We're got a constitutional train wreck going down, where congressional pit bull Darrell Issa has his jaw clamped down on AG Eric Holder. Or is that Alex Trebek with a good suntan?
Contempt charges are being worked up for Holder for his lack of response in the "Fast and Furious" gun-tagging case. Contempt of Congress is the natural state of an administration of the other party, especially when the pit bulls of the opposition take their frustration out on the other side.
We saw quite a bit of this in 2007-8, when a new Democratic majority was going after the Dubya team's perceived failures. Fast forward furiously four years, and the Republicans are returning the favor.
By the time any contempt charges would actually go to trial, Holder will likely be teaching law at some Ivy League school and Fast and Furious will be remember more as an interesting car-chase movie. Note the break-neck speed that Roger Clements got tried on his contempt charges and throw a political and racial overlay to it. Thus, any contempt charge is more for show than for substance.
The Justice Department is most-likely stalling; if Holder can milk things for another six months, we get past the election and he'll be interviewing at Brown and Cornell while someone else gets to be AG in 2013 either way. If Obama does manage to get a second term, Holder would likely get tossed under the bus (or asked to jump under) in order to have calmer relations with Congress.
The patron saint of cabinet members in year 4 of an administration is Stonewall Jackson; the malady of choice is selective amnesia.
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