Scandal: IRS Lady Didn't Like Conservatives

I've struggled to find the "scandal" in the IRS scandal since it broke. It was a case of the IRS investigating political groups who had filed for tax exempt status. And tax exempt status is not supposed to be granted to political organizations. But for an odd policy at the IRS itself, none of these political groups, left or right, should actually get granted the status. That is the only scandal I really see there.

But, of course, Right Wing World doesn't see it that way. Though liberal groups were targeted as well, they've maintained that the IRS focused on right wing groups more, using key words to determine who to "harass." It's kind of strange that a group called the Tea Party could object to being classified as political, but whatever. Anyway, there's this lady who ran one of the offices, and it turns out she doesn't like conservatives very much, and has spoken her mind about it in an email or two. What she had to say sounded like something I might write on this blog, so clearly, conservatives are very unhappy (or happy, depending upon your point of view) about it.


Image from source, NewsCorpse

The problem is, even if they're dead right: Lois Lerner hated conservatives, and went after conservative political groups. . .she had every right to! They're political groups looking to get a status they shouldn't get! But they got it anyway! So, what's the problem? Moreover, there hasn't been a line drawn to the White House about this at all, so how it can be an "Obama Scandal" is ponderous.

[Excerpt]

So F**king What? Former IRS Official Says That GOP Crazies Are…CRAZY!

Republicans and their friends at Fox News have mastered the art of building mountains of bullshit from the lowliest troll-hills. It’s one of their favorite tactics to malign Democrats. Just grab a sentence fragment from a long speech and pretend that it is the whole of the comment from which it was extracted. Then feign outrage that such an awful remark could have been uttered. . .

Read more at: NewsCorpse

Scandal: IRS Scandal-ette Turns Out to be Scandal Free

The IRS "scandal" has always stuck in my craw for really not being a scandal, or more specifically, a completely miscast one. The scandal was never who the IRS targeted in their probe, it was that they ended up giving tax exempt status to political groups at all. But Right Wing World was frothing at the mouth that Tea Party groups were targeted for auditing. How dare the IRS examine a political group for claiming to not be a political group! I mean, it was ridiculous.

But it's turned out to be even less than they thought it was. What are the odds that FOX "News" and right-wing talk radio set the record straight now? I'm guessing, never. But maybe Darrell Issa will finally shut up. At least about this subject.

[Excerpt]

New Records: IRS Targeted Progressive Groups More Extensively Than Tea Party



Image from source, Think Progress

A series of IRS documents, provided to ThinkProgress under the Freedom of Information Act, appears to contradict the claims by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and his House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that only Tea Party organizations applying for tax-exempt status “received systematic scrutiny because of their political beliefs.” The 22 “Be On the Look Out” keywords lists, distributed to staff reviewing applications between August 12, 2010 and April 19, 2013, included more explicit references to progressive groups, ACORN successors, and medical marijuana organizations than to Tea Party entities. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Captain Obvious: GOP Talking Points re: BridgeGate Don't Hold Up

It is obvious that in the few days since Chris Christie's "BridgeGate" scandal went national, the GOP (and the rest of Right Wing World) has been following talking points. Whether they came down from Mt. Limbaugh, were concocted by Reince Priebus, or FOX "News," somebody somewhere decided upon a counter-strategy. And that was to say that Christie gave a big press conference, where he "owned it" (debatable), and took questions. Further, they then say that President Obama has not done the same in regard to his scandals. And then they go down the well-worn list of so-called scandals, Benghazi, IRS and then they have some leeway on further scandals. Some throw in "Fast and Furious," some go NSA, others generically site ObamaCare.

But they're all on that same page as a response to Christie. In tandem with that, they'll compare Christie and Obama both being "unaware" what nefariousness people under them are up to. There are several things wrong with this line of counter-attack, starting with the very large difference between being a President and being a Governor. And it's been irritating me all day, as I've heard and read little driblets here and there, and watched some of the Sunday talk shows. So here, in no particular order, are the issues I find with the response by the GOP and Right Wing World.

If you watch FOX "News", you immediately
know this is Benghaziiiii!!!Image from Washington Post

• The IRS "scandal" has been shown to be mostly hooey, with little-to-no connection to the president.
• The IRS investigated political groups seeking tax exempt non-political status, from both the left and the right. Yes, they selected groups with "tea party" and "freedom" in their names, because these were political groups! They also selected left-leaning groups. Whether it was a straight-up 50/50 dragnet is up in the air, but it was not, strictly speaking, an anti-right-wing probe.
• The real scandal with the IRS is that most of the investigated groups got their tax exempt status, even though they're clearly political groups.
• Obama was expected by the right, to know the inner workings and details of the Cincinnati IRS office, but Christie isn't supposed to know what his closest staff is up to?
• Benghazi was an attack on us, not a conspiracy by us.
• The Republican Congress cut funding for security that may have affected the protection and response to the Benghazi attacks
• The Benghazi attacks was ultimately shown to have a connection to the anti-Muslim video that was originally suspected to have been a motivator.
• What happened in Benghazi--terrible as it was--has precedent in many foreign countries with US dignitaries, under other presidents, notably George W. Bush. Loss of life is an unfortunate fact of life in diplomacy, and while minimizing that loss is always an important goal, Republican interest in Benghazi was absent in prior years.

  

  I'm not nuts about drones either, but it's another
  program started in the Bush Era that the right didn't
  used to question, and it has little to do with
  Governor Christie's issues.

• "Fast and Furious" was a continuation of a Bush-era program that was shut down after the Attorney General became aware of it, at least to my understanding. Conspiracy theories notwithstanding, I'm unsure there has ever been a straight-line to the president for the program.
• The NSA is a powerful shadowy group, and I agree that it's creepy and has too much power. But I think that's been true no matter which party or president has been in charge. And it was the post-9/11, Bush Era policies that pushed NSA even further over the edge.
• The allegation that President Obama hasn't responded to or answered any questions about any of this seems kind of ridiculous too. He's had press conferences, interviews, and White House briefings all the way through his presidency. Not enough? Maybe, but there has not been silence.
• Finally, all of the above (and more) have been pored over by the media, in endless, copious amounts. ObamaCare has been beaten against a rock since it was birthed, and at every step along the way. 

There has been another tactic used by the usual suspects that says this BridgeGate scandal is a lot of hot air over nothing, and they're only touting it to "get Christi," while ignoring the scandals of President Obama and Hillary Clinton. To which I say, are you freaking kidding me? Hillary has had more dirty laundry aired than almost any living political figure in the United States. And Obama has had every little scandal-ette magnified to apocalyptic proportions to fill news cycle after news cycle. The evidence for that fills the pages of just this blog alone, and I'm not terribly prolific. You'd have to be willfully amnesic to state otherwise.

IRS To Crack Down on Bogus "Social Welfare" Tax Exempt Political Groups

Image from source, ThinkProgress

Good!

[Excerpt]

Treasury And IRS To Crack Down On Super PACs Masquerading As Tax-Exempt Social Welfare Groups
 
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service issued proposed guidelines on Tuesday that could force dark-money political groups like Crossroads GPS and the American Future Fund to spend less of their money on campaign advertising and other overt electioneering. If implemented, this guidance would clarify what actions by tax-exempt social welfare organizations are limited “candidate-related political activity” and what actions can count toward their principal purpose. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Right Wing World Rep. Joe Wilson Thinks Syria Crisis is Obama-Invented Distraction

We already know that there is a very fuzzy line between Right Wing World: Media Edition and Right Wing World: Elected Officials, which is scary enough. But when the elected officials start believing the fake scandals from their own media, I get a little more scared.  Rep. Joe Wilson (R-YouLie!) seems to think the IRS non-scandal (now thoroughly debunked, and never successfully linked to Obama anyway), and the Benghazi attack (not a scandal by us, but an attack on us) were so overwhelming the Obama administration, that they cooked up the Syria problem as a distraction.

Idiot.

You heard me, I'll say it again: Idiot.
Image from source, Think Progress.

[Excerpt]

GOP Congressman Accuses Obama Of Using Syria To Distract From Benghazi, IRS

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) used Wednesday’s hearing on whether or not the United States will take military action in Syria to ask whether the whole debate was a ruse to cover-up the many “scandals” the Obama administration is facing. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

And in addition to being an idiot, he's a right wing troll. . .

 

The Real IRS Scandal Now is in a Lawsuit

When FOX "News" (and the rest of Right Wing World) believes they have a good scandal for the Obama Administration, they won't let it go, even when it fizzles out ("Benghazi!!!" anyone?). This isn't surprising when you realize that they still believe all kinds of debunked information. So, it is predictable that they're still harping on the "IRS Scandal," you know where conservative groups were "targeted," but it turns out it wasn't just conservative groups? And that no conservative groups were denied, but some liberal groups were denied? That one.

There is a scandal in there, but it's not the one they wanted it to be. The real scandal may not even be known to typical FOX viewers. It's that 501(c)(4) organizations "operated exclusively for the promotion of 'social welfare', such as civics and civics issues," etc. A huge chunk of these groups, be they conservative or liberal do not meet that definition. Like at all. In fact, it has been laughable how political many of the groups are. Finally. . . .FINALLY. . .somebody is trying to do something about it.

[Excerpt]

The ‘real IRS scandal’: Now, a lawsuit

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Rep. Chris Van Hollen is preparing to file a lawsuit in federal district court challenging the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service over the agency’s interpretation of the 501(c)(4) law that determines tax-exempt status for social welfare organizations. . .

Read more at: MSNBC

What Do You Do With a Washed-up Scandal?

Through May and June, the beltway media and blogosphere have done their level best to pound us over the head with Scandal! Scandal! Scandal! Mostly, though the President's approval ratings have taken a hit, none of the various controversies has landed directly at his feet. The closest is probably the Edward Snowden leaker/whistleblower thing, but even that is more about bringing legal things (that should maybe be made illegal) to light, than it is about wrongdoing. The focus seems to be on sorting out whether Snowden is a bad guy or a good guy. Unless I'm missing something. I mean, when you've got Michael Moore and Glenn Beck coming down on the same side of an issue, you know the narrative is seriously loopy on that one.

But some of the scandal-ettes have pretty much fizzled. That doesn't stop the right-wing from flogging them at any opportunity. They have a reflexive "Benghazi!" retort to almost anything political, but Benghazi hasn't yielded any scalps. The IRS/Tea Party thing is pretty much a dead end, though FOX "News" and the rest of Right Wing World doesn't seem to know it yet. If that one ends as it should, all 501(c)(4) groups--on the right or on the left--that are political, will have their tax exempt status pulled. That would get a lot of applause.

But what do you do with scandals on life support? How long can the right squawk about them before they look (more) ridiculous?

[Excerpt]

IRSgate joins Solyndragate and Benghazigate in Fake Scandal Heaven


In addition to being a cosmic turd straight from Satan’s bunghole, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) is now just a laughing stock on Capitol Hill. If anyone anywhere takes this clown seriously in the future, we will be shocked. How has Issa managed to make himself an even bigger fool, the kind of ass that everyone, even small children, stop to point and laugh at?  It all goes back to the IRS, and this non-scandal that Issa bet his entire reputation as Chair of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee upon. . .

Read more at: Wonkette.com

Scandal: IRS/Tea Party Scandal is Officially Over (Or Should Be)

Darrell Issa has been trying--with his conclusions already drawn--to prove that the IRS/Tea Party scandal goes all the way to the White House! And he's been repeatedly thwarted. Witness after witness says it didn't come from on high. There are Republicans in the decision chain. And it slowly is being revealed that other groups, like "occupy" and "progressive" groups were ALSO being flagged. I have zero problem with this and am confused why anybody--liberal or conservative--is even still calling this a scandal, or saying anybody did anything wrong. . .besides granting these groups tax exempt status in the first place.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Sign Lawrence O'Donnell's Petition to Restore IRS "Exclusivity" 501(c)(4) Language

I'm on board with this. No way, no how should the IRS in 1959 have decided to interpret a Congressional law saying "exclusively" as "primarily." Of course, no way, no how should "primarily" be so difficult to figure out. Tea Party groups are primarily political, not primarily public welfare organizations. Full stop. Same with "Occupy"-type groups of course. But there would be no ambiguity whatsoever if the "exclusive" language was restored, or rather just followed.

[Excerpt]

Lawrence O’Donnell urges viewers to sign IRS petition on White House website

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

A new report on the handling of applications for 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status rewrites presumptions made by House Speaker John Boehner and Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa on the so-called IRS “scandal.” In recent weeks, both had suggested there was criminal activity involved in the targeting of Tea Party groups, possibly extending all the way to the White House. . .

Read more at: The Last Word

Gay Marriage Advocacy Group Also Targeted by IRS

Hint: Not a tea partier. Image from source,
Edge New England.

Okay, except for Lindsey Graham on his fainting couch, and high-profile Democrats who feel it necessary to look bipartisan in their outrage, I think we can declare the IRS "scandal" officially not a scandal. Already, several groups that were not conservative have been public about being targeted, and now we have Jesse Tyler Ferguson's marriage equality group saying the same thing. And that's not only not a scandal, it's actually a good thing. Groups filing for this status should be investigated. The only scandal is that many of the groups filing for this status were granted it, and yet do not really qualify, since they are political groups.

So, move on to one of the other scandal-ettes people.

[Excerpt]

’Modern Family’ Star’s Marriage Equality Group Targeted by IRS

The folks at the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) can stop complaining and rest easy tonight. If news in the Hollywood Reporter is correct, they haven’t been singled out by the Internal Revenue Service because of their views on traditional marriage, instead they join the ranks of "Modern Family" actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his fiancé Justin Mikita whose marriage equality group Tie the Knot, was also one of the groups the IRS targeted for special scrutiny. . . 

Read more at: Edge New England

Scandal: The IRS Didn't Scruitinize Only Right Wing Groups

I know that my conservative friends are probably mystified why I don't consider the so-called scandals, scandals. Or why I created the overwrought graphic as a banner for them. Maybe this story will explain some of it. Now, remember that conservatives such as Karl Rove have made statements like, “If it was not political, why were only conservative groups targeted?” Well, Karl--you well-known truth-teller you--it wasn't only conservative groups. In fact, I don't think anybody ever stated that, though I know you wanted it to be true.

[Excerpt]

Oh, Hey, Looks Like IRS Didn’t Scrutinize Only Conservative Groups. Imagine That!

As we all know, the mean old IRS targeted tea party groups in the Worst Scandal Since Watergate (May 2013 edition), and then America was Over for the 768,926th time since January 2009. But here is a thing! Turns out that the IRS also targeted a whole bunch of other groups trying to get a tax subsidy for being political, too! . . .

Read more at: Wonkette

Scandal: Prepare for a Long, Hot, Stupid Summer

Have you noticed that since the IRS/Tea Party "scandal" broke, everybody and their brother on the right have been jumping on the bandwagon, claiming they too were "targeted?" They've been coming out of the woodwork, groups like the odious "National Organization for Marriage," and others, claiming there's some connection. And since everyone hates the IRS anyway, it makes for great fodder, and somehow Obama is to blame! Well, apparently, these kinds of claims are especially easy to make, because by law the IRS can't comment on your finances unless you give them permission to do so! That's a pretty weird catch-22 there, and it practically guarantees--as Rachel Maddow says in this clip--a long, hot, stupid summer.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Right Wing World: If the Right is Hyping a Scandal, It's Probably Not Much of a Scandal

Let me predict something: if nothing comes of the IRS/Tea Party thing, the Justice Department/AP thing, and Benghazi thing, Right Wing World will continue to hype them through the end of President Obama's term, and beyond. Years after, when we have a Republican candidate caught in a scandal, you'll hear shrill cries of "Benghazi!!!!" and "Eric Holder was a traitor!!!"

Now, I'm not saying that nothing will come of these controversies, though I suspect there is far less to them than FOX "News" and Right Wing World are hoping for. Only that all it takes for them is an accusation. A patched together conspiracy theory. It can be completely debunked, and it will still be trotted out as though it is the Worst. Thing. Ever! And of course, grounds for impeachment.

So, they'll keep doing it. Truthiness is more important than truth. If it's bad, it's Obama's fault. If it's good, Obama is "spiking the football" if he claims any credit for it. It's all very weird, at least to anyone outside of the RWW bubble. Advice: don't poke your head in there if you don't have a strong stomach.

Image from source, TPM

[Excerpt]

Why GOP Scandal Mongers Can’t Have Nice Things

As Bill Clinton and John Edwards and Bill Jefferson and various others have made clear, Democrats do have scandals. Plenty of them actually. But here we have another good example of why Republicans so often have bad luck these days with bogus scandals they’re so hyped up about or ones that actually are legitimate scandals but which get overrun by so much hysterical nonsense that the actual scandal gets forgotten amidst a lava-like deluge of The Crazy. In a few words, most of the right-wing press is just astonishingly bad. . .

Read more at: Talking Points Memo

Scandal: Does it Matter That Bush Targeted Enemies with Gov't Agencies?

In politics, there are double-standards. For instance, if something pertaining to treatment of the president is perceived as racist, simply calling it that can be labelled "playing the race card," which is treated as an equal and opposite infraction. Similarly, if Party A is upset with something Party B has done--even though Party A has done precisely the same thing in the past that they're accusing B of--just pointing that out is seen as somehow out of bounds.

But this is my blog, and I really don't care about those dumb rules. The plain fact of the matter is, the various "scandal-ettes" as I'm calling them, the IRS/Tea Party one--the Justice Department/AP one and the Benghazi one--all have analogs to things in the Bush administration. And let's make this clear: all three of these controversies (umbrella-gate doesn't count) are merely alleged. There has been, as far as I know, no proven misbehavior by the President himself, or the executive branch on any of them.

Someone in this photo likely causes a visceral reaction in you, right?
Image from Alternet.

The same cannot be said of Bush and Co. Their politicization of every department of the government was legendary. They couldn't govern or conduct foreign policy for beans, but they played politics hardball well. Not good mind you, well. So, I think it's worth pointing out that even if each of these brouhahas, even if the go all the way to the top, has a precedent in the previous administration. And it's also worth pointing out that "impeachment was off the table." I always knew that Nancy Pelosi's diplomacy in that area was a bad idea that would never be repaid.

[Excerpt]

Bush Used the IRS, FBI, CIA and Secret Service to Go After Opponents -- Where Was the Fox and GOP Outrage?

As your kindergarten teacher probably told you, two wrongs do not make a right. But the discrepancy in reactions to wrongs does, indeed, show how Washington so often serves the interests of the political right. . .

Read more at: AlterNet

Scandal! Or, How to Over-hype a Scandal

Ugh. I'm really hoping that the scandal-ettes peter out this week. And not because I'm some lock-step Obama-bot. Because they're unrelentingly boring and overblown. The Benghazi one should be over and done with, beyond ensuring that such a thing is prevented in the future. The "scandal" was so bad that it got down to quibbling about talking points, and then the email that was based on turned out to be phony. Enough. I couldn't believe it was even still a point of discussion on the Sunday shows. Oh wait, of course it was. Psst! While you're all worried about Susan Rice having mislead the American public on Meet the Press and the rest, every Republican hyping these "scandals" has been misleading the American public on Meet the Press and the rest!

Image from source, NewsCorpse

The Tea Party/IRS one is still failing to even register on my give-a-shit-o-meter. Why does this one matter at all? The Tea Party was singled out for extra scrutiny? As well it should have been! For multiple reasons! And--oh my god--they didn't even get denied! WTF is the scandal here? It ought to be that purely political organizations have been granted tax exempt status in the first place.

Ugh. Again. And I don't know about the AP/Justice Department one. If it turns out laws were broken, charge someone. If it was legal but oogey, change the laws. But just please shut up, I don't care. Sorry if I need a little flash or sex or skullduggery in my scandals, but I'm bored ovah heah! But you know who's not? FOX "News" watchers. Because all of the above have been cranked to eleven, irrespective of the facts! That's why every tea bagger you hear calling in to the radio, or writing on the internet seems to be coming out of left right field. They think President Obama popped some popcorn, stripped to his boxers, watched the whole Benghazi affair on an IMAX 3D screen, and gleefully watched people die. Then, he got on the horn to Eric Holder, and to the IRS and said "I wanna fuck with the Tea Baggers. Oh, and the press too. And where is my UMBRELLA???"

[Excerpt]

Roger Ailes’ Limp Dictum: Keep Flinging Scandals Until Something Sticks

Last week has been described by many in the press as the worst week yet for the Obama presidency. It was a week that saw purported scandals hyped furiously by Fox News and other right-wing media. They almost cheerfully segued from Benghazi to the IRS to the Associated Press, and then looped back for more of the same. . .

Read more at: NewsCorpse

SNL: One More Really!?! With Seth & Amy

Seth Meyers is leaving Saturday Night Live to take over Late Night (whose star, Jimmy Fallon, is taking over The Tonight Show with Jay Leno), and this weekend's show was his last. I would argue that this is a good thing, since he was head writer of Saturday Night Live. The show has frankly gotten a bit stale, and pretty much everybody thinks the writing is the biggest part of the problem. That's not to say that Meyers' tenure as host and writer of Weekend Update hasn't been great. It's usually the best part of the show.

Though Weekend Update has been the linchpin of SNL for most of its run, it has been since 2000 that it's had its most successful (and longest) stretch. It began with Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon replacing the brusque Colin Quinn (who replaced the way too deadpan Norm Macdonald), totally rejuvenating the bit. When Fallon left, he handed off to Amy Poehler, who was arguably even more popular. When Fey left, Seth Meyers seamlessly filled in,  and then finally flew solo. Meyers could sometimes seem adrift solo, but it was still a 13-year stretch with a lot of continuity.

Poehler came back for Meyers' swan song, for a reprise of their popular bit, Really!?! With Seth & Amy.


And Meyers put a button on a long-running bit with the Bill Hader (who is also leaving SNL) "Stefan" character. It was one of a series of gay-related skits in the Ben Affleck-hosted finale, a subject Meyers is often criticized for using gratuitously. These were mostly benign and funny though, I have to admit.

Lawrence O'Donnell Points Out (Again) The REAL IRS Scandal

I might be getting a little too repeaty with my Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell posts, but this subject bears repeating, and needs to be spread far and wide. The real IRS scandal is the fact that these Tea Party groups were accepted for their tax exempt status in the first place, not the fact that they were investigated (and should have been).

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Conspiracy Theorists Flummoxed in Face of Actual Scandals

I can't improve upon the actual headline of the excerpted piece below, so I outright stole it. Though I think the actual scandals are more like scandal-ettes at this point. Benghazi isn't a scandal, it was an attack on our people that is being used for political purposes. The IRS thing I'm still convinced was appropriate, except they should have declassified the Tea Party groups' tax exempt status. And the AP one I'm still unsure about. But all three of these scandal-ettes are actual things, and though I'm sure the conspiracy nuts have added their own brand of crazy to them, it's interesting that they haven't quite figured out what to do with them yet.

Crazy Eyes & the Fat Boy would make a good name
for a TV show, don't you think? Image from Salon.

[Excerpt]

Conspiracy theorists flummoxed in face of actual scandals 

If you spend every hour of your working life inventing new ways to attack Barack Obama or the government (or both), this is a very good week for you — or at least it should be. After trudging through the deserts of Benghazi and Fast and Furious for four years, trying to extract any tiny drop of scandal from stone, now suddenly comes manna from heaven, courtesy of the IRS and its misguided attempt to prevent political groups from taking advantage of the nonprofit tax code. Then, even before you could digest the first course, the Department of Justice snoops on reporters. Glory be to Ronald Reagan’s ghost! The Promised Land of Impeachment can’t be far off. . .

Read more at: Salon

Benghazi-gate Begins to Fizzle

Did you happen to notice that the Benghazi story has mostly been a FOX "News"/Right Wing World thing, until the last few days? That's because ABC News "found" an email that seemed to show multiple rewrites of talking points for Susan Rice to use on the Sunday talk shows, five days after the Benghazi attack. I still don't get the OCD focus on that Sunday, but that's neither here nor there. The ABC email turned this simmering conservative outrage story into a mainstream story. Oddly, a story that was obsessing over the minutiae of talking points. Not preventing future attacks, or fixing problems, but forensically piecing together why the lady said what she said to David Gregory.

Well, guess what? The email didn't say what they said it said. Like, at all. So this big "scandal" was over bupkis. We're back exactly where we were on Benghazi. The question is, will it completely fizzle out in favor of the new IRS/Tea Party and the Justice Department/AP potential scandals? We shall see.

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C'mon Everybody, it's Scandal Time!

The Obama Administration has been relatively scandal-free for most of its run, unless you're a fan of conspiracy theories. But true to most two-term presidencies, there is seemingly a flood of potential scandals and scandal-ettes this week. As an Obama voter and a lefty liberal moonbat, my inclination is to not get too energized by whatever is driving right wing world crazy at any given moment. For one thing, they cry wolf too often, and their faux outrage is often over absolutely nothing. For another, they hate the president with a passion (and have since before he took office), and blame absolutely everything on him, regardless of reality. This is known as Obama Derangement Syndrome, and is the latest of its kind. George W. Bush caused a similar affliction on liberals, and before him, Bill and Hillary Clinton were the cause of the original strain in conservatives.

But is this latest batch of problems more akin to the ridiculousness inspired by Clinton Derangement Syndrome, like Socks the Cat's Christmas card list or the suicide murder! of Vince Foster? Or is it more like torture, and lying us into war, and shooting a guy in the face? Unknown at this time, but my take is thus, so far:

- IRS/Tea Party-gate - I think the real scandal is that the IRS didn't rule negatively against any of the tea party offshoots. They are primarily or exclusively political organizations, and shouldn't have tax exempt status. These groups sprang up by the thousands after Obama's inauguration, and after the Citizens United decision. They held anti-tax animus as their core concept. I know that President Obama and other Democrats are falling over themselves to both distance themselves from and condemn the actions of the IRS, but I don't see anything wrong with what the IRS did. Only the conclusions they came to. Ultimately, this could drag 5013 c regulations out into the sunlight, and start taxing the obviously political organizations. I mean Karl Rove's? C'mon. . .

- Justice Department/AP-gate - I don't think we know enough about this one yet. It may have been completely legal, and possibly justified. Maybe not. I think it may lead to a re-examining of post 9/11 government overreach, and that could be a good thing. The funny thing about this one is, having conservatives upset about the rights of the mainstream media.

- Benghazi-gate - This one is the most obvious partisan witch-hunt. As the prez said, there's no "there" there. It was an attack on us, not a conspiracy/cover-up by us. I find the obsessive/compulsive focus on Susan Rice's later disproved talking points on Sunday shows to be puzzling, and pointless. And this one has the opposite problem the first two have. The IRS and Justice Department potential scandals deal with overly powerful, overstepping, secretive government entities. And with Benghazi, the focus seems to be on why the government wasn't all-powerful, working behind the scenes to stop every potential attack, send in troops anywhere on a moment's notice, get the bad guys instantly, and not only know, but be willing to say publicly, instantly, exactly what happened.

Of these three, none--so far--leads obviously "all the way to the top." You've got the State Department, Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service, any of which could have been operating under their own authority. I wonder, if in addition to all of the other issues these "scandals" bring up, if there will ever be a discussion about how many divisions of government we have, and whether or not they are too autonomous, and too powerful. Ultimately, I'd like to see us get to the truth on all of them without ridiculous conspiracy theories and political theater obscuring everything.