1.) Dingell withholds Holder judgment — TheDC’s Matthew Boyle reports:
“Thursday morning marks the first anniversary of U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry’s death. Terry was born on Aug. 11, 1970, and grew up in Flat Rock, Mich. He was killed with a gun that his own government sent into Mexico, one of thousands of weapons that ‘walked’ across the border in an ill-fated attempt to track the movement of illicit firearms into the hands of Mexican drug traffickers… The resulting scandal has led 57 congressmen, two senators, four presidential candidates and two sitting governors to call for Holder’s resignation. All of them are Republicans. Even some Democrats have criticized the administration for the program, but none has called for Holder to step aside. The Terry family’s lifelong congressman, Rep. John Dingell of Michigan, is one of them. While Dingell has been vocal about pushing for answers about Operation Fast and Furious, he has not called for Holder to resign and doesn’t believe Holder is responsible. Before Holder’s most recent congressional appearance, Dingell told The Daily Caller he wanted to see what the attorney general had to say during his testimony… ‘As I mentioned in my previous statement, Operation Fast and Furious was grossly irresponsible,’ Dingell said in a Wednesday evening statement to TheDC. ‘Over the years, I have been a harsh critic of ATF. It is clear in my mind that “gun-walking” tactics are illogical and should never have been used. I was outraged the day I learned about this behavior, and I am still outraged to this day. Furthermore, the fact that a constituent of mine, Agent Brian Terry, was killed in the line of duty because of this gross negligence on behalf of ATF makes this situation even more serious. Someone lost his life defending our nation because of the irresponsible decisions of a few…’ Now that the hearing is over, Dingell says he’s waiting for reports from the Justice Department’s inspector general — an investigation that has been compromised for months — and from various congressional committees.”
Hey, lots of people are procrastinators. If you’re going to kick the can down the road, Rep. Dingell, make that kick count. In other Holder news, Darrell Issa says the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) would give “Attorney General Eric Holder’s Department of Justice broad new powers to police the Internet.” What could go wrong?
2.) The New Civility is really awesome — The Democrats are the party of racial and ethnic tolerance, right? Welllllll… TheDC’s Alexis Levinson reports:
“A Democratic state legislator in New Mexico lashed out at a Republican colleague, attacking her as acting as a minion of the state’s Republican governor, Susana Martinez, and referring to the governor in questionable terms. Calling Martinez ‘the Mexican,’ Democratic state Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton reportedly shouted at Republican state Rep. Nora Espinoza. The source of the dispute was an investigative news report that suggested Stapleton had behaved unethically. The piece aired on KRQE-TV in October, reporting that ‘for years, Stapleton did not take leave from her job as an administrator at the Albuquerque Public Schools system and received pay while attending legislative sessions.’ Espinoza commented in the report. Stapleton shouted at Espinoza during a committee break, according to Capitol Report New Mexico, and accused her of ‘carrying the Mexican’s water…’ She claimed the language she used about ‘carrying the Mexican’s water’ wasn’t meant to be ‘inflammatory…’ Stapleton said she felt she had been ‘civil’ to her colleague, and said that it was ‘not personal.'”
Three additional factors in Stapleton’s favor: #1. She’s black, so it’s not possible for her to say something racist. #2. She’s a Democrat, so the press is going to leave her alone. #3. Shut up.
3.) Iran, Iran’s so far away (from where that drone landed) — What’s the deal with that Sentinel drone the Iranians scooped up? TheDC’s Kenneth Timmerman reports:
“The CIA’s RQ-170 ‘Sentinel’ drone captured by the Iranians last week may have been brought down in Afghanistan and then transported to Iran by friendly forces on the ground, a former officer in the elite Quds Force branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards told The Daily Caller. The United States has never acknowledged that the drone was flying over Iranian airspace — only that ground controllers ‘lost contact’ with the drone and that it probably crashed. However, photographs and video footage released by the Iranians on Dec. 8, several days after they announced the drone’s capture, clearly show that both wings had been neatly severed and then reattached. ‘This suggests that the drone landed safely and that its wings were cut off so it could be transported by truck,’ the former Quds Force officer said. ‘I believe it was captured by the Taliban inside Afghanistan and transferred to the Iranians, who then reattached the wings,’ he added… President Obama revealed Monday that he has asked Iran to return the drone. ‘We’ll see how the Iranians respond,’ he said.”
That’s nice. Y’know, whatever. It’s just Iran getting access to our technology, that’s all. Some say Obama should’ve ordered the drone destroyed when he had a chance, but what do they know? The only way he’d care enough to do that is if you convinced him the drone belonged to Fox News.
4.) Mickey Mouse and Hitler finally agree on something — They both want Scott Walker gone. TheDC’s Caroline May reports:
“Adolf Hitler and Mickey Mouse signatures will be counted in the effort to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, so long as they are properly dated and bear a Wisconsin address. The Government Accountability Board reviewing the petitions unanimously approved a plan that would allow questionable names to be counted if they are signed within the circulation dates and have a proper address, WISN Milwaukee’s Channel 12 is reporting. According to the ABC affiliate, the suspicious names will be noted as such, but will not be eliminated without a challenge. ‘All signatures are given the basic presumption of validity,’ said petition reviewer co-team leader Katie Mueller before the board. ‘So it may not be eliminated due to the fact that this is a valid signature on face value.’ ‘We may certainly note fictitious names — if we note them on the petition we will flag them — but we will not strike them unless challenged,’ added David Buerger, another petition reviewer co-team leader. ‘In the last round of recalls, you may recall, there was a person who signed Adolf Hitler’s name to a petition. Fortunately, they gave a Berlin, Germany address and so we struck it on that basis rather than on the basis of it being Adolf Hitler.”
So they do have some standards. Great news for concerned citizens like I.P. Freely, Hugh Jass, and Ima Fraudulentleftist!
5.) Oh, that Donald Trump… — What is that incorrigible rascal up to this time? TheDC’s Christopher Bedford reports:
“In the wake of Donald Trump’s announcement that he is canceling his proposed Republican presidential debate after a poor response from candidates, he released an impassioned rant against those who mock him. In his most recent Web video tirade, Trump targets MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell, tying the monologue in with his favorite subject: Hating Rosie O’Donnell and watching her fail. ‘Lawrence O’Donnell — his show is failing,’ Trump said. ‘It’s a disaster. They moved him out of the 8 o’clock spot because [Fox News host] Bill O’Reilly was absolutely killing him. They gave him the less-coveted 10 o’clock spot, and he’s dying at that… Then you have Rosie O’Donnell, and it’s really interesting — their names are the same. Maybe they should get married but Rosie just found a new mate and I don’t think she’d find him attractive, even if that were the way she goes.'”
See, because she’s gay. And Lawrence O’Donnell is Lawrence O’Donnell. You know, the three of them should have a debate. Or maybe there’s a more interesting way to settle their disagreements. Have you guys seen The Running Man?
6.) Today’s words of wisdom from Roseanne Barr’s Twitter feed — “mind controlled democrats: but if you r against obama, that means republicans will win! wahhh-NO IT DOESNT! U CAN VOTE 3RD PARTY!!”
To read TheDC Morning before everybody else, click here.