One Thing Certain About Darrell Issa: His Own Hands are Very Dirty

      Not that you would know this from the mainstream press:

      "Rep. Darrell Issa's past includes arrests for weapons charges and auto theft, suspicions of arson, and accusations of intimidation with a gun, but you'd hardly know it from the media's recent coverage of the new chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. While Issa was substantially mentioned in 15 articles in the nation's largest newspapers since the last election -- including several major profiles -- only one of those articles mentioned any of these allegations. Likewise, interviewers did not ask Issa about his alleged criminal past in any of the cable or network interviews he sat for during that period."

       http://mediamatters.org/research/201101110034

       See also:

       http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002841074

        This is a guy on a mission and he has planned it for a long time:

         "Issa has become the chief antagonist to Barack Obama,” brags spokesman Kurt Bardella. “He has the best job in Republican politics right now. When he puts an inquiry out there, that inquiry travels from here right to the White House Briefing Room, where Gibbs gets peppered by everybody about it.”

         Again Issa's words not mine.

         http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/22/1102082/-Inquisitor-Issa-s-Witchhunts

          It's important to understand that this has been Mr. Issa's long term agenda-he's today's Joe McCarthy or Kenneth Starr:

           "We must never, ever forget that this complete and total piece of shit used car thief with power came into that power already long chomping at the bit to destroy this Democratic President. He not only wanted his current position, but getting it consumed him for many years beforehand to be absolutely sure to be in the position to get it, very specifically, to use its serious power as a weapon. To elevate the most far-out-of-the-mainstream rightwing extremists he could hope to find, and to empower other like-minded ideological Jacobins with gavels to join in the inquisition."

            As LeftHandedMan says, until now the mainstream media has not bitten-so you can hear Republican smear merchants like Sean Hannity go on about only he is talking about this oh so important national security issue, but give it time. Unfortunately this may change. It's the Arkansas Project of the 21st century:

             "And we have to be ready for when the useful idiots in the traditional media finally bite. It might not be on the "Fast and the Furious" baited hook, but Darrell Issa and company have more and more and more and more to come. This guy is no better than a powerful Joe "You Lie!" Wilson."

             LeftHanded also makes the crucial point that Issa is just like Joe Wilson. There's this running disrespect that unreconstructed bigots-what other explanation is there-show for this duly elected President. Just like that Right wing journalist last week not even waiting for the President to finish his speech before spewing his Right wing talking points:

             "Darrell Issa simply cannot hide his basic lack of respect for the current President. A man he has held, and continues to hold, in deep contempt with or without the hundreds of hours of Jacobin hearings Issa has invested his entire political life in since 2010. It's a recurring theme on the Movement Conservative Right. From "You Lie!", to a completely fake reporter from a completely fake Rightwing "news" outlet very comfortable with heckling the current President at the White House before he has even finished speaking."

             "Not 'if it's President Obama'. Not 'if it's the President'.

              If it's Barack.

            "Like he's at the watercooler talking about some other middle-aged jaggoff three cubicles over."

            See I think it goes beyond assuming an equality with the President I think that Issa's world is one where no black man can ever be above him in a position of power and authority particularly the highest office in the land. In Issa's sick imagination he think's he's above the President because of race. Note that he has continually done the same thing with Attorney General Eric Holder like when he called Mr. Holder-the man with the highest ranked officer in our judicial system a liar.

          It's only going to get worse-Mr. Issa has lots of plans:

          "California Rep. Darrell Issa is already eyeing a massive expansion of oversight for next year, including hundreds of hearings; creating new subcommittees; and launching fresh investigations into the bank bailout, the stimulus and, potentially, health care reform."

          "Issa told POLITICO in an interview that he wants each of his seven subcommittees to hold "one or two hearings each week."

          "I want seven hearings a week, times 40 weeks," Issa said.

           "Issa is also targeting some ambitious up-and-comers like Reps. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, Patrick McHenry of North Carolina and Jim Jordan of Ohio -- all aggressive partisans -- to chair some of his subcommittees."

          "He also wants to organize aggressive oversight beyond his committee and plans to refer inquiries to other House panels, drawing even more incoming GOP chairmen to the cause of investigating the executive branch."

           To be sure this often backfires on Issa's Repugs:

           "Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and his investigators had been looking into the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission because, Issa said, it went way over budget and commissioners and staffers “may have conflicts of interest created by their previous roles in the public and private sectors.”

           "Issa said he was troubled by “ extensive ties of some of the senior staff at a putatively bipartisan commission to partisan Democrat politics” and said that the FCIC

          "Instead, the documents that were reviewed by congressional investigators, according to the Democrats’ report on that matter, reveal that Republican commissioners and staffers were improperly sharing the FCIC’s work with outside parties. Dems also say that emails show that one Republican commissioner was trying to use his position on the commission to bolster the GOP’s chances of repealing financial services reform."

       -Talking Points Memo

          Gotta love that idea that the FCIC is a partisan hack group that backs the Democrats! Isn't this just an admission that they dream of abolishing FCIC?

          "This is a previously impotent zealot who finally thinks he has found a witch worth burning in the trumped up "Fast and Furious" case.

           "After years of coming up with nothing but bitter moutfuls of dry dust and go-nowhere attempts at exploding various poutrages that came up empty like dozens of little Al Capone's Vaults, Issa thinks he finally has a hit. Born of a flat-out whackadoodle to the core conspiracy theory about how not trying to pass gun control regulations was actually the hot nefarious path to a national gun confiscation power grab, but still, it's better than nothing."

           LeftHandedMan argues that this is about a lot more than just trying to help Mitt Romney. It's also about hamstringing a second Obama term if need be:

           "It's the equivalent of a full-employment plan for D.C. lawyers. Issa will be handing out subpoenas like he's handing out candy on Halloween."

           "When former President Bill Clinton, who knows a little something about GOP witch hunts, said in September Republicans would pursue "two years of unrelenting investigations," he knew what he was talking about."

             "In the short-term, this is all about constantly and consistently embarrassing President Obama to get him and keep him on the defensive whenever possible while he is trying to run against Romney. Actually going about beating Barack Obama will have to be in the Koch Brother's and Karl Rove's wheelhouse. Just like you wouldn't have had some total idiot Senator or House loon shooting a melon stand-in for Vince Foster's head in a Dole '96 ad vs. Clinton, it's unlikely some of the more far-fetched nonsense will be of use to Mitt Romney and his campaign." 
T
            "This is essentially Clinton Term Two Electric Impeachment Boogalloo If we don't retake the U.S. House in November, because this is not being done to help elect Mitt Romney. They'd take it if it did, but this is about a longer-term gambit."

           "When, not if, but when President Barack Obama is successfully re-elected for a second term, this is all about the next step: politics by other means to remove him from the White House if they can, but at the very least trapping him in four long years of nothing but fake scandal, lazy media bullshit, and heartache."

          "And if that happens it will be because a smug second-rate car thief Torquemada will lead them."

         Admire LeftHand's confidence. The Arkansas Project is the perfect analogy they plan to give Obama the Clinton Treatment. It's ironic as these days the GOPers run around praising Clinton extravagantly. They can never get over the fact that Obama has failed to "do a Clinton" but in truth the 90s seem like a simpler less partisan time only for those with very poor memories.

         However, forewarned is forearmed  Darrrell Issa is an unsightly, hideous weed. Watering him only makes him grow.