WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT: FAST AND FURIOUS EDITION Updated

Rep. Darryl Issa (R-CA) has been relentlessly attempting to unravel the Gordian Knot that is Operation Fast and Furious (aka Gunwalker) since he took over the chairmanship of the House Oversight Committee.  This absolute clusterfark of an operation is utterly irredeemable.  At best, it is an egregious example of how badly an operation can be mismanaged.  At worst, it is a high level endeavor that allowed high powered weaponry to get in the hands of drug cartels, possibly for the sole purpose of spiking violence in order to implement stricter federal gun control laws in this country.

It is certainly a remarkable coincidence that the guns President Obama spoke of regulating back in  2009 - AK-47 type assault rifles and Barrett .50 BMG sniper rifles - are at the heart of the violent crisis on the border and are the very guns involved in Gunwalker (Pajamas Media has a great back story on this theory).  In fact, this operation is such a catastrophe that the Mexican government is demanding answers.  Having lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 agents to those weapons over the past eighteen months, you can't really blame them.

Initial attempts at keeping the blame limited to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) only have failed miserably.  As more sun shines down on this ugly piece of business, more agencies are shown to have their fingers in the pie.  It's a veritable vegetable soup - ATF, DEA, FBI, DHS and DoJ.  Can you spell "C-O-L-L-U-S-I-O-N"?

The premise of the operation was simple: track weapons dealers and the path of the guns they bought over the border and into the hands of the Mexican drug cartels.  These sorts of stings are done frequently by law enforcement officers around the country.  Because these guns were going to be tracked across the southern border the operation was put into the hands of the ATF, with oversight by the Department of Justice.  Sounds pretty straightforward, doesn't it? 

Yeah, not so much. 

First off, the "dealers" they were tracking turned out to be FBI informants already.  Ooopsie.  Which means the main premise for the operation was moot from the get-go.  But fear not, they still poured two years, $10 million and countless man hours into the endeavor.  Oh, and the life of one border patrol agent and several thousand Mexican citizens, not that they count in the grand scheme.  Ah, the gentle efficiencies of the government juggernaut....

Second, for some reason no one has been able to explain, ATF was told to cease surveillance of the approximately 1,765 guns once they left the hands of the dealers.   They were not to follow them on their trip across the border to their final destination, they were not to gather intel on the final buyer and they were not to work with the Mexican government on the sting.  The official line is that the ATF (aka "The Scapegoat") "lost track of" the weapons.  In reality, there are memos and sworn testimony that show that the ATF was instructed to cease surveillance of the weapons.  ATF Director Kenneth Melson (aka "The Patsy") isn't exactly willing to take the fall, as his secret testimony shows.

By the way, did I mention this wonderful $10 million program was funded by the stimulus bill (just for that extra dollop of outrage).  Unfortunately this operation might possibly end up being one of the biggest job creators in that boondoggle of a bill.  Just think of all the additional police, border agents, forensics personnel, nurses, doctors, paramedics, undertakers, coffin makers and gravestone carvers who saw a big jump in demand as a direct result of Fast and Furious.

Now that the scandal is starting to gain traction in the press and the investigation is gaining speed in Congress, the stench of cover-up has become strong:





The question now, as Mr. Hume so succinctly put it, was who knew what, and when?  How high does this go?  At this point, it looks like Attorney General Eric Holder's fingerprints are all over this - not just for his role in Gunwalker, but also his not so subtle attempts at obstructing the investigation.  Primarily, though, Holder denied long-time knowledge of the program when he gave sworn testimony to the House Oversight and Government Reform committee back in May, but it seems there may have been some perjury "misspeaking" going on (via CNS News):

At the May 3 Judiciary Committee hearing, Issa asked Holder: “When did you first know about the program officially, I believe, called Fast and Furious? To the best of your knowledge, what date?”

Holder responded: “I’m not sure of the exact date, but I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks.”

Is that your final answer, Mr. Holder (via Big Government)? 

 (...) the problem with Holder’s feigned ignorance is that he gave a speech in Cuernavaca, Mexico, on April 2, 2009, in which he boasted about Operation “Gunrunner” and told Mexican authorities of everything he was doing to insure its success.

Holder told the audience:

Last week, our administration launched a major new effort to break the backs of the cartels. My department is committing 100 new ATF personnel to the Southwest border in the next 100 days to supplement our ongoing Project Gunrunner, DEA is adding 16 new positions on the border, as well as mobile enforcement teams, and the FBI is creating a new intelligence group focusing on kidnapping and extortion.

Please note the inclusion of DEA, FBI and DHS in that 2009 speech, by Holders own admittance.  Make no mistake, this thing is huge, and it's not going anywhere.  If the mainstream press has a shred of investigative instincts left to them, they will start working this story.  Hume's comments are right, this does have the air of a Watergate.  But bigger.   

So far it looks like We the People might  be needing some pretty top-level positions filled in the coming months.  DoJ for sure.  Holder's goose is cooked, and it's only a matter of time until he is either pressured by President Obama or has a 'moment of clarity' and resigns.  How high up in DHS - all the way to Napolitano?  What about the FBI?  Higher?  As the above referenced Pajamas Media piece so aptly put it:

At the same time in 2009 that federal law enforcement agencies (the ATF, the DOJ, and presumably Janet Napolitano’s Department of Homeland Security) were creating the operation that led to the executive branch being the largest gun smuggler in the Southwest, the president’s team was crafting the rhetoric to sell the crisis they were creating.


On television, in various news outlets, and even in a joint appearance with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Obama pushed the 90 percent lie, implying that 90% of the guns recovered in Mexican cartel violence came from U.S. gun shops.

At the same time they were damning gun dealers in public, the administration was secretly forcing them to provide weapons to the cartels, by the armful and without oversight. More than one gun industry insider suggests that the administration extorted cooperation and silence from these gun shops. As the ATF has the power to summarily shut dealers down for the most minor of offenses, that is very, very possible.

Does it go all the way to the top?  Only time and a lot more investigation will tell.  You can be sure there will have to be some pretty concrete evidence to even think of directly implicating the President in this thing (please note Owens' use of "team" when describing who fashioned Obama's rhetoric), so don't plan on DVRing an Obama "I am not a crook" moment any time soon.   But there is a lesson here already, and we're no where near the end of this journey.  The lesson here is that these are the policies we get when the policy makers follow the teachings of Cloward/Piven and Saul Alinsky.  This is a textbook illustration of a worst-case scenario result to an "ends justify the means" method of policy decisions, right down to the innocent blood on the hands of the decision makers.

Keep your eye on this story, folks.  By the time Issa is done with his investigation, the administration may never be the same.

UPDATE: And so it begins.

THE ISSUE'S NOT THE ISSUE

Chris Horner, author of "Power Grab" was on Hannity tonight.  In his interview, he used, over and over, the phrase "The issue's not the issue".  This is the mainstay liberal/progressive tactic to a T, and he deserves a hearty thank you for tagging it as such.  It's quick, concise, easy to remember and right on the mark.  A perfect foil for the coming campaign clashes. 

In his book, he discusses the Obama administration's green agenda.  On the face, the green agenda is hard to fight - after all, it's all about "saving the planet", and what kind of heartless, selfish person would you be if you wouldn't want to do that? 

But if you dig deeper, as Mr. Horner did, you will find that it has, in reality, very little to do with saving the planet - that angle is used merely as a means to an end.  For all the hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer funds that it will suck up and the unprecidented control over American citizens, there is little or no measurable good for the environment that will come of it.  As Horner says, it's all about power and control.  The green agenda is a perfect illustration of his quote, "the issue's not the issue".  It is being sold as good for us, but in reality it is not.  The issue isn't saving the earth, the issue is grasping more power into the ever-expanding federal government.

This phrase, "the issue's not the issue" is something that needs to be remembered and repeated so that all will know it, because within that phrase is the key to fighting back.  Understanding your opponent's tactics is the first step in defeating them.

The issue not being the issue concept applies to every piece of legislation that has passed this Congress so far.  The stimulus was not about helping the country get back on it's feet.  That is just the bill of goods we were sold.  That bill was all about consolidation of power.  It was a big, wet, sloppy kiss to all of the special interests who helped put the democrats in power.  That expensive thank you also acts as a promise of thank yous to come if the democrats stay in power, thus ensuring their legacy.

The health care bill was not about lowering costs, as was sold to us.  It was about redistribution of wealth and control over the most important part of your life - your health.  If they hold the key to your good health, you're more inclined to vote to keep them happy and in power, and redistribution buys a whole sector of voters.

Cap and trade isn't about the environment, it's about seizing wealth and controlling the energy sector.  Period.

The coming election isn't about a referendum on the distinctly leftward tilt towards european socialism that we are currently pursuing - it's apparently about George W. Bush.  I haven't quite figured out how yet, but give me time.   Suggestions are appreciated.

The democrat's talking points these days are not just a reflection of their desperation, they are also a roadmap for the coming elections.  But then, faced with polls like these and these and these, it's no wonder there is a distinct whiff of desperation in the air.  It seems that their entire strategy for the 2010 election is "the issue's not the issue" (and blame Bush, of course).

The liberals are geniuses at directing a conversation.  This is what they will attempt to do over the next few months.  Instead of addressing the issues that are paramount to a majority of Americans, they will redirect the conversation to either other issues altogether or changing the issue to suit their needs.  Thus the green agenda is not about power and control, it's about saving the planet somehow.  Instead of being accused, they are going to attempt to be the accuser.  When they are accused of grasping for power, they will accuse you of hating the planet.  Health care doesn't lower costs translates to "you hate people and don't want them to have insurance".  Concerns that there is a lot of taxation coming down the pike becomes "you're one of those fringe militia people, aren't you?"

It's a brilliant strategy, really.  When you have no answers, start asking the questions. 

The problem is that we have been subjected to this tactic for years now.  You might say the country was battle weary, but that would only confirm you are a tea party member extremist out to slaughter some random government official(s).  The secret is, though, that Alinsky was right.  In Rule #7 he said that "a tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag".  The rising opposition in the polls shows that the "issue's not the issue" tactic has become a drag.  It's time to start calling them out on it.

The tea partyers know the issues, often better than their representatives, and they are equally as tenacious in their pursuit of an answer as the liberals are in their attempts to avoid the discussion.  It promises to be an interesting summer campaign.  The big question will be whether the issue is debated, or the issue that isn't the issue. 

It's time to take control of the debate and demand real answers to the real issues.

THE POLITICS OF DECEPTION

The most frightening part of this legislation isn't a specific part of the bill (although there are some pretty horrifying bits).  What is really scary is the length this administration is willing to go to pass it.  Not only are they sneaky and underhanded in their closed door crafting of this piece of....work...they are knowingly (he is, after all, a constitutional lawyer) violating the constitution in their brazen attempt to impose their will on the country.

Just how low are they willing to sink?

Well, first there is Bart Stupak's worthless piece of paper.  He has been duped and will have sold his vote (and 8 or 9 others) for nothing.  Executive orders are secondary to the law of the land, and the new law of the land after the Senate bill passes will be that abortions will receive federal funding.  For what it's worth, he can always take the order, tear it into strips and take it with him on his next visit to the congressional washroom.  That's about all it's good for.

And then there is the Slaughter Solution.   Once it got the nic-name Demon Pass, though, it was done for.  You have to hand it to them - those progressives sure do know a poisonous name association when they see one, don't they?  It is, after all, their favorite tactic.

There are plenty of other shady deals and misinformation in the creation and attempted sale of this bill of goods - far too many to mention.  But it seems that even after all of their other little schemes have been discovered, they are still trying.  Former PA republican senator Rick Santorum mentioned a really shady piece of information about the House reconciliation bill during his interview with Greta Van Susteren.  

According to Mr. Santorum, the Budget Act of 1974 states that revenues slated for Social Security cannot be used for other programs.  The current reconciliation has a provision for "rerouting" SocSec revenues into Medicaid.  This would nullify the entire Reconciliation package.  This means all of the promises that were made to persuade reluctant House democrats to fall on their swords was nothing but hot air. 

Senate Republicans have been attempting to meet with Leader Reid and the Senate Parliamentarian to get some sort of resolution to this situation before the House votes.  So far they have been unable to get a meeting. 

After listening to Santorum explain the deception, Van Susteren asked, "Could they be that diabolical?"

Let's let Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) answer that one, shall we?




They certainly have learned their Alinsky well, haven't they?

There is always the hope that Stupak and House Dems in general will realise they've been duped, but it's most likely this nightmare is going to pass. 

After this, there is still debate in the Senate, but only on the reconciliation package - the main Senate bill will be the law of the land.  If the reconciliation is voted down or nullified in some way, there is absolutely no doubt that Obama will sign the Senate bill into law without the "fixes".  That might just be even worse.  The whole point of Senate republicans making this public is an attempt to have wavering dems rethink their vote.  Odds are good that they won't. 

It's not over 'til the fat lady sings, but you can hear her warming up in the wings, and she'll probably be singing a dirge.