Friday, June 22, 2012

Executive privilege?

Okay, I've been predicting that Barry would push Holder on top of a grenade for a couple of years now, and it keeps not happening. This latest bit with the Executive Privilege makes me wonder...

A cynic would say that it was exerted because the withheld information could implicate the president in knowing things that the whole administration has pretty much sworn up and down that he didn't know.

A real cynic would say it's because Holder has dirt on Barry.

Now, Obama has, historically, been willing to throw people under the bus so fast that Albert Pujols couldn't hit them, and lord knows he's had ample cause to deflect criticism from his administration in the past by 86'ing what is, at the end of the day, a pretty uninspiring AG.

The guy's a lightning rod for the Right and seems to rate a rousing "meh." at best from his own side, so why aren't his fingers slipping off the front bumper while Barry riverdances on his knuckles?

41 comments:

Ken O said...

All I can think when I see the continued cover-ups, abuse if power and unconstitutional acts is: crossing the Rubicon, the Enabling Act of '33, Obama's next move....

Tam said...

Ken O,

Really, my entire adult life partisans of both sides claimed the other guy was going to nullify the results of the election through the pretext of an emergency and set himself up as Presidente For Life.

The threads about Clinton doing it are still probably searchable at TheFiringLine.com and I'd assume likewise for Bush at Democratic Underground...

Anonymous said...

You can call me a Real Cynic then - since barry HASN'T thrown holder under the bus would tend to prove that he (holder) knows where enough of the skeletons are buried - and has taken steps to insure that info is released if he were to take a stroll at Ft. Marcy, barry has to protect him at all costs.
Or maybe it is just as simple as there simply isn't any room left under the bus - somewhere else is needed to stash people............

Anonymous said...

Obama just doesn't want to release information that would embarass George Bush for starting this whole affair.

I can't even type that and keep a straight face.

Gerry

Anonymous said...

If Holder had the dirty on BHO, I think that particular emergency ripcord would have been pulled much sooner. This feels like just one more dumb decision delayed as long as possible.

I'm sure BHO is betting that his lackeys in the lame-stream media will successfully smog up this issue. Or... Barry hopes this will divert attention from "LeakGate", the much more serious -- treasonous -- scandal.

I know many of us don't like Romney, but we have GOT to get these useful idiots out of the Presidency!

cj said...

I've been looking for a dumbed-down version of the whole affair...but does it go something like this?

1) Party receives a subpoena to provide documents.

2) Party refuses to obey the order.

3) Party is brought in to face contempt charges.

4) Party shows up at hearing with a letter, received that day, saying he doesn't have to provide the documents and declares that we should let the whole thing drop.

What throws me is the Party belief that a note from his mother received in 4 excuses the issues in 1-3.

Is this a fair and somewhat accurate summary?

Jocassee said...

Obama and Holder don't have a professional relationship. They have a conspiratorial one. They are both in it up to their necks. If one goes down, the other goes down.

If Holder authorized F&F as it happened then he is, under the American legal system as I understand it, on the hook for murder. And if Holder authorized it, Obama knew about it. I have a hard time believing otherwise based on how this administration seems to be run.

God, Gals, Guns, Grub said...

Tam,

There's been a bus circling the White House for two years just waiting for for Obama to throw Holder under it... and all the confused bus driver can say at this point is, "The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round... 'round and 'round."...

Dann in Ohio

og said...

The messages I'm getting from my tinfoil seem to say that this is a monumental nothing, but it's being drawn out to make the conservatives look petty and stupid for pursuing it. They ALL ought to be hung for this,and the deaths it caused, and the anti-gun agenda it was all about from the beginning, but if they can use it as a distraction to keep people from thinking about the economy AND make the right look increasinly partisan, why the heck not?

Maybe I should be wearing the tinfoil with the shiny side in instead of out.

Joseph said...

As soon as I saw the executive privilege deal, I knew he had dirt on Barry. As you say, all Barry had to do was toss him under the bus. There's no way in hell that he would suffer anything but the political equivalent of a mild upset stomach over what's in those papers. Presidents, it seems, really are above the law.

Now whatever Eric has on him? whoa! It makes the mind boggle as he's pretty much been a class AA screwjob since 01/20/2009 and yet everyone in MSM seems to prostrate themselves in his presence. So for it to scare BHO into throwing the deflector shields to maximum to help his buddy, well that says a lot to me.

Firehand said...

Og, it's possible. I doubt it, but possible.

Problem is, even if it's so, this crap has to be dealt with, and I very much fear that the appeasers and 'reach across the aisle' clowns in the Stupid Party will work right along with the Evil Party to try to make it just fade away if we don't go after it now.

RL said...

Here's a thought: If Mexican drug cartel lords can buy half of the Mexican government, and even a goodly portion of their armed forces, who's to say that Cártel de Sinaloa ("the most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world") or Los Zetas, couldn't have afforded to purchase armaments and the services of President Choom and some DOJ appointees?

Crazy talk eh?

But this is the sort of speculation that the President, Holder, and BATFE bigs have enabled through their collective (in)actions to date.

NotClauswitz said...

If Eric really has the goods on Barry, then how does Joe fit-in? For all the Bush-hate and dementia, Darth Cheney really made the Lefties boot-quake, but there's nothing like that here.
Solidarity Über Alles and the natural closing-ranks doesn't seem to play either, not with all the under-bus folks - unless it's some real hard documentation.

Tam said...

Og,

Sucks for the conservatives, then, I guess.

Myself, my only interest in what's going on with Holder is purely academic. That, and right now he's a roadblock between some unelected Mandarins in the BATFEIEIO and the swift kick in the junk they so richly deserve.

There's only so many ways you can go after unelected Federal Bureaucrats, and when one comes along, especially in the federal agency that is the bete noir of My People, I don't like to hand-wave it away.

Yrro said...

I don't really see what the administration gains from dragging this out... release enough information to pin the mess on your underlings in the ATF, throw *them* under the bus in a show of how you're cleaning up the mess, and hold a candlelight vigil for the deceased border agent. Bam! any complaints that Issa have suddenly sound like pure partisanship.

Joe in PNG said...

First, do remember that a good majority of folks have no idea that F&F ever took place. If Obama can stall long enough, then the hope is that this will just blow over and be forgotten. And if not, well, Underbus awaits.

Anonymous said...

I'm given to understand that now that the executive/deliberative process privilege card is in play it will be a solid six months before anything of substance happens. Plenty of time for Teh Won to be re-elected, the anger of the Great Unwashed to subside and the House to change hands, or so they might hope.

Regardless, this was the most entertaining example of high-level explosive incontinence I've seen since Nixon. I wouldn't doubt for an instant that Holder applied for it with at least one veiled threat.

At least, in the words of one pundit, we now know how high F&F reached. Where's goddam WikiLeaks when you need it?

Moriarty said...

I'm given to understand that now that the executive/deliberative process privilege card is in play it will be a solid six months before anything of substance happens. Plenty of time for Teh Zero to be re-elected, the anger of the Great Unwashed to subside and the House to change hands, or so they hope.

Regardless, this is the most entertaining example of high-level explosive incontinence I've seen since Nixon. I wouldn't doubt that Holder applied for it with at least one veiled threat.

At least, in the words of one pundit, we now know how high F&F reached. Where's goddam WikiLeaks when you need it?

NotClauswitz said...

I just wish we could tie the BATFE to the TSA and push them both under Amtrak to go splat... Meanwhile the Leftmedia are now forced into their grade-school dance, stamping their feet and hollering "Nothing to See Here!" So at least they are bent to their own #Occupy task.

Anonymous said...

BHO needs Holder to slowdown the investigation into the security leaks about US involvement in cyber warfare against Iran. As long as Holder has that investigation in house at the DOJ and keeps it from going to an independent special counsel Obama will continue to cover for Holder on Fast and Furious.

Don M said...

It is possible that the dirt on Obama may be the smoking gun letter in Fast and Furious from Obama to Holder to run guns to Sinola cartel in order to create gun tracking statistics that would justify restricting 2nd Amendment rights.

Chris said...

The DOJ doesn't have to produce a thing. The note was signed "Epstein's mother".

HerrBGone said...

Maybe Holder's got Obama's real birth certificate?

Old NFO said...

Hadn't thought about it in THAT light, but you're probably right... sigh

Drang said...

Jon Stewart sends up the BS flag: June 21, 2012 - Bassem Youssef - The Daily Show With Jon Stewart - Full Episode Video | Comedy Central
The first 8.5 minutes or so.

Ken O said...

Tam, you are certainly correct that those dire predictions have been around for a long time. I certainly did not mean to Godwin the deal, but there is a precedent for a leader, popular with the unwashed masses; offering "reform" and "progress"; taking advantage of turmoil to assume otherwise illegal power; ending in a usurpation of power. Given BHO's attitude and actions, like the amnesty bs, is it really so far fetched?

Oakenheart said...

They should both be tried and the maximum penalty applied.

TITLE 18, U.S.C., SECTION 242
Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, ... shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnaping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.

perlhaqr said...

Drang: Hunh, Jon Stewart did a pretty good job of roasting the Dems on this one. :)

trevalyan said...

The very simple explanation is that if Obama can drag his heels on co-operating with a suit past the election, it really won't matter to him. Most Americans are still blind to the scandal. I'm sure he'd like nothing better than an incompetent impeachment, in which his long-studied lawyers run rings around a Congress with lots of freshmen who don't know exactly how Washington works.

Anyone who thinks Obama deserting Jeremiah Wright and Van Jones is in any way equivalent of letting his Attorney General fall to the House is waaaaaaay too invested in their picture of Obama. Presidents don't easily give up cabinet members before elections, if they can avoid it.

Though I think it's entirely possible Holder will take a walk in the park shortly after Obama cashiers him on Jan. 22nd.

Bob said...

so why aren't his fingers slipping off the front bumper while Barry riverdances on his knuckles?

That right there is why she's the Queen, folks.

kishnevi said...

I doubt Holder is trying to hide evidence of Obama's involvement because I don't think there really is any evidence, unless someone happened to videotape the rounds of winks and nods as they occurred in the Oval Office.

And it's very useful to Obama to have Holder as a lightning rod for the Riht.

Meanwhile the White House now gets several months in which it can disdainfully talk about partisan sniping and politically induced witch hunts/distractions, and then, if Obama does win in November, show him the door as part of a general housecleaning that goes with the start of a second term.

Brad K. said...

Tam,

As conspiracy theories go, I like this one! Plausible, it fits the apparent story, denigrates the President and his administration, and fits the "I got a seat for sale!" Chicago "way".

Kristophr said...

OK then. Obama invokes executive privilege.

The next step is to ask Holder if Obama was put in the loop at some date he earlier claimed Obama was in Sgt. Schultz mode.

Then demand documents prior to that date.

If Obama again claims executive privilege, use that as evidence that Holder perjured himself about Obama's involvement at that time.

Joe in PNG said...

Ken- the thing about the Obama takeover plot is that Obama really isn't all that popular with people that have guns. Trying to overthrow a government with only hipsters, college profs, and welfare leeches backing you is a bit like Greece declairing war against Russia with only France as an allay. Very unlikely and bound to fail.
Plus, would be conquerers don't spend most of their time golfing & vacationing.

Borepatch said...

I think that everyone in this Administration thinks they're a lot smarter than they really are, and that a series of tactical rope-a-dope moves will delay this until after the election. What's interesting is that the news embargo is broken, because Exec Priv is a big deal inside the beltway.

Sure, hundreds dead is a big deal to you and me, but that's all outside the beltway stuff.

I'll know that Holder has dirt on Obama when we see a blanket pardon for all acts associated with F&F, granted on 19 January.

If the Stupid Party really wants to play hard ball, this tactical move won't do anything. All the new SecState will need to do is whisper in the ear of the Mexican Foreign Minister that they should ask for Holder to be extradited. The pardon doesn't help him there.

But I'm just a racist jerk, or something.

Anonymous said...

Ok, my 2 cents. How much damage is done if it's uncovered that a sitting President and his. AG conspired to hang strawman purchases on legit F.F.L. dealers cross-border to the cartels, to support more draconian legislation/prohibitions? Holder could have hard evidence of Barry's subverting the constitution he took an oath to defend, but it went sideways when guns they let go showup at crimescenes w/ dead Fed agents. Or, Holder has hard evidence that Barry ain't qualified to be de Prez, so no under carriage bus rides f/ Eric.... JohninMd(help!?)

Justthisguy said...

Og, as you should know, that's not real tinfoil, but aluminum. Now, if you were really serious you would make a mu-metal-foil hat. That stops, or at least attenuates, the magnetic fields. H/t, Stephen DenBeste.

Pathfinder said...

The exec priv is an attempt to push this past the election. Courts do not typically like the whole exec priv thing, but by the time it reaches a level where bho hasn't polluted the water with statists, damage done, election over.

Pathfinder said...

Besides, if Holder has evidence on bho, BFD. bho's whole admin is a house of cards. This is just one of those cards.

Phelps said...

The only logical conclusion is that Holder knows where the bodies are buries.

Actual, literal human bodies.

Kevin Wilmeth said...

"Really, my entire adult life partisans of both sides claimed the other guy was going to nullify the results of the election through the pretext of an emergency and set himself up as Presidente For Life."

I've often wondered about that one too--and even in the more general form, wherein every ageing generation decries the imminent fall of the universe...just like they remember gramps and gran doing before them. Hm.

The most frustrating part of all that, of course, is that it's so darned useful to the tyrants. "See, those crackpots predicted the end of the world, and since you can see plainly that you're still here, you can now safely ignore anything further they may say."

But as with any stereotype, there has to be some nugget of truth in there, or it would just go away completely of its own accord. What I think is absolutely true is that I wouldn't hold a single one of them as above it--that is, any of those impersonators of actual human beings is fully capable of doing it, and it just might even happen some day. But none of us can know just when, or how.

It's like being in Condition Orange. You have fully identified your target, and are fully aware that you may have to engage him at any time, but he hasn't made his move on you yet, and you can't get away from the SOB.

Orange is f$cking exhausting; uninterrupted it is probably unsustainable past a certain point. Managing that discipline is tough. I don't think I do a particularly good job at it myself--one of the reasons I love Claire so much--but we have to keep our heads at the time that we most need to keep our heads.

Look at it this way: if and when such a thing finally does happen, then this much is certain: the burden of contemplation will be over. We'll still have problems, sure, but they'll be different ones.