Obama increasingly comes across as devious and dishonest

[sirjohn]

Major Fast and Furious Player Who  Misled Congress Jumping DOJ Ship

By Katie Pavlich

4/25/2012



Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich, Obama's Department of  Justice point man for communications, or in other words, chief obfuscator about  Operation Fast and Furious, is jumping ship. Weich has accepted a pposition as  dean of the University of Baltimore School of Law. University officials have confirmed Weich will start his new pposition  in July.

"During this time of considerable transition in legal  education and the legal profession, it's important to have leadership with integrity and vision," said Robert Bogomolny, the university's  president. "Ron Weich embodies those qualities. I look forward  to working with him, and I know our students, faculty, staff and alumni will be  energized by his arrival." As for Weich, "I'm aware of the  history and it doesn't concern me," he said. "I'm confident that in partnership  with others, we'll make sure the law school has the resources it needs to be  effective."

As a reminder, Weich is the man who signed and delivered a  letter to Senator Charles Grassley on February 4, 2011 about Fast and Furious  that was so misleading and full of falsehoods, that it was eventually withdrawn  eight months later. The letter stated:

At the outset, the allegation described in your January 27  letter-that ATF "sanctioned" or otherwise knowingly allowed the sale of assault  weapons to a straw purchaser who then transported them into Mexico-is false. ATF  makes every effort to interdict weapons that have been purchased illegally and  prevent their transportation to Mexico......

I also want to assure you that ATF has made no attempt to  retaliate against any of its agents regarding this matter. We recognize the  importance of protecting employees from retaliation relating to their disclosers  of waste, fraud and abuse. ATF employees receive annual training on their rights  under the Whistleblower protection Act, and those with knowledge of waste, fruad  or abuse are encouraged to communicate directly with the Department's Office of  the Inspector General.

Both of these assertions are lies, or in Eric Holder's words  are "inaccurate."

Not only did the ATF knowingly allow 2500 AK-47 sstyle and .50  caliber rifles to walk into the hands of dangerous Mexican drug cartels, ATF  whistleblowers were mandated to do so, and then were retaliated against for speaking out against  the program. Operation Fast and Furious has resulted in the murder of Border  Patrol Agent Brian Terry and at least 300 Mexican citizens.



AGENTES  FEDERALES  ASESINADOS EN MEXICO CON

ARMAS  SUMINISTRADAS  A LOS NARCOS POR OBAMA

“Allowing loads of weapons that we knew to be destined for  criminals, this was the plan. It was so mandated.” –Special Agent John Dodson  ATF Phoenix Field Division, June 15, 2012.

So, now Weich, the guy who issued a letter in an attempt to  mislead Congress about the Obama Justice Department's fatal Operation Fast and  Furious, is going to head one of our law schools. Great news, since  every law student should have a dean willing to submit false information to  Congress.

[siboneyes]

Strassel: The President Has a Black List

Barack Obama attempts to intimidate contributors to Mitt Romney's campaign.

By KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL

Try this thought experiment: You decide to donate money to Mitt Romney. You want change in the Oval Office, so you engage in your democratic right to send a check.

Several days later, President Barack Obama, the most powerful man on the planet, singles you out by name. His campaign brands you a Romney donor, shames you for "betting against America," and accuses you of having a "less-than-reputable" record. The message from the man who controls the Justice Department (which can indict you), the SEC (which can fine you), and the IRS (which can audit you), is clear: You made a mistake donating that money.

Are you worried?

Richard Nixon's "enemies list" appalled the country for the simple reason that presidents hold a unique trust. Unlike senators or congressmen, presidents alone represent all Americans. Their powers—to jail, to fine, to bankrupt—are also so vast as to require restraint. Any president who targets a private citizen for his politics is de facto engaged in government intimidation and threats. This is why presidents since Nixon have carefully avoided the practice.

Save Mr. Obama, who acknowledges no rules. This past week, one of his campaign websites posted an item entitled "Behind the curtain: A brief history of Romney's donors." In the post, the Obama campaign named and shamed eight private citizens who had donated to his opponent. Describing the givers as all having "less-than-reputable records," the post went on to make the extraordinary accusations that "quite a few" have also been "on the wrong side of the law" and profiting at "the expense of so many Americans."

These are people like Paul Schorr and Sam and Jeffrey Fox, investors who the site outed for the crime of having "outsourced" jobs. T. Martin Fiorentino is scored for his work for a firm that forecloses on homes. Louis Bacon (a hedge-fund manager), Kent Burton (a "lobbyist") and Thomas O'Malley (an energy CEO) stand accused of profiting from oil. Frank VanderSloot, the CEO of a home-products firm, is slimed as a "bitter foe of the gay rights movement."
 
These are wealthy individuals, to be sure, but private citizens nonetheless. Not one holds elected office. Not one is a criminal. Not one has the barest fraction of the **noallow** or the power of the U.S. leader who is publicly assaulting them.

"We don't tolerate presidents or people of high power to do these things," says Theodore Olson, the former U.S. solicitor general. "When you have the power of the presidency—the power of the IRS, the INS, the Justice Department, the DEA, the SEC—what you have effectively done is put these guys' names up on 'Wanted' posters in government offices." Mr. Olson knows these tactics, having demanded that the 44th president cease publicly targeting Charles and David Koch of Koch Industries, which he represents. He's been ignored.

The real crime of the men, as the website tacitly acknowledges, is that they have given money to Mr. Romney. This fundraiser of a president has shown an acute appreciation for the power of money to win elections, and a cutthroat approach to intimidating those who might give to his opponents.

He's targeted insurers, oil firms and Wall Street—letting it be known that those who oppose his policies might face political or legislative retribution. He lectured the Supreme Court for giving companies more free speech and (falsely) accused the Chamber of Commerce of using foreign money to bankroll U.S. elections. The White House even ginned up an executive order (yet to be released) to require companies to list political donations as a condition of bidding for government contracts. Companies could bid but lose out for donating to Republicans. Or they could quit donating to the GOP—Mr. Obama's real aim.
 
The White House has couched its attacks in the language of "disclosure" and the argument that corporations should not have the same speech rights as individuals. But now, says Rory Cooper of the Heritage Foundation, "he's doing the same at the individual level, for anyone who opposes his policies." Any giver, at any level, risks reprisal from the president of the United States.
 
It's getting worse because the money game is not going as Team Obama wants. Super PACs are helping the GOP to level the playing field against Democratic super-spenders. Prominent financial players are backing Mr. Romney. The White House's new strategy is thus to delegitimize Mr. Romney (by attacking his donors) as it seeks to frighten others out of giving.
 
The Obama campaign has justified any action on the grounds that it has a right to "hold the eventual Republican nominee accountable," but this is a dodge. Politics is rough, but a president has obligations that transcend those of a candidate. He swore an oath to protect and defend a Constitution that gives every American the right to partake in democracy, free of fear of government intimidation or disfavored treatment. If Mr. Obama isn't going to act like a president, he bolsters the argument that he doesn't deserve to be one.

Write to kim@wsj.com

A version of this article appared April 27, 2012, on page A13 in some U.S. editions of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: The President Has a List.