By: Jeffrey Klein, Political Buzz Examiner
Examiner.com
American’s, by their very nature, are not generally drawn to people who whine, complain and fail in life — to the contrary, we like and admire winners — particularly sports figures, like managers, coaches and quarterbacks.
Those who are most admired and go on to become great take personal responsibility for their own actions — versus abdicating accountability by pointing the finger of blame.
Thus, for those who routinely fail in performance and accountability, especially before a national audience, it is standard operating procedure for them to be replaced — without prejudice.
Like the Head Coach of a failing sports team, Eric Holder, the Attorney General of the United States, has, along with his Department of Justice, been under almost constant investigation and severe criticism for a number of actions and inactions.
And, these culminating with the ATF “Operation Fast and Furious” — the now famously botched, and fatality laden “gun-walking” operation that allowed nearly 2,000 combat weapons flow into the hands of the Sinaloa Mexican Drug cartel, which have been identified as used in over 300 murders in Mexico, including law enforcement and government officials.
The situation exploded when two of the weapons were found to have been used in the grizzly homicide of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in December 2010 — and that only came to light as a result of six agent “whistle blowers.”
As far as the future of Holder’s career as Attorney General was concerned, it started to unravel in May 2011, when he appeared before the House Government Oversight Committee, which was leading the fledgling investigation, and testified that he had not “heard” about Fast and Furious until several weeks earlier — when the story hit the newspapers and TV…
Since then, the evidence and testimony collected by the committee has been tightening its grip on Eric Holder and several of his lieutenants.
A “bad player” will begin to “signal,” or use a telltale,” that indicates they are using their last round of ammunition against a situation that has grown beyond their ability to survive it — which became strikingly apparent during an interview with Eric Holder, published in the New York Times (NYT) yesterday, wherein he began to “signal” that his tenure would soon come to a bitter end…
Matthew Boyle’s article this afternoon in The Daily Caller (“TheDC”), reported on the NYT article, quoting Holder as accusing elements of “a more extreme segment,” which he didn’t specify — as leading the chorus of criticism against him and calling for his resignation.
Refusing personal accountability and blaming others — the first signal.
However, it was truly the second signal, regarding his perceived motivation of this “more extreme segment,” which has Washington stirring…
Eric Holder was quoted in the NYT article stating … “This is a way to get at the president… because of the way I can be identified with him.
Both due to the nature of our relationship and, you know, the fact that we’re both African-American.”
Both the Justice Department and White House have been silent, not returning the flood of media inquiries regarding the throw down of the “race card” by Attorney General Eric Holder.
Undeterred, The DC on December 12th contacted the offices of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), wherein a staffer told them that the “general feeling” of most caucus members is that the congressional investigation into Operation Fast and Furious is warranted. But, the staffer added, most members think the investigation has turned into a “witch hunt.”
However, there is a serious “rift” inside the CBC on this matter.
On the one hand, Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), a member of the House Judiciary Committee made infamous by wondering aloud if Guam would capsize from overpopulation — told The DC last week that he thinks the Tea Party and the National Rifle Association “manufactured” the scandal surrounding the program that led to the deaths of at least 300 Mexican citizens and Border Patrol agent Brian Terry.
“I think this is another manufactured controversy by the second amendment [sic], NRA Republican Tea Party movement [sic],” Johnson said outside a Judiciary Committee hearing where Attorney General Eric Holder was testifying on the scandal last Thursday.
Then there is the more “mainstream” view, articulated by CBC member Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), who is the House Oversight Committee’s ranking Democratic member, who does not believe that either the NRA or Tea Party “manufactured” the F & F situation.
“No, no, I don’t think so. I think what happened is there were some agents on the lower level who — and by the way it did not just start during the Obama administration. We know of three instances of Fast and Furious type operations during the Bush administration,” said Cummings.
“I think you had some people who were a little bit overzealous on the lower level and did not communicate properly to the upper levels and botched an operation and it should have never happened,” Cummings added.
Finally, Rep. Allen West (R-FL) spoke to The DC today in a phone interview, and weighed in by saying that Holder’s use of the ‘race card’ as a way to attack those who are criticizing him is “reprehensible.”
“I think this is absolutely the last card in the deck, and that shows how weak their ground is. But, what that means is they want to make white individuals afraid of continuing to put the pressure on Eric Holder because they don’t want to be seen as racist, and that is something that we have got to move beyond.”
West said Holder can’t logically assign race as a motivation behind the criticisms for his handling of Operation Fast and Furious.
“What Fast and Furious has to do with is misleading the Congress and the American people about what you knew about this program, and if you did not know anything about this program, then who’s in charge of the Department of Justice?
It has nothing to do with your race — it has everything to do with competence, with your character and with your ability to lead the Department of Justice,” West said.
West concluded by saying that Holder’s use of race, as a way to attack his critics, is “the most insidious thing I ever heard.”
For the record, there is a growing list of 60 Congressmen, two Senators, every major Republican Presidential candidate and two sitting Governors, who are calling for Eric Holder’s immediate resignation — these Congressmen are joined by 15 others who are in favor of voting on a resolution of “No-Confidence” in his continued ability to lead the Department of Justice.
The very fact that Eric Holder has throw down the ‘race card’ — characterized by Rep. West as being the “last card in the deck” — strongly signals that he knows his resistance is futile, against the rising tide carrying him out of office.
Copyright (c) 2011 by Jeffrey Klein
