Friday, August 2, 2013

Friday, August 2, 2013

A Big Crack In Benghazi Stonewall 

There has been a major new development in the "phony" Benghazi scandal, as President Obama calls it. 

Without the tenacity of Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), the Benghazi scandal would likely have been forgotten long ago. But like a junk yard dog, Rep. Wolf has refused to let go of the story. His efforts were partially vindicated last night by the liberals at CNN. 

According to CNN's report, there were as many as 35 Americans in Benghazi when the attacks occurred, including 21 who were working at the CIA annex. As we already know, some of them were wounded in the firefight and have not been allowed to tell their stories. 

This scandal is not only about the horror of that night, but the continued abuse the survivors are enduring from the Obama Administration. These individuals are being subjected to monthly polygraph tests to make sure they are not talking to anyone, including members of Congress. 

As intimidating as this must be, obviously somebody is talking at great personal risk. One source told CNN, "You don't jeopardize yourself, you jeopardize your family as well." 

This "phony scandal" involves not only the malfeasance of the Obama Administration in not protecting our people on the ground, but also the reason why we had so many people on the ground. Whatever that reason is, the administration desperately does not want them talking about it. 

There is a rumor that the Obama Administration was involved in gun running -- transferring weapons from Libya to the Syrian rebels. Could Benghazi become Obama's Iran-Contra scandal? 

The CNN report is a huge crack in the administration's stonewalling efforts. Now is the time to ratchet up the pressure. 

Rep. Wolf has introduced a resolution calling for a select committee with special powers to investigate this scandal. More than 160 of his House colleagues have signed on as co-sponsors. 

What I don't understand is why the Republican leadership has so far resisted Rep. Wolf's call for a select committee. I hope this extraordinary CNN report will lead them to reconsider and galvanize the public to demand answers. 

The Religion Of Peace? 

During last year's campaign, Obama repeatedly told us that Al Qaeda was "on the run." He neglected to mention they were running toward our embassies. 

This morning the State Department announced it would close 18 embassies this Sunday throughout the Middle East and North Africa. It also issued a world-wide alert for Americans traveling abroad citing "credible information" suggesting that Al Qaeda is planning terrorist attacks in the near future. 

These actions were taken as a result of monitoring Muslim websites. That's odd because the president constantly reminds us that the war against terrorism has nothing to do with Islam. 

All the embassies closing are in Muslim countries. That's odd because the war on terror has nothing to do with Islam, right? Insiders in Washington are saying the attacks may be timed for the end of Ramadan. That can't be right because the conflict we are in has nothing to do with Islam. 

Others speculate that the attacks might coincide with Sunday's inauguration of Iran's new president. But why would the Islamic Republic of Iran have anything to do with attacks on our embassies? Apparently someone forgot to tell the Islamists that the war has nothing to do with Islam. 

Speaking of the religion of peace, nearly 50 Christians were killed in church bombings throughout Nigeria this week. Did you hear about that? 

Here's something else to consider: The Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Hasan, wrote to Fox News renouncing his American citizenship and his military commission. He also wrote that Sharia law is incompatible with "American democracy." 

Here's a newsflash: Hasan renounced his citizenship the day he opened fire on our troops! He should have already been sent to meet the virgins Allah promised him. 

Incredibly, the Obama Administration persists with its farce of labeling the Fort Hood shooting as "workplace violence" rather than an act of terrorism. The administration's politically correct mindset, like its stonewalling on Benghazi, is a disgraceful insult to the victims. 

A Jobless Recovery 

July's employment figures were released this morning. Economists predicting at least 185,000 new jobs were disappointed with the actual figure of just 162,000.

Car sales are up. The energy industry is booming. Housing prices are up. Manufacturing is up. There is a recovery taking place. What's missing are well-paying, full-time jobs that can support a family.

What irony! Obama has been running around the country giving speeches about income inequality while he presides over the worst recovery in history. And he's getting ready to reward himself with an eight-day vacation in a $7.6 million mansion on the exclusive island of Martha's Vineyard. 

Obama Does It Again! 

Barack Obama has once again waived a major part of Obamacare. 

When Obamacare was being drafted, Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) successfully added an amendment requiring members of Congress and their staff members to lead by example by participating in the insurance exchange program that Democrats were creating for the rest of us. 

The White House stood by the Grassley amendment earlier this year saying, "Members of Congress will not receive anything that is not available to the public. They are going to get insurance on the marketplace, just like individuals who are uninsured and small businesses."

Late last night, the White House broke that promise (like so many other Obamacare promises) and announced it would issue new regulations exempting Congress from participating in those exchanges. This move came after Obama was hounded by Senate Democrats during a meeting on Capitol Hill this week. 

Members of Congress rightly feared a massive "brain drain" of loyal staff leaving Capitol Hill unless something was done. I don't blame Republicans for this. They didn't vote for Obamacare and they have tried repeatedly to repeal it. I have family who work on Capitol Hill and they would have been severely impacted by the Grassley amendment if they lost their current health insurance and were dumped into Obamacare's exchanges. 

But I know millions of Americans are facing the exact same situation. The former Democrat governor of Tennessee warned about Obamacare's perverse incentives for businesses as well as local and state governments to cancel their health insurance. Obamacare is a perfect example of Big Business in bed with Big Government at the expense of the taxpayers.

The solution is not for Obama to ignore the law and amend it at whim. All of Obamacare ought to be repealed. 

Obama's latest move of exempting the liberal politicians who created this mess should infuriate every taxpayer and reinvigorate the Tea Party movement.