thumbs up dick

The Justice Department used a secret subpoena to obtain two months of phone records for Associated Press reporters and editors without notifying the news organization, a senior department official tells NBC News, saying the step was necessary to avoid “a substantial threat to the integrity” of an ongoing leak investigation…

The seizure of the phone records, disclosed earlier Monday by AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt, is the latest move in a series of high profile and controversial investigations of leaks of classified information by the Justice Department.

In a letter of protest to Attorney General Eric Holder, Pruitt called said obtaining more than two months of AP phone records on 20 separate telephone lines without prior notice was a “massive and unprecedented intrusion” into news-gathering operations.

It also drew a swift rebuke Monday from members of Congress and freedom of the press watchdogs, one of whom called the move “Nixonian.”

Ronald C. Machen, Jr., the U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., revealed in a letter to the AP on Friday that federal prosecutors obtained the records. The letter did not give a reason for obtaining the records, but Machen is conducting an investigation into the leak of classified information about a foiled terror plot in Yemen last year. An AP story last spring reported details of a CIA operation in Yemen that stopped an al Qaeda plot to detonate a bomb on an airplane bound for the United States…

As another sign of the sensitivity of the case, CIA Director John Brennan disclosed earlier this year that he also had been questioned by FBI agents as part of the Yemen probe, but said he was later notified that he was not a subject of the investigation.

Bill Miller, spokesman for Machen, said in an email that the subpoena for the records was done by the book.

Read through the details of what occurred and let us know if you think Nixonian is appropriate. If not – what is?



  1. noname says:

    This is more Stalinist then Nixon.

    Sad part, the courts will uphold it and further trash our constitution!

    Gov. for the people by the people my ass! It’s more as Gov. by the Gov. for the Gov. and citizens be screwed; unless you’re rich!

  2. fishguy says:

    Let’s see: “a CIA operation in Yemen” . . . “to detonate a bomb on an airplane”. All the words are there. You just gotta move them around a little bit. No wonder they are so touchy.

  3. CrankyGeeksFan says:

    It doesn’t mention if a judge signed the subpoena or not.

    • msbpodcast says:

      It doesn’t matter if a judge signed the subpoena or not.

    • dusanmal says:

      Problem is not how the process started (judge, committee or DOJ self signing it). Problem is that our legal system does not allow such wide application for certain. Same as in the recent (positively stopped) example of a judge stopping FBI intent to install spyware on unknown computer at unknown place used by unknown person. You can’t go that far. You can’t wiretap the whole organization, particularly not a press organization (because of additional Constitutional protections). For that they’d needed to show (to whomever started the process) evidence that every single person in AP (from janitor to CEO) have potentially done something wrong according to believable evidence. Not some of them. ALL of them. For this alone Holder (as top responsible person in the agency) should be sent to jail. Not fired or resign, prosecuted and jailed. He was in charge and should have known (and likely did).

  4. Steven H. says:

    At some point there had to be a limit and we have reached it. Hopefully our government is going to realize that their lie about a Yemen operation, therefore “terrorist”, won’t win them points. Someone mentioned to me, the other day, that mentioning sept 11th is now a faux pax. Glad to see many Americans no longer willing to play along with the police state mantra…. Now to undo all the damage caused.

    • Hmeyers says:

      “At some point there had to be a limit and we have reached it.”

      I hope we have reached the limit. But we haven’t.

      • LibertyLover says:

        No, not by a long shot. We’ve reached the tipping point, but not the limit.

        The limit will be reached when all of the people getting free stuff stop getting said free stuff. Then the shit will hit the fan.

        But until then, they’ll keep electing the one who gives the most free stuff, regardless of how crooked he is.

        • McCullough says:

          The Republican and Democratic parties need to be abolished. Flushed down the toilet. All incumbents ousted…the sooner the better.

          I wont hold my breath.

          • LibertyLover says:

            I agree.

          • ± says:

             
             
                                ditto
             
             
            … and I’ll add that they should never be allowed to run for office again under any party

  5. msbpodcast says:

    The problem will come when the people who thought they were above the law, after all they wrote it, suddenly find out that the rules do apply to them too, because they can’t bullshit their way past… wait for it… the accountants.

    Then the 1%ers will suddenly find themselves playing on the same level playing field as the 99%ers, and they w0n’t like it one bit

    What happens then in this fascist, capitalist republic is anybody’s guess, but they are going to explain how repube senator or congres kritter so-and-so suddenly got caught with his pants around his knees while the dumb-o-crap senator or congres kritter has to explain what his hand was doing in those tills.

    The problem with total information awareness is that its just that, total information awareness.

    • Gwad his own self says:

      suddenly find out that the rules do apply to them too, because they can’t bullshit their way past… wait for it… the accountants.

      Then the 1%ers will suddenly find themselves playing on the same level playing field as the 99%ers, and they w0n’t like it one bit…

      Sadly, you are wrong.

      This is a game that the “1%” have been playing since the dark ages.

      Who bells the cat?

      • msbpodcast says:

        Quis custodiet ipso custodes doesn’t quite apply here because of our tri-partite government.

        The guys arresting the politicians sorry, lying sacks-of-shit asses are just doing their jobs, only now they don’t have to catch them in bathroom stalls.

        Who bells the cat? The multiple layers of police that we employ.

        The bells are evenly applied to all cats, whether they are fat or not, because if you’ve got nothing to hide, you can’t really object, can you? And if you do object, there goes your re-election money (because people can’t be seen backing such an obvious lout.)

  6. Glenn E. says:

    I’ll wager this “secret” subpoena and investigation, are all cover ups for the fact that the “leaks” to the press are on purpose. So this is the govt’s plausible denial. That they wouldn’t be investigating the AP, if the AP wasn’t in the govt’s hip pocket.

  7. Captain Obvious says:

    It’s not one big decision. There’s been a long steady slide of “little decisions” since Bush took office and continued with sober glee by Obama which all added up to a massive erosion of civil liberties and accountability. It has created a pressure of discrete oppression.

    It’s like the classic urban legend of the frog in the pot of water that is slowly boiled until it kills the frog.

  8. Hmeyers says:

    Actually, I withdraw my previous objections.

    What passes as journalism — and you have to use the term liberally [trolling +1, get it? Except I’m not really into the whole “sides” thing] …

    No really … I personally haven’t witnessed “journalism” in at least half a decade. So these people that supposedly journalists, well — Woodward and Bernstein and Walter Cronkite wouldn’t exactly be impressed.

    I mean are these people “uber-pro” “talking points readers” or what exactly are these so-called journalists today. If I want real USA news I probably have to read BBC or the Jihadi Network (or whatever Al-Queda News Channel is called today? Is it still Al-Jeerza or did Gore buy them out or was it sell to them?)

    The last people to do “journalism” — those wikileaks people — well, let’s just say doing real journalism doesn’t get done in this country today.

  9. McCullough says:

    Yep, combine this with the IRS targeting of politically Conservative groups and what we have is is one of the most corrupt administrations since the man in that picture was President.

    • Dallas says:

      There are so many things to get outraged over, yet so little time. How do you do it?

      Excellence in time management? Share your secret!!

      • McCullough says:

        So, are you saying its OK for Obama to use the IRS to target his political enemies?

        • bobbo, we think with words and flower with ideas says:

          Obama didn’t do anything so far as is known. Not a whisper.

          And what is the “target?” Again, so far: all some individual audit agents in one office did was give certain words in the name of the organization some extra scrutiny.

          NOTHING WAS DONE!!!

          …………………………..AND AS ALWAYS:

          The REAL crime is not the nothing that happened here but rather what nothing is done all the time and is accepted.

          IE, to rephrase===THE CRIME here is that ALL tax cheating non-profits aren’t given the close review that these orgs “supposedly” got.

          I must say SUPPOSEDLY===BECAUSE NOTHING WAS DONE!! and thats where the real concern should be as I wouldn’t be surprised if 80% of them are fraudulent.

          Smoke and Mirrors dear boys and girls. SMOKE AND MIRRORS.

        • MikeN says:

          That was covered at this blog 5 years ago, the answer is yes. Liberals at this blog have no problem with it, and even welcome it.

          • bobbo, recognizing one must be fluent in at least one language to think with words and flower with ideas says:

            And yet I SAID JUST THE OPPOSITE.

            Thats a problem when you got sh*t for brains. Even worse is Donkey Sh*t.

          • ± says:

            holy crap! bobbo lost control at 11:55 AM already … must be hitting the sauce early …. wait, maybe I’m being too vicious, since he could be on the east coast posting at 2:55 PM which is much more respectable

        • Dallas says:

          LOL. You are what’s wrong with America.

          Obama has about as much to do with it as President Bush did in flying an atom bomb over the continental US.

          You should be ashamed of yourself for polluting Dvorak blog with false statements. You sir, are no Walter Cronkite.

          • MikeN says:

            This site posted that too.

          • Dallas says:

            It has nothing to do with posting it or not. It’s about the outrageous allegations attached to it.

          • McCullough says:

            In your child like mind, Obama is not responsible for anything, except personally killing Bin Laden with nothing but a knife in his teeth…

            How can anyone ever take you seriously? Grow up son.

  10. McCullough says:

    “The REAL crime is not the nothing that happened here but rather what nothing is done all the time and is accepted.”

    Is this some new language? bobbonics?

    “And what is the “target?” Again, so far: all some individual audit agents in one office did was give certain words in the name of the organization some extra scrutiny. ”

    Washington Post – Internal Revenue Service officials in Washington and at least two other offices were involved with investigating conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, making clear that the effort reached well beyond the branch in Cincinnati that was initially blamed, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.

    But whatever bobbo..believe what you want. You do the homework, I’ve got a case of food poisoning and I wont respond.

    • MikeN says:

      They also went after Jewish groups like Z Street.
      First they came for the conservative, then they came for the Jews, …

  11. MikeN says:

    The article says the attorney general is Eric Holder, that would be under Pres Obama, not Nixon. This is a current story, not 40 years old, if I am reading it correctly.

  12. MikeN says:

    I hope JCD is ready for a tax audit.

  13. MikeN says:

    The reason for this story is to distract from the IRS audits which were revealed to distract from Benghazi.

    According to the TV show Scandal, the Clinton rules are ‘It’s all lies, It’s all lies, It’s all lies, It’s old news.’

    • dusanmal says:

      Would have been great if they have had that much sense. Issue is much simpler – Obama Progressive Administration Principles have finally hit one of the key media agencies. They were happy to shut up and hide and tow the line when a modern equivalent of Jews were hit. But, eventually power hungry Government grows to the size at which it eats its own, and those have just cried in the process… and they are media, so it is heard out aloud.

      • The Monster's Lawyer says:

        What the ‘f’ are you babbling about?

        • deowll says:

          This has been a Teflon coated President. The media was proud to defend him thus proving they weren’t raciest and his critics were.

          The Teflon just came of and bleep is starting to stick. The media were already unhappy with being treated life servants and after what happened to the AP few feel the Obama White House is their friend.

    • ± says:

      I say the AP wire taps are the distraction from Benghazi. You will hear nothing but this for the next two weeks on AP, NPR, etc. I often listen to NPR (keep your enemy close) on my commute. They were tripping over themselves about the AP (alleged) wire taps. If this is not a total about face for them, then nothing is.

  14. Washoe says:

    I can now see some humor in all of this. It was the pro-Obama AP Press that helped elect Obama and now they have become ‘Enemies of the State’ like the rest of us.

    A TIME TO STAND by Oliver is a book out about a president like Obama who eventually gets his wish to declare martial law on decent Americans who stand up to him. It’s a thriller that I recommend to everyone cause it’s happen right now.

    Obama has always thrown his supporters under the bus and then seek new supporters who will eventually be thrown under the bus.

  15. RS says:

    Had enough government yet?
    Or do you need SOME MORE?

    • bobbo, we think with words, and flower with ideas says:

      Segue to the Commercial with the little kiddies.

      “More is better…. because more is more than less.”

      …….Its simple.

      Why are you?

  16. bobbo, we think with words, and flower with ideas says:

    McCullough, innocent of how naive he sounds, or just proving he’s lazy says:
    5/14/2013 at 9:13 am

    “The REAL crime is not the nothing that happened here but rather what nothing is done all the time and is accepted.”

    Is this some new language? bobbonics? /// I suppose it can be a challenge to read something not fresh off the talking points printing press of your favorite sources? Is it that awkward??? Maybe so===all to the point to EMPHASIS that NOTHING HAPPENED. Thats the SECONDARY story here not to be lost in the mindless sheeple bickering between the shirts and the no shirts.
    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    “And what is the “target?” Again, so far: all some individual audit agents in one office did was give certain words in the name of the organization some extra scrutiny. ”

    Washington Post – Internal Revenue Service officials in Washington and at least two other offices were involved with investigating conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, making clear that the effort reached well beyond the branch in Cincinnati that was initially blamed, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. /// Ok. Good. “An Update.” The NOTHING HAPPENED of this story continued to NOT HAPPEN elsewhere. Has the rippling circle of NOTHING HAPPENING lapped onto the green grass of the Whitehouse???? I could not care less, unless Pedro posts something.
    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    But whatever bobbo..believe what you want. You do the homework, I’ve got a case of food poisoning and I wont respond. /// Ha ha. Fair anticipation…. you know you are already disarmed.
    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    JEBUS H CHRIST on a stick: keep your eye (the GOOD ONE!) on the ball: NOTHING HAPPENED.

    The shame of this “story” is that the IRS did not deny the tax excempt status of 80% of the TeaFuckPubs applications that they closely scrutinized all on a very partisan basis.

    THEN THE STORY SHOULD HAVE BEEN: that they didn’t do the same for the Obama Pacs that are also cross dressing even as we mindlessly point fingers at one another.

    Course, it wouldn’t be, because the sheeple are so easily led astray.

    Sad, if you can think.

    Silly Hoomans.

  17. bobbo, we think with words, and flower with ideas says:

    “Read through the details of what occurred and let us know if you think Nixonian is appropriate. If not – what is?” ////

    Wow, Mom, Wow!!!

    I read the quoted material and thought I had really screwed up==responding off topic to what I most recently read or saw on tv? Reviewing the thread, thankfully it was in response to a tangent initiated by someone else.

    All good subjects and while NOTHING HAPPENED re the IRS access case, SOMETHING DID HAPPEN here: the complete and total intimidation of the Press for a new act in Security Theater.

    Heads indeed should roll. And very much for the same reasons, Bradford Manley should be set free. On Balance absent rare circumstances hardly ever present: the FIRST AMENDMENT is to be favored over bald claims of National Security. If the gubment wants their secrets, then they should learn how to keep them. If they are leaked, thats a learning lesson.

    Is it Nixonian? /// By definition that would be that the President Directed it?===so no.

    Easy Peasy.

    What is it???==The avarice of power operating in the vacuum of a quiet public.

    VOTE ALL INCUMBENTS OUT OF OFFICE.

  18. Spengler says:

    “From the Articles of Impeachment against Richard Nixon:

    Article 2

    Using the powers of the office of President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in disregard of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has repeatedly engaged in conduct violating the constitutional rights of citizens, impairing the due and proper administration of justice and the conduct of lawful inquiries, or contravening the laws governing agencies of the executive branch and the purposed of these agencies.

    This conduct has included one or more of the following:

    1. He has, acting personally and through his subordinates and agents, endeavoured to obtain from the Internal Revenue Service, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, confidential information contained in income tax returns for purposed not authorized by law, and to cause, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, income tax audits or other income tax investigations to be intitiated or conducted in a discriminatory manner.”

    Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-irs-report-statement-conservatives-tea-party-2013-5#ixzz2TKDcMjyG

    • bobbo, we think with words, and flower with ideas says:

      So… totally different issues.

      Good to know, if you didn’t know already.

  19. Uncle Leo says:

    Where are you getting this wire tapping stuff? As far as I know they only got call records on some 20 phone lines.

  20. MikeN says:

    Unfortunately, you’ve grown up hearing voices that incessantly warn of government as nothing more than some separate, sinister entity that’s at the root of all our problems. Some of these same voices also do their best to gum up the works. They’ll warn that tyranny always lurking just around the corner. You should reject these voices. Because what they suggest is that our brave, and creative, and unique experiment in self-rule is somehow just a sham with which we can’t be trusted.

    • msbpodcast says:

      Because what they suggest is that our brave, and creative, and unique experiment in self-rule is somehow just a sham with which we can’t be trusted.

      Its not the experiment that is untrustworthy, its the 1%er scum politicians we have to pick from who are untrustworthy.

      Washington was right in his farewell address.

      Parties are self-selecting anti-democratic, authoritarian playground for the elites.

      • bobbo, we think with words and flower with ideas says:

        “Parties are self-selecting anti-democratic, authoritarian playground for the elites.” /// Kudo’s. All around, from insight to expression. And “…♫ its got a back beat you can’t lose it…♫”

        Thank you.

  21. MikeN says:

    When there is evidence of scandalous or bizarre behavior on the part of a political figure, and no reasonable explanation is revealed within 24 to 48 hours, then the truth is probably as bad as everyone suspects.

    Nobody withholds exculpatory information. Nobody who’s been accused of something wrong waits for “just the right moment” to unveil information that proves the charge baseless.

    You and I both know, in our guts, and based upon everything we’ve seen in Washington since we started our careers, that there’s no innocent explanation for the Obama administration’s actions before, during, and after the Benghazi attacks.

    If there was evidence the military was doing everything they could to rescue our guys on that awful night, we would have heard about it long ago. If there was a good reason for the “talking points” to get edited down from a false premise (a demonstration) but at least serious information (previous CIA warnings about terrorist activity) to false pabulum, we would have heard it by now. And if there was a good reason for State Department lawyers to call up Deputy Chief of Mission Gregory Hicks and tell him not to allow the RSO, the acting Deputy Chief of Mission, and himself to be interviewed by Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, we would have heard that by now, too.

    You can see what’s going on here. You may not want to see it, or believe it, but you can see it. The federal government made awful, unforgivable wrong decisions about the security for its people in Benghazi. They compounded the error by failing to put together even the beginning of a rescue mission during the seven-hour assault.

    My friends in media, you know what is going on when you see President Obama say this:

    The whole issue of talking points, frankly, throughout this process has been a sideshow. What we have been very clear about throughout was that immediately after this event happened we were not clear who exactly had carried it out, how it had occurred, what the motivations were.

    You know what this is: stop looking at what I did, and start looking at the people accusing me of wrongdoing. We’ve seen this tactic before: “The vast right-wing conspiracy.”

    SCANDAL TWO: Hey, Why Does the IRS Have to Tell the Truth to Congress, Anyway?

    NBC News points out that the IRS appears to have directly lied to Congress when asked about the targeting of conservative groups:

    Lois Lerner, head of the IRS division on tax-exempt organizations, learned in June 2011 that agents had targeted groups with names including “Tea Party” and “Patriots,” according to the draft obtained by NBC News.

    She “instructed that the criteria immediately be revised,” according to the draft. Ten months later, in March 2012, the IRS commissioner at the time, Douglas Shulman, testified to Congress that the IRS was not targeting tax-exempt groups based on their politics.

    Members of Congress had sent letters to Shulman as early as June 2011 asking specifically about targeting of conservative groups, according to a House Ways and Means Committee summary obtained by NBC News.

    The IRS responded at least six times but made no mention of targeting conservatives, according to the committee’s summary.

    “Oh, you mean that effort to conservative groups, we thought you meant a different one.”

    Remember the explanation that this was just some runaway low-level employees in one office? Yeah, that was bull: “Internal Revenue Service officials in Washington and at least two other offices were involved in the targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, making clear the effort reached well beyond the branch in Cincinnati that was initially blamed, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.”

    • McCullough says:

      Are you trying to entice bobbo to start bobboling again?

      Haven’t we heard enough?

      • MikeN says:

        Oh, I guess so. His latest posts I have just skipped, so I haven’t quite felt the effect. You should try it. Easy to do when he gives such a long name.

  22. jpfitz says:

    If anyone is surprised by the goings on since W you are all fools. The past thirteen years has been the destruction of the constitution and the bill of rights. The wall street theft fiasco and The patriot act was the beginning of the end. We haven’t had a real president since 1963. USA, USA, USA.

    • msbpodcast says:

      We haven’t had a real president since Eisenhower (who warned us about the coming of the military-industrial complex.)

    • MikeN says:

      You mean the president who was auditing Nixon and other Republicans and sent segregated troops to the South despite desegregation of the military having happened 10 years prior?

  23. MikeN says:

    10. Obama admires Abraham Lincoln.

    9. Saul Alinsky died in 1972.

    8. Campaign 2012 was an aberration.

    7. “Punish your enemies” was an aberration.

    6. Nobel Peace Prize.

    5. Campaign 2008 was an aberration.

    4. Obama taught constitutional law.

    3. The War on Fox News was an aberration.

    2. Obama’s past was an aberration.

    1. There are no red taxpayers or blue taxpayers, only American taxpayers.

  24. bobbo, we think with words and flower with ideas says:

    Mikey complaining of long names demonstrates the error is not saved by placement says:
    5/15/2013 at 6:44 am

    When there is evidence of scandalous or bizarre behavior on the part of a political figure, and no reasonable explanation is revealed within 24 to 48 hours, then the truth is probably as bad as everyone suspects. /// I will quibble with this excellent summary and say the truth is probably worse.

    Nobody withholds exculpatory information. Nobody who’s been accused of something wrong waits for “just the right moment” to unveil information that proves the charge baseless. /// Redundant but supportive. Also applies to “secret plans” promised during elections campaigns. aka===they don’t exist.

    You and I both know, in our guts, and based upon everything we’ve seen in Washington since we started our careers, that there’s no innocent explanation for the Obama administration’s actions before, during, and after the Benghazi attacks. /// Innocent? Perhaps not, but still very OBVIOUS to anyone with these guts you refer to. The fact that there is any DISCUSSION about this issue at all is further evidence of the profound disqualified/incompetent character of the electorate.

    If there was evidence the military was doing everything they could to rescue our guys on that awful night, we would have heard about it long ago. /// I thought we heard they weren’t told to try. They act only on orders. Just as it should/must be.

    If there was a good reason for the “talking points” to get edited down from a false premise (a demonstration) but at least serious information (previous CIA warnings about terrorist activity) to false pabulum, we would have heard it by now. And if there was a good reason for State Department lawyers to call up Deputy Chief of Mission Gregory Hicks and tell him not to allow the RSO, the acting Deputy Chief of Mission, and himself to be interviewed by Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, we would have heard that by now, too. /// Sounds like White House diddling proved to me.

    You can see what’s going on here. You may not want to see it, or believe it, but you can see it. The federal government made awful, unforgivable wrong decisions about the security for its people in Benghazi. They compounded the error by failing to put together even the beginning of a rescue mission during the seven-hour assault. /// Hmmm. Is that true…. or is the problem having people there to begin with? Or…the decision of the ambassador himself to go there/be there all on his lonesome self? You know==he loved the Egyptian people and wanted to be with them. …… and so he was.

    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
    My friends in media, you know what is going on when you see President Obama say this:

    The whole issue of talking points, frankly, throughout this process has been a sideshow. What we have been very clear about throughout was that immediately after this event happened we were not clear who exactly had carried it out, how it had occurred, what the motivations were. /// That is always true with attendant variation.

    You know what this is: stop looking at what I did, and start looking at the people accusing me of wrongdoing. We’ve seen this tactic before: “The vast right-wing conspiracy.” //// Ha, ha. What is obvious is OBVIOUS. What do you think is obvious???? Me: each of the two main elements of your complaint has themselves two elements each with its own evidence and truth but they are in political tension with one another. Partisans of both stink try to champion one and downplay the other. Fools take sides.

    SCANDAL TWO: Hey, Why Does the IRS Have to Tell the Truth to Congress, Anyway?

    NBC News points out that the IRS appears to have directly lied to Congress when asked about the targeting of conservative groups:

    Lois Lerner, head of the IRS division on tax-exempt organizations, learned in June 2011 that agents had targeted groups with names including “Tea Party” and “Patriots,” according to the draft obtained by NBC News.

    She “instructed that the criteria immediately be revised,” according to the draft. Ten months later, in March 2012, the IRS commissioner at the time, Douglas Shulman, testified to Congress that the IRS was not targeting tax-exempt groups based on their politics.

    Members of Congress had sent letters to Shulman as early as June 2011 asking specifically about targeting of conservative groups, according to a House Ways and Means Committee summary obtained by NBC News.

    The IRS responded at least six times but made no mention of targeting conservatives, according to the committee’s summary.

    “Oh, you mean that effort to conservative groups, we thought you meant a different one.”

    Remember the explanation that this was just some runaway low-level employees in one office? Yeah, that was bull: “Internal Revenue Service officials in Washington and at least two other offices were involved in the targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, making clear the effort reached well beyond the branch in Cincinnati that was initially blamed, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.”

    ////////// Nice review. Sadly, perhaps the only way our society will get review of taxable political entities falsely filing for tax exempt status IS by partisan evaluation as opposed to what we have now which is approval of OBVIOUSLY fraudulent organizations because of the fear of being called partisan. LETS BE PARTISAN THEN: dumbos putting the pukes on the rack when in power, then the reverse. That way there might be some, as opposed to none, enforcement of our laws. Being non-partisan doesn’t work.

    Its called a laboratory of democracy for a reason (sic!).

    Ha, ha.

  25. MikeN says:

    Oh, and the liberals at this blog were lied to on Benghazi, to the point where they posted this.

    http://dvorak.org/blog/2012/09/14/mitts-major-meltdown/

  26. MikeN says:

    Chris Matthews became famous attacking Clinton before impeachment, to the point where people thought he was right-wing. Now that his ratings are down, and he’s been pushed out in favor of Rachel Maddow, might he do it again, and would MSNBC let him?

    • MikeN says:

      And might Obama start a war to distract attention? If I were Iran, I’d be getting nervous about now.


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