomberg to side with the Islamists if it looks like they will lose this battle. Why wouldn't he? The New York mayor has come down against America at every turn. His caving to the Nazi / Communist - backed Occupy Wall Street protesters is the most recent example. The other thing to watch for is the involvement of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).

h/t Weasel Zippers

Video: Darrell Issa Drops a Fast and Furious Bomb on Face the Nation

The fact that House Oversight chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) had brand new information for his appearance on CBS' Face the Nation likely indicates that he's holding back a wealth of information that hasn't yet come out. It is not news that there was a third gun reportedly found at the scene of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry's murder scene but it is news that Issa appears to have officially debunked any notion that the gun didn't exist. Some time ago, Fox News reported that an FBI informant was responsible for it being there. To this point, neither of the two Fast and Furious guns that were found at the scene have been identified as being the weapon that was used to kill Terry.

The problem with the third weapon has been its availability. It seems to be missing. You'll recall that in one of the recordings between Lone Wolf Trading Company store owner Andre Howard and lead ATF case agent, Hope McAllister, the former makes reference to 'evidence' (presumably that third gun) being 'gone.' Here is the relevant portion of that transcript:

Dealer: Unfortunately a consequence occurred from a weapon shall we say that found its way into the wrong area ok and that was not anticipated. Nobody could foresee that that's collateral damage I think the term is. It happened. It's terrible. That's life ok we move on. Unfortunately, Mr. Dodson with his allegation is a pain in the a--. Now, my understanding now is it will be impossible now that he will be able to substantiate anything directly because that evidence is gone. I want you to know that. It don't exist. Not that one. You understand me?

Very early on in this interview, Issa informs Bob Schieffer that the two guns from Lone Wolf found at Terry's murder scene were tagged as being weapon #2 and #3. Issa then lowers the boom by demanding to know where weapon #1 is. This is how lies never prevail. If the two guns that were found had been labeled #1 and #2, there would be a degree of plausible deniability on the part of the coverup artists. However, weapon #1 must necessarily exist because of this labeling.

We may be getting closer to identifying the weapon that was actually used to kill Border Patrol agent Terry. If weapon #1 was indeed that weapon and it's been hidden or otherwise disposed of, this scandal just got a whole lot bigger.

Another portion of this exchange that has GOT to have the Obama administration quaking in its collective boots is Issa's claim that he has plenty of evidence he's withholding. The fact that he was able to have a new piece of news about the guns being labeled serves as an indication that such a claim is true.

Take note of one other thing. Note that as Issa is talking to Schieffer, he has stacks of documents in front of him. After Schieffer was done discussing the case with both he and CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson, they went to the ranking member of the Oversight committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), who did NOT appear with Issa but had his segment recorded earlier. You'll notice he has nothing in front of him. Cummings, a registered member of the Democratic Socialists of America caucus is in a very tight spot. The administration needs him to spin, which Cummings is more than willing to do, but that tack is becoming increasingly untenable; it's really making Cummings look like a fool. It'd really be nice to see a viable Tea Party candidate challenge Cummings in 2012. Fast and Furious could be a winner for whomever decides to do it.

Via CBS: