Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- This is a pretty interesting power ranking of the Top 25 College football teams.

- I'm excited to see Catch-22 brought to life as a 6 episode mini-series. Strange how there seems to be so little buzz about this project.

- Newly released Eric Holder memo: Feds can use FISA to spy on journalists. OK - next question: what journalists did the Obama Administration spy on if any?

- Tesla shares drop after its announced DOJ requested documents after Elon Musk's "taking company private" comments. Always something in Musk World.

- Interesting observation on Korea from Scott Adams

- This actually looks like a pretty cool idea (I'd probably never wear one though)

- Climate alarmism fails the scientific test of observation

Mandatory Voting

George Will has a column about Eric Holder supposedly supporting mandatory voter registration or possibly mandatory voting. George Will does a nice job explaining why this would be a bad idea. However, I would support the notion of mandatory registration or voting if it meant candidates worth voting for. I would support three caveats to the mandatory voting idea:

1. Each candidate for Federal office would first have to pass the same test that immigrants have to pass in order to become citizens. This would accomplish two things - it would insure that the people running for office have some basic idea of what this country is all about and frankly it would also help weed out the morons.

2. Institute a hypocrisy law where if an office holder is found guilty of a crime that publicly was against - then that office holder would get ten-times the normal penalty. For example if a Congressman was advocating stricter gun laws but was caught trying to get a handgun through airport security or say a Congressman helped pass stricter IRS penalties but then was found to be cheating on his taxes - ten-times the penalty.

3. Any claim against a Congressman, Senator, Cabinet Member or President automatically gets sent to the Supreme Court for resolution.

I don't think that mandatory voting passes the common sense smell test but my three suggestions do - which means they would never get passed by Congress.

Presidential Pardons

If President Obama loses the election one of the most interesting things to watch for will be who he decides to give Presidential pardons to on the way out the door. I'm inclined to believe that President Obama may give Attorney General Eric Holder a blanket pardon. Holder would then become where the buck stops on anything the Administration did that may have been in less than the spirit of the law. Fast and Furious would be the obvious scandal that could stop at Holder's door. In exchange for immunity Holder could take the blame for that. Taking illegal foreign campaign contributions? Holder could step up and say "My bad!" There are any number of examples (and probably many more will see the light of day if Obama loses Tuesday).

Many people have called for Eric Holder's resignation for many years. The President stuck by Holder probably because Holder knew too much. Giving Holder a pardon in exchange for Holder agreeing to take the blame for anything and everything would seem a fair exchange. I'm not sure if the law allows for pardons for crimes that have not been charged yet but hey - when did a little thing like the law stop this Administration?

Just combine the pardon with yet another Executive order - presto chango!

Bill Whittle on Fast and Furious

I agree with this video 100%.

I keep waiting for reporters to ask the simple question of who was the Obama Administration official responsible for giving the green light to Fast and Furious. It's been a year and a half since the death of Brian Terry. Don't the parents of Brian Terry deserve at least that most basic answer? Any Democrat who asserts that this is just political grandstanding should be made to answer the question of who was responsible in public and if they can't provide the name then they should be asked to resign.

Fast and Furious - Executive Privilege

Yesterday I jotted down my thoughts on Fast and Furious just prior to it becoming the dominant story of the day as President Obama used Executive Privilege as a get out of jail free card for Attorney General Eric Holder. Since then there has been much said about the President's action and what it really means.

I have three thoughts I'd like to toss out there.

1. People seem to want to make this an either / or situation. Either this is a legitimate use of Executive Power or the President and Holder are trying to hide something nefarious. I suggest a possible third path or explanation - this exercising of Executive Privilege may simply be another example of simple incompetence. Holder and Obama may just not understand the principle of Executive Privilege and this article by John Hinderaker seems to support the frivolous nature of the claim. Of course I don't rule out the option that the Administration is both trying to hide something AND incompetent.

2. Karl Rove on Fox News floated the idea that the Obama Administration knows this isn't good news for them but that they need a shiny object to keep people distracted from focusing on the economy for a few weeks and Fast and Furious was the least evil of the options available to them. This was a WOW! statement for me. The Democrats have tried Bain Capital, high school bullying, Romney's record as Governor, Mormonism, even an Executive Fiat version of illegal immigrant amnesty and now they are out of shiny objects? Wow - Obama's own people must think things are not just bad but awful if this is the case and Fast and Furious would be the LEAST damaging distraction.

3. Small quibble but anyone who says this is just "election year politics" should be reminded that this started a year and a half ago and AG Holder could have ended it at any time by just providing the information requested. He's the one that delayed things so it is now coming to a head 5 months before the election. The simple question of "who authorized Fast and Furious?" has not been answered. Until that question is answered this will continue to be an issue.

Time Running Out or Running out the Clock?

The New York Post has an article from Michael Walsh suggesting that time is running out for Attorney General Eric Holder. Walsh also argues for keeping the pressure on - a strategy I agree with. However, as I've said before - Eric Holder is trying to run out the clock - in effect running a "four-corners" offense until the November elections. Then either way, win or lose, the President can offer his friend a blanket pardon for any actions related to Fast and Furious.

Two thoughts:

1. I think the handling of the situation has been awful by the Obama Administration. Putting everything off to the very end just keeps the story in the news just when the Administration can't afford these types of stories. It was easy for friendly media outlets to ignore this story in the past but how can they possibly ignore a story about the Attorney General being cited for contempt? Giving the impression that the Administration is lawless and capable of anything is not the way to convince voters to give Obama four more years in November.

2. I wonder even if Obama gives Holder a blanket pardon - would that pardon cover crimes that occurred in Mexico? Could Mexican officials press charges against Holder for the dozens of murders and counting that are related to Fast and Furious and would Holder be liable to extradition?

This story will get bigger and bigger and the Obama Administration has no one to blame for the timing or the scope.

Fast and Furious Theory

I think anyone following the Fast and Furious scandal has come to the realization that Attorney General Eric Holder had to be involved and that knowledge and authorization for the operation may have even gone higher than him. Holder, however, has given no indication that he is going to resign and President Obama has given no indication that he plans to ask for Holder's resignation any time soon.

Let me share a thought that occurred to me earlier today - maybe Attorney General Holder's plan is to "run out the clock" until the November election. Then if President Obama loses - he can give Holder a blanket pardon for any involvement he may or may not have had in Fast and Furious. That way Holder doesn't go to jail and he also becomes the place where the buck stops. Holder will have incentive to say the President was in no way aware or involved in Fast and Furious.

The more I think of it - the more I think that this is a likely scenario.

Fast and Furious

I think this scandal will start to get more and more attention in the coming months - and well it should. Watergate didn't have a body count.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

The ad in Variety seeking 4 folk musicians to audition for what would become The Monkees

What the Original $1 Bill Looked Like

Awesome - the Martin Luther insult generator

Eric Holder and Fast and Furious will be an albatross around Obama's neck - story isn't going away