Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Among the reasons I dislike politics and often despise

politicians: unless you know the guy personally, you can't tell if they're actually working toward something, or gaming with other politicians. Case in point:
On Tuesday Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House committee on Oversight and Government Reform, took a major step toward holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for his failure to provide subpoenaed documents and other information about Operation Fast and Furious.

In a Jan. 31 letter, Issa had threatened Holder with such a move if he failed to provide all the subpoenaed documents relating to the Fast and Furious gunwalking scandal by Feb. 9. That deadline has come and gone, and Holder’s Department of Justice still hasn’t provided most of those documents. Issa’s subpoena dates back to Oct. 12, 2011.

On Tuesday in a seven-page letter, Issa revealed that Deputy Attorney General James Cole begged Congress to extend the Feb. 9 deadline. Issa wrote that the request was “ironic” and “ignores the reality that the Department has unreasonably delayed producing these documents to the Committee.”

“On its face, the requested extension demonstrates a lack of good faith,” Issa wrote to Holder.(Really? What was the tip-off?) “With one exception, the Department has only produced documents responsive to the subpoena on the eve of congressional hearings in which senior Department officials testified. The Department appears to be more concerned with protecting its image through spin control than actually cooperating with Congress.”
Few days ago I was yelling about this story that Issa had given them the extension; now we get this. Problems: the subpoena was issued last October; the deadline was(supposedly) last Thursday; and they're 'taking a major step' by sending another letter now? Why wasn't the contempt proceeding started the day after the deadline? Interference from Boehner? The FBI playing games like it did under Hoover? We don't know.

I really don't like jumping on top of people and yelling over things like this when I don't know- CAN'T know- if they're actually bending over, but if you don't yell at them when it appears so, you'll never yell at all. Which I think greatly increases the chances of a lot of them bending and making deals.

I hate this crap because
You really can't know who to trust(if anyone),
We're seeing a contempt for the law and for life from the people supposedly in charge of protecting them.
We've been seeing politicians actively trying to protect the bad guys in government from being held responsible for what they did, and it's purely for political reasons: "Screw the law, screw who's dead, we need to protect these people because if they fall it damages my party, and damages the gun-control stuff I like." If you had any remaining respect for these clowns, that kills it.
And you have that dread that, once again, the people responsible for this will not suffer any real punishment; that they'll walk away from it.

I've been using that line from Jaws more and more: it's enough to piss off the Good Humor man.

3 comments:

Luton Ian said...

"It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress."
– Mark Twain



I found that along with an excellent short essay looking at and questioning the idea of representation, here:
http://mises.org/daily/3383

The author is Prof Gerard Casey, whom Mrs Ian knows from her time at UCD.

She says he has the sharpest mind in the place, He's the one who asks the incisive questions, the one who sees things from the most angles.

He's notable for his distrust and dislike of all politicians.

markm said...

Is it possible that Issa is letting the administration drag this out in hopes of finally breaking it right before the election?

Firehand said...

Possible. Which would mean he's willing to let Holder & Co. keep screwing things up that much longer for a political advantage. Which is a 'piss me off' subject for a whole 'nother rant