Why it's a big deal that the White House Counsel knew about the IRS audit findings

2013's best new carnival ride, the Obama White House Scandalpalooza, continues to spit out new shocking headlines on a daily basis, and I wanted to put a spotlight on one detail regarding the targeting of conservative groups by the IRS. 

The administration admitted yesterday that the Office of the White House Counsel was informed about the findings of the IRS audit weeks ago - including specifically informing Kathryn Ruemmler, the Senior White House Counsel and the head of the office. 

President Obama somehow knew nothing about the whole mess until he saw it in the press with the rest of us little people. 

Why is this a big deal? 

Because attorneys have a ethical duty to keep their clients informed. 

Rubio on #IRSscandal - "These are the Tactics of the Third World" [VIDEO]

Florida Senator Marco Rubio had harsh words for the Obama administration in a floor speech he delivered today [video of full speech and text of selected excerpts after the break]:

What we can learn from Sen. Menendez's Dominican hookers (Yes, really.)

In case you missed all the excitement last night, the Drudge Report spent several hours teasing a story that eventually showed up at The Daily Caller, about how Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) apparently availed himself of the services of two prostitutes when he visited the Dominican Republic earlier this year.

Obama: Most. Childish. Campaign. Ever.

Fresh off their trivial, demeaning, and completely creepy "ladyparts" and "your first time" ads, the Obama campaign is now seeking inspiration from the kindergarten playground for today's message.

Oooh, Tierney's attack ad has scary words! And Sarah Palin!

Congressman John Tierney (D, MA-6) is in the reelection fight of his life, partly because his Republican challenger, state senator Richard Tisei, enjoys decent approval ratings and name recognition from his decades-long political career, and partly because people in his family keep ending up in jail.

Sandy Adams on Greta: "Washington as Usual Has Got to Stop."

Freshman Congresswoman Sandy Adams was on Fox News Channel's "On The Record" with Greta Van Susteren last night regarding her calls for a Congressional investigation into a multi-million dollar conference held by the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Manufacturing Extension Partnership at a resort near Walt Disney World in Orlando:

Heh. MassGOP buys Elizabeth Warren an Ancestry.com membership for her birthday

Oh this is too funny. The merry pranksters at the MassGOP sent out a press release this morning, saying that as a gift for Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren's 63rd birthday, they had bought her an Ancestry.com membership:

High five to Congressmen Stearns and Issa!

On the rare chance that Members of Congress can be trained the same way you train a puppy, let's try a little positive reinforcement. After the jump, I share stories of two Congressmen who I think deserve a high five.

What "L'affaire de Greer" is really about

I've decided to start referring to the whole Jim Greer controversy as "L'affaire de Greer," in homage to "l'affaire du collier," also known as "The Affair of the Necklace," which involved Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette in the lead up to the French Revolution. Both scandals involve political intrigue, extravagant spending, public outrage, and the betrayal of former allies.

Watergate was much more than a burglary ("It's not the crime, it's the coverup"), and likewise, l'affaire de Greer is about so much more than just the excessive spending. While I'll concede the point to Greer that you cannot give a big-time donor some cheese and crackers and then ask them for a five-digit check, the spending was absolutely ridiculous and weakened the party by undermining donors' trust and depleting the coffers as we approached a crucial election. The frequent use of private planes and limo services was especially inexcusable.


But, frankly, overspending on a company card is not a unique problem. Most people's spending habits are different when they are spending their own money versus being able to write off a meal or travel to their employer. Greer took it to an extreme, but what sets this scandal apart, and what I believe deserves the most attention and investigation, is the usurpation of RPOF resources and power to interfere in primaries - most egregiously, the 2010 Senate race. 

At least with Watergate nobody died

At least he didn't kill anyone.

For almost forty years, Watergate has been the standard by which all scandals are judged, even lending its name to a seemingly endless number of incidents. Monicagate, Rathergate, Weinergate...the list goes on and on.

They told us Barack Obama would be a history-making President. Unfortunately for America, it seems that his promised legacy of being the "post-racial" president who would unite our country is going to be overshadows by the record levels of debt and now a new scandal that I predict will put Watergate to shame: Operation Fast and Furious.