“So maybe the GOP will drop its obsession with 19-month-old talking points and start asking what more can be done to the bad guys.” – Dana Milbank, Washington Post.
It’s the conclusion you would expect from Milbank, a water carrier for President Obama, following the testimony of Michael Morrell on the Sept.… read more
In my March 27, 2014 blog post, It’s no joke, Senator Franken, I wrote of his effort to intimidate IRS employees; a plan to closely scrutinize tax exempt status applications submitted by Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations.
Led by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Franken and several other senators pressured the IRS to delay Tea Party application approvals; a scheme to prevent groups from furthering their push for less government, lower taxes, less spending and adherence to the Constitution.… read more
I never allowed politics to influence what I said or did. Never.” – Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morrell.
Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morrell testifies. (jmanuelbalcecenata, AP)
If you watched the Benghazi hearing conducted Wednesday by the House Intelligence Committee, you saw Michael Morrell provide testimony as a willing partner in the cover-up of the Sept. 11, 2012 Benghazi attack.
You will recall that after a late afternoon 30-minute briefing on the attack by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen.Martin Dempsey, President Obama never checked back with Panetta to review the status in Benghazi, and within hours was on Air Force One headed for a fundraising event in Las Vegas
Meanwhile, Morrell, and representatives of the NSA, FBI, Defense Intelligence and the State Department, were writing and rewriting talking points to remove all mention of Al Qaeda. They knew the administration’s position on Al Qaeda and terrorism going into the election and the president was going to tell crowds in Las Vegas, and subsequently in Colorado, that “Al Qaeda was on the run, and Osama was dead.” And blaming the attack on protestors upset with an anti-Muslim video was inserted.
Then State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland and Hillary Clinton in a private exchange. (cubaninsider.blogspot.com)
Protecting Hillary Clinton was also of utmost importance. Everyone around her knew her reputation had to be squeaky clean since her aspirations for the office of the president were commonly known at the State Department. We had the first ambassador killed in two decades and Victoria Nuland, Clinton’s spokesperson at State, would have us believe she never discussed the talking points with her boss. In an e-mail she referenced concern from “building leadership” about the wording. Who else would that be?
During his testimony, Morrell said he was deeply troubled by allegations “that I inappropriately altered and influenced CIA’s classified analysis and its unclassified talking points about what happened in Benghazi, Libya in September 2012 and that I covered up those actions. These allegations accuse me of taking these actions for the political benefit of President Obama and then Secretary of State Clinton. These allegations are false.” Continue reading
We have been hearing a lot lately about how the Obama administration blew the “reset” with Russia, but few people recall or ever heard how Hillary Clinton, then secretary of state, was embarrassed by a close aide in what was to be a symbolic new start in U.S. – Russia relations.
Sergei Lavrov and Hillary Clinton all smiles over “reset” button. (pool photo by Fabrice Coffrini)
It was on March 6, 2009 in Geneva. Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei V. Lavrov were to have dinner together, in what was to be an effort to mend the relationship between the two countries that had become strained.
Before they sat down, however, a photo-op was arranged. A smiling Clinton handed a small green box to Lavrov, saying I would like to present you with a little gift that represents what President Obama and Vice Predsident Biden and I have been saying and that is, we want to reset our relationship, and so we will do it together.”
Ill-conceived “reset” button. (foxnews.com)
In the box was a square yellow metal object with a bright red button. It was to symbolize the reset of the relationship. The word, “peregruzka” appeared above the button. As Lavrov smiled, Clinton said, “We worked hard to get the right Russian word. Do you think we got it?” Lavrov’s smile turned to a laugh, stopping to say, “You got it wrong. It should be “perezagruzka.” He then pointed out that the Russian word on the gift button meant “overcharged,” causing Clinton to emit one of her characteristic cackles. Continue reading
“I believe it’s a winner.” – House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
In my March 25, 2014 posting, Kramer’s musings, I wrote about House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s press conference during which she insisted ObamaCare be referred to as the Affordable Care Act. She went on to predict it will be a winning issue for her party in congressional elections this year.… read more
That was HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ clear, concise answer given with no hesitation in response to Rep. Kevin Brady’s (R-TX) question whether the Affordable Care Act individual mandate and enrollment period would be extended beyond the stated March 31, 2014 deadline.
That was just 15 days ago when she appeared before the House Ways and Means Committee. … read more
KRAMER’S NOTE: In Kramer’s musings, posted March 25, 2014, I wrote how Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) labelled Rep. Paul Ryan with a charge of thinly veiled racism for using the words “inner city” and “culture,” both of which she says are code words for “blacks.” I wonder how Lee will interpret the statements by Sheriff David A.… read more
In my four-part series on the IRS scandal, I wrote of U. S. senators who intimidated the agency in an effort to stymie Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations from gaining tax exempt status for political education.
Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), the former Saturday Night Live funnyman, who won his 2008 race against Norm Coleman by just 312 votes after an eight-month recount process, was one of those senators. … read more
Beware the advice of the opposition
“I think the Republicans are wasting their time using that (ObamaCare) as their electoral issue, and they will find that out.” – House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
If the Democrats really believed that, do you think they would be telling us? It reminds me of how they tell us if we agree to amnesty, Hispanics will vote Republican.
… and speaking of Nancy Pelosi
Did you hear how she corrected a reporter who asked her a question about ObamaCare? “It’s called the Affordable Care Act,” she said, and then repeated, “It’s the Affordable Care Act.” Then she continued by saying, “That’s a case we have to make. We’re grown ups.” And when the reporter reminded her that even the president calls it ObamaCare, she told him, “I tell them the same thing I told you.”
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi reminds reporter that it is the Affordable Care Act, not ObamaCare. (Evan Vucci AP photo)
As if that wasn’t clear enough in her mind, she went on as if she were a kindergarten teacher to say, “Affordable. Affordable. There’s a reason. Affordable. Affordable. Affordable. Affordable. Affordable.” All this to make her point that Republicans refuse to use the official name because they know it is more affordable. Nearly everyone knows that for the majority of people, the Affordable Care Act is not more affordable. Premiums are up and deductibles are up. Republicans should continue to use “ObamaCare” to hang this miserable program on its namesake. Continue reading
KRAMER’S NOTE: This is the last in my series on the IRS scandal, providing you with the milestone events in capsulized form, emphasizing the importance of completing the investigation. The first three in this series can be found in the right column of this page.
The Clear Case Against Lois Lerner
“Tea Party matter very dangerous. This could be the vehicle to go to court on the issue of whether Citizens United overturning the ban on corporate spending applies to tax exempt rules.” – Lois Lerner e-mail of February 1, 2011
Lois Lerner takes Fifth Amendment. (worldmag.com photo)
When Lois Lerner made her second appearance before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on March 5, 2014, it was Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa’s intention to ask her about this statement. It goes back to her Oct. 19, 2010 declaration that the Supreme Court dealt a huge blow in its decision on Citizens United and “everyone is up in arms because the Federal Election Commission can’t do anything about it.”
Issa opened the testimony session asking Lerner to identify who wanted the problem caused by Citizens United fixed, and “why would you say Tea Party cases are dangerous?” But Lerner, as she did on May 22, 2013, took the Fifth Amendment, refusing to answer that and subsequent questions concerning IRS actions against conservative organizations. Since her first appearance, Issa had obtained a number of 2011 e-mails showing a heightened effort to stymie Tea Party organizations. Continue reading
