Darrell Issa: So Busted!

As predicted on this site on May 20, "the worst scandal in the history of this Republic" has fizzled out and died without a whimper. There never was a scandal here - and Darrell Issa, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, knew goddamned good-and-well that there was no scandal. Their charge was that the Obama White House was targeting the pocketbooks of conservative groups via the IRS. Issa said he was "accumulating" evidence of all the Tea Party groups the administration was going after. Nice try. However according to Dana Milbank of the Washington Post:

"Finally, evidence surfaces that the investigator stacked the deck. Last Tuesday night, the Hill newspaper quoted a spokesman for Treasury's inspector general, Russell George, saying the group was asked by Issa 'to narrowly focus on tea party organizations.' The inspectors knew there were other terms, but 'that was outside the scope of our audit.'"

Genius at Work

In other words just expose the Tea Party groups whose organizations were being investigated by the IRS. Ignore the liberal groups. When White House spokesman Jay Carney pointed out to the assembled press that the whole thing was much ado about zilch, Congressman Issa went on national television and called him Obama's "paid liar". Someone is owed an apology here, wouldn'cha think? Don't hold your breath. Bill Clinton is still waiting for one for the Vince Foster affair. That was twenty years ago. According to a recent statement from a spokeswoman for that disgusting party, "This scandal has legs". Indeed it does. So did Franklin Roosevelt.

This isn't the first time that Issa has knowingly tried to implicate this president in a fictitious scandal; this is merely his most blatant attempt thus far. The moment he was caught with his pants down, in a laughably desperate attempt to deflect attention from himself, he resorted to that old tried-and-true mantra that has seemed to work so well for the GOP in the past year:

"BANGAZI!!! BANGAZI!!!

 Another "scandal" with legs as worthless as FDR's.

This is merely the latest  twist in the spiral toward historical oblivion that the "party of Abraham Lincoln" had been descending these last few years - and what fun it's been to watch, huh? I would not have missed this matinee in the Theater of the Absurd for anything. In an article that was posted on the Huffington Post on May 10, a fellow by the name of Andy Ostroy made the following, very astute observation:

"Despite the country's rapidly shifting demographics and social attitudes--a healthy move towards racial, religious and sexual tolerance--the GOP has boxed itself into a corner. There are patterns they simply cannot break. Ideals they can't divorce from. Rhetoric they can't stop espousing. They just can't help themselves."

He might have added the cozy little fact that this is a party that has lost its mind.

You've got to hand it to the Republicans. They've got nearly a century-and-a-half of some heavy duty scandals behind them. From Iran/Contra to Watergate to Teapot Dome; jaw-dropping debacles going all the way back to the administration of Ulysses S Grant. That's not to mention the reign of the village idiot from Crawford, Texas, whose entire eight-year-run was one rolling scandal. About the best they could ever pin on the Democrats was the spectacle of the Bill Clinton years - and that was only after years of trying in vain to pin something on the guy. They had to trick him into lying under oath about a fling with a half-witted intern - something that was totally unrelated to what he was testifying about at the time. I think it's interesting that of all these presidents mired in corruption and shame, Clinton is the only one of the lot who had impeachment proceedings brought against him. The history of this nation is just drenched in dandy little ironies like that one.

Kenny Boy

Where Have You Gone, Ken Starr?

Remember Kenny Boy? He was the asshole who spent over twenty million in taxpayer cash persecuting President Clinton. Four years ago I predicted that, like Bill, Barack would be bombarded with one investigation after another. The racists who now pollute the halls of Congress are ten times as determined than they were fifteen years ago. In their warped little minds, if any president ever needed to go down, this is the president who is custom-tailored to fulfill their twisted fantasies. Remember how much they despised Bubbah? Nowadays they can't pay the man enough compliments. They adore him! Again....all these delicious ironies.

Can these nitwits do anymore damage than they've already done? Well, yeah, they can - and they're trying to. We can expect to endure more of this nonsense until January of 2015 when they are finally swept out of office by the tidal wave of electoral rebuke that I'm almost certain is coming. 

If you're not in a blind rage over what these right wing kooks are doing to your country, you're sound asleep. Sweet dreams!

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY

SUGGESTED READING:

The Gettysburg Address
by Abraham Lincoln

 http://tomdegan.blogspot.com/2006/11/gettysburg-address.html 

The Battle of Gettysburg ended one-hundred and fifty years ago today. It proved a decisive victory for the Union. President Lincoln's brief but eloquent speech on that blood-soaked field four months later continues to resonate down through the decades.

**********

Sophie Madeleine

REQUIRED LISTENING:

Stars
by Sophie Madeleine 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62-8cKa4jnY

A few months ago I was watching on YouTube Joe Brown's rendition of "I'll See You In My Dreams" from the Concert For George. When it was over a few related links were scattered across the screen. One showed the breathtaking vision of an angel with a ukelele in hand instead of the traditional harp....

(FOR THE RECORD: I'm not referring to Tiny Tim).

Talk about your happy accidents. That was the day I discovered the music of a young woman from merrie olde England whose talents I can only describe as "otherworldly". Her name is Sophie Madeleine. You've never heard of her before? You will. She is the most brilliant new recording artist I've come across in decades.

I need Sophie's music these days for no other reason than the simple fact that it makes me happy. It has been a very long time since an artist had that kind of effect on me.

Here is a link to order her CD, "The Rhythm You've Started"  off of Amazon.com. I suggest - NO, DAMMIT, I DEMAND - that you purchase it:

The Rhythm You've Started

Sophie Madeleine inspires and astounds.