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As the Gunwalker scandal chugs along, the “meaning” of the Operation Fast and Furious seems set in stone. As I’ve asserted in this series and in my Washington Times editorial, the mainstream media has bought what the ATF and the Obama Administration have been selling: F&F was a “botched sting.” Which would make U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry’s murder at the hands of drug thugs wielding ATF-enabled firearms nothing more than bad luck. And U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s role nothing more than that of a busy bureaucrat betrayed by rogue underlings. As House Oversight Committee member Paul Gosar points out even if that’s true—which it isn’t—Holder needs to go . . .
“[Holder] needs to resign,” the Arizona Republican said. “I don’t see there is a way here that facilitates good, conscientious oversight at the Department of Justice.
“If he had no oversight and he knew nothing about this, he was incompetent. If he knew about this, then he was lying — and that’s perjury.”
Gosar’s interview with newsmax.com is part of the war of words between the Arizona Republican and the Democratic Attorney General, who accused Gosar of using Fast and Furious to score political points. Gosar says there’s more at stake than party politics.
“If there is one thing that America needs, it’s confidence in their bureaucrats, that they stand by the same rules that they are enforcing on other people.”
I’m not so sure about that. We need less bureaucrats, not better bureaucrats. Hypocrisy is endemic to the breed.
It’s easy to get caught up in the mechanics of this thing (God knows I have) and fascinated by the tendrils that extend into every corner of federal law enforcement. I have no doubt that Operation Fast and Furious was approved (if not conceived) by the White House and its surfeit of spooks, as part of its wider pro-Sinaloa drug cartel policy.
But the plain truth is that Operation Fast and Furious was run by the ATF, a tax collection service elevated to agency status by Ronald Reagan. An unnecessary expansion of federal reach that justified its existence by “solving” problems of its own creation (i.e. entrapment). If there wasn’t an ATF sitting around dreaming up ways to extend their power, none of this would have happened.
Fast and Furious is the logical result of a federal government bloated by hundreds of billions of dollars in “anti-terrorist” funding. Is it any surprise that Gunwalker is linked to the DHS, ICE, CPB, FBI, NSS, IRS, DOJ and State Department? ALL of them are a hammer looking for a nail. What is Fast and Furious if not a nail creation scheme?
With so many cops and not enough criminals, “proactive policing” has become Uncle Sam’s m.o. As Judge Napolitano points out, the recently revealed Iran “plot” to assassinate a Saudi on U.S. soil looks like yet another sting operation made of whole cloth. The Judge is also right about the timing of its revelation: it’s purely political, and deeply cynical.
For our purposes, the fact that the “DEA” informant in the case pretended to be a member of Los Zetas drug cartel (of all people) indicates that the feds are continuing their zealous anti-Zetas policy—which included the ATF’s “guns for goons” Sinaloa subsidy.
The Zetas connection is such a blatant PR move that I’m beginning to wonder if the Mexicans didn’t plant an ATF-enabled gun at Special Agent Jaime Zapata’s murder scene. How did the weapon get from the ATF smuggler to the Sinaloans to the Zetas? Coincidence?
Representative Issa’s subpoena includes a request for docs related to Zapata’s murder. We can only hope that Issa’s relentless search for the truth about Gunwalker will yield accountability. Actually, that’s not right. We can take steps to downsize the federal government, starving it of cash so it doesn’t have the manpower, money or time to make shit up.
No matter who wins the next election, I don’t think that’ll happen anytime soon. But I reckon that’s the way America’s headed. This scandal has the potential of pushing America into reconsidering the size and scope of its government, by establishing the link between bureaucratic bloat, a profound disregard for the rule of law and the death of at least one innocent man.
The old “Reichstag Fire” trick, and we fell for it.
More like a target of opportunity. Iran and Saudi Arabia have been fighting an undeclared war over the Gulf States for the past several years. Iran has used direct action on foreign soil against both its internal and external enemies since the 1979 revolution. Knocking off the Saudi Ambassador in Washington would help drive a further wedge between the US and Saudi Arabia. It would also poke a sharp stick in Obama’s eye.
Mideast rivalries are heating up. There are now four powers competing for regional hegemony: Turkish Neo-Ottomanism, a new Persian/Shia empire, Wahabist control and Egyptian led Pan-Arabism. Note that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a mere sideshow to the main event. I expect a regional conflagration in the next 24 months and it will probably go nuclear before it’s over.
Agreed with much of what you wrote yet the USG could be behind this conspiracy plot as much as anyone. It could be argued that if Iran was to organize the assassination of the Saudi ambassador in Washington it could drive the Saudi’s to seek out even more protection and a closer alignment with Washington than before.
How many IEDs went off PER DAY in Afghanistan? If you think the Iranians need the Mexicans to bomb the Saudis in American, you’re loco.
Our relations with the Saudis aren’t exactly top notch these days. A successful assassination of the Saudi Ambassador to the US in a Washington restaurant would be seen by Saudi eyes as a US failure and would drive us further apart. I could see the MOIS doing this.
To answer Robert, since you are convinced that the USG has used F&F to arm the Zeta’s mortal enemies why wouldn’t the Zeta’s want payback? Can’t have it both ways.
“Less bureaucrats not better bureaucrats.” I don’t believe this. They are not mutually exclusive. We need Less AND better bureaucrats. Much less, and much better.
Be careful what you wish for. If they were better at what they do, then they could have successfully covered up F&F/GW.
Lawless government creates and supports a lawless populace, that thrives on control of the “outsiders”, in other words, those that disagree with lawlessness. Laws are made to be sure everyone is breaking at least two when they wake up in the morning. (Don’t get me started on how many laws we break by going to bed). Every law is neutralized by another law that makes the first law void. Every government agency is created to piss off other government agencies, and to make sure nothing gets done. Remember, the first part is governed by the second part, unless the third part takes precedence over the original wording of the fourth part, in which case a temporary ruling will be put off until the technology is available to catch and paint farts green.
I’m sorry, sometimes I get so mental.
This guy gets it.
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