Fast and Furious

Endnotes and digressions from the latest show:

In this latest episode, the Substandard discusses The Fate of the Furious and the ever-expanding franchise. JVL delivers a Fast and Furious exegesis and rankings. Sonny says to "just look at the pictures like a child." Vic compares it to the Emmanuelle series. Plus the Best and Worst of the…

With the economy still cratered, a slew of foreign policy debacles, and a government shutdown, most Americans probably haven’t thought much about the Fast and Furious scandal in recent months. The Scrapbook doesn’t know what it says about the times we live in that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,…

As much as it's a distraction from some inartful comments Mitt Romney made about taxes, perhaps the media might spend sometime explaining why a Justice Department official just resigned over over a report on the Fast and Furious scandal that led to the death of a border patrol agent:

Following last week's bipartisan vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt for withholding details about the Fast and Furious scandal, more revelations keep coming, well, fast and furious. Senator Chuck Grassley recently released a memo that shows that details of the Fast and Furious…

Yesterday on CNN, White House chief of staff Jack Lew defended the Obama administration's involvement in the Fast and Furious scandal by saying that "this administration has been the most transparent ever."

Roll Call reports the latest news in the Fast and Furious scandal: 

In another sign that an endangered Georgia congressman is distancing himself from the Obama administration, Democrat John Barrow has released a statement saying he will vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt when the House votes on Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

Attorney General Eric Holder avoided commenting on the Fast and Furious scandal in Boston today. The Boston Herald reports:

At today's White House press briefing, Press Secretary Jay Carney said invoking executive privilege is "entirely about principle." The assembled reporters laughed. Watch here:

Bill Kristol, with A.B. Stoddard, Katie Pavlich, and Charles Krauthammer, last night on Fox News:

In 2009, President Obama said in a statement on the Freedom of Information Act that "The Government should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract…

In light of today's announcement that President Obama is using executive privilege to cover Attorney General Eric Holder from releasing Fast and Furious documents, it's worth remembering what Obama said in 2007 about this practice: 

Texas senator John Cornyn called into question the intelligence of Attorney General Eric Holder earlier today in a radio interview. "Do you think Holder is smart?," radio host Laura Ingraham asked Cornyn. "I have not been impressed with his intelligence," Cornyn responded.

I don't know why GOP candidates haven't made more out of the ongoing investigation into the Fast and Furious scandal, but it looks like Ted Cruz, who's running for a Senate seat in Texas, is looking to make an issue out of it:

Oh boy. House Republicans should do their best to get Holder in front of a camera whenever they can. He's really his own worst enemy:

Last Thursday, Attorney General Eric Holder was called to testify before Congress. His attitude toward  his questioners was by any measure unbecoming of his office. At one point he actually demanded he be “given some credit” for his performance as attorney general. Though, bad as that outburst was,…

If you weren't able to watch today's congressional hearings with Attorney General Eric Holder on the Fast and Furious scandal, here's a taste of what it was like. Two American law enforcement agents are dead, and despite bearing a significant measure of responsibility, the Justice Department has…

Eric Holder is currently getting grilled on Capitol Hill over the Fast and Furious gun running scandal. But the family of slain border patrol agent Brian Terry isn't waiting around for the Attorney General to come clean about the role the government played in Terry's death:

Washington Examiner: "Holder's fantastical claim about 'Fast and Furious'"

Buzzfeed: "Romney, Eyeing Blowout, Keeps Foot To Newt's Neck"

Wall Street Journal: "The GOP's Payroll Tax Fiasco"

Buried in a recent New York Times profile of Attorney General Eric Holder is this revealing tidbit:

Washington Post: "In Iraq, sense of relief is chilled by political crisis"

Sharyl Attkisson of CBS News, who's responsible for breaking much of the news in the Fast and Furious scandal, has yet another new scoop. New emails point to a possible motivation for why the Justice Department was handing over thousands of guns to Mexican criminal gangs—they were going to use the…

And to think that Attorney General Eric Holder is getting testy about congressional calls for his resignation. After all, the Justice Department has nothing to hide, right?:

Nate Silver: "The Buyer’s Remorse Primary"

Jammie Wearing Fools: "Biden: First Guy We Called for Economic Advice Was Jon Corzine"

David Kahane: "The Cold Civil War"

Politico: "Allred: Cain offered client 'his idea of a stimulus package'"

Fox News: "Arizona Sheriff Says 2 Guns Found in Bust Linked to 'Fast and Furious'"

New York Daily News: "At Occupy Wall Street central, a rift is growing between east and west sides of the plaza"

Fox News: "Muslims say crosses at Catholic University Violate 'Human Rights'"

The Hill: "Immigration sparks war of words between Romney, Perry at debate"

Politico: "Geithner: Action against Wall St. coming"

Fox News reports: 

James Taranto: "The Left's Nervous Breakdown"

Philip Klein: "Reid rewrites Senate rules with shocking move"

Following my report yesterday about CBS News Investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson being unavailable for interviews after angering the White House and Justice Department, Tommy Christopher at Mediaite reports that Attkisson has responded on Twitter:

Yesterday, CBS News investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson told radio show host Laura Ingraham that the White House yelled and swore at her over her reporting on the Fast and Furious gunrunning scandal tied to the deaths of two U.S. law enforcement agents. Attkisson also revealed that she'd also…

The Fast and Furious scandal, in which the Justice Department knowingly gave Mexican criminal gangs thousands of guns, just keeps escalating. The latest development centers around whether or not Attorney General Eric Holder lied to Congress about having knowledge of the controversial gun…

Mark McKinnon: "Chris Christie's Best Reason to Run"

Last December, U.S. border patrol agent Brian Terry was murdered in a firefight with three Mexican nationals in Arizona. Two guns recovered at the crime scene were traced back to an ongoing Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigation, informally known under the code…

Jim DeMint: "Venture socialism: Obama agenda is about shoveling cash to cronies"

Over at Forbes, Frank Miniter argues that "'Fast And Furious' Just Might Be President Obama's Watergate":

David Brooks: "Obama Rejects Obamaism"

Hot Air: "Harry Reid: We’ve, er, got some other stuff to do before we get around to that jobs bill"

Wall Street Journal: Latest Fast and Furious development -- did ATF sanction dealing grenades to Mexican cartels?

New York Times: "U.S. Is Set to Sue a Dozen Big Banks Over Mortgages"

The acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is stepping down from his role, according to a story at Politico. The ATF and the Justice Department have been plagued by a recent scandal surrounding the controversial "Fast and Furious" operation, which involved…

Byron York: "Black caucus: Tired of making excuses for Obama"

Washington Post: "House Republicans delay vote on Boehner debt plan"

The Obama administration’s Justice Department has been no stranger to controversy. Attorney General Eric Holder has staked out controversial policies on everything from terrorist detainee trials to the decision not to pursue voter intimidation charges against two New Black Panther party members…

Steve Hayes, with Mara Liasson, Juan Williams and Brit Hume, yesterday on Fox News Sunday's "Panel Plus:"

Reality-based community?: "Top Obama adviser says unemployment won't be key in 2012"