With three full-blown scandals currently surrounding the Obama administration, there are too many “-gates” to name just one. There is the cover-up of the fatal Benghazi terrorist attack, the IRS targeting conservatives, and the Justice Department spying on members of the press. The level of corruption is so high right now, it is like Saul Alinsky is running the White House.
Alinsky, the radical activist who wrote Rules for Radicals, which he dedicated to Satan, taught the radical left to use dishonest tactics in order to achieve their agenda – “by any means necessary.” He advocated lying and harassing those with opposing viewpoints. Both Obama and Hillary Clinton were deeply influenced by Alinsky. Alinsky biographer Sanford Howitt has said Obama's 2008 election campaign was influenced by Alinsky, and that Obama followed in his footsteps as a community organizer. Alinsky's son David wrote in an article that appeared in the Boston Globe, “Obama learned his lesson well. I am proud to see that my father’s model for organizing is being applied successfully beyond local community organizing to affect the Democratic campaign in 2008. It is a fine tribute to Saul Alinsky as we approach his 100th birthday.” Obama revealed a few years ago that his years training as a community organizer at Alinsky's Industrial Areas Foundation, “gave him the best education of his life.” He has quoted Alinsky in speeches.
Four Americans died during the Benghazi attacks, and it is now coming out that the White House knew the embassy needed more security, and knew terrorists were targeting it, but did nothing. Three whistleblowers have come forward, in spite of being threatened with demotions, to tell Congress that the administration knew at the time of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice's public comments that the Benghazi terrorist attack was connected to terrorists, and they in fact deleted out those references in her talking points, revising them 12 times. One of the whistleblowers, Gregory Hicks, who was the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Libya during 2012, is a Democrat, not exactly someone who has anything to gain for partisan reasons.
A second scandal is the revelation that the IRS targeted conservative groups with "Tea Party," "patriot," “We the People,” or “Take Back the Country” in their names, and "nonprofit groups that criticized the government and sought to educate Americans about the U.S. Constitution.” Pro-life organizations and generous contributors to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign were also targeted. 75 applications for 501(c)(4) status, almost all from conservative and tea party groups, were set aside for detailed review and required to provide unusual information, like donor lists. Conservative writer Peggy Noonan notes some of the overreaching, prying questions that were asked: What are you thinking about? Did you ever think of running for office? Do you ever contact political figures? What are you reading? One Tea Party organization responded by sending the IRS a copy of the U.S. Constitution.
Those targeted included James Dobson, the well-known Christian author and radio host who has been vocal in his criticism of Obama. Billy Graham, the world-renowned evangelist who is now 94 years old, was audited after he endorsed Mitt Romney. On top of that, the IRS released confidential information about the conservative groups to the George Soros funded liberal media outlet ProPublica.
The head of the IRS division that targeted conservative groups, Sarah Hall Ingram, recently moved over to head up the IRS's Obamacare division. Coincidentally, Ingram received more than $100,000 in bonuses between 2009 and 2012, most of it during the time her office was targeting conservatives.
Although Obama has denounced the IRS targeting, forcing the resignation of acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller and a top deputy six days after the scandal broke, it is hard to believe that he was not involved with it. Obama believes Saul Alinsky tactics are brilliant. If you think that Obama was not involved with the targeting of conservative groups, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you.
The third scandal that has arisen is the discovery that the Justice Department conducted a broad search of telephone records from the Associated Press, in search of a government employee who leaked information to the press about the CIA’s disruption of a Yemen-based terrorism plot. Unlike previous Justice Department policy, the government did not bother giving the press a chance to negotiate or dispute the subpoenas in advance. Attorney General Eric Holder insisted that it was one of the most serious leaks he had ever seen, and that is why regular procedures were not followed. But it is coming out that the investigation was done in response to Republicans accusing the administration of purposely leaking defense information to the press in order to make Obama look better, and it was the seventh time the administration had undergone an investigation like this. Even the liberal Washington Posteditorialized that this was six investigations too many, especially considering the cost. The Justice Department essentially disregarded the First Amendment in order to fight with Republicans, not due to a security threat.
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) calls the IRS problem worse than Watergate. Conservative columnist Peggy Noonan believes it is the biggest scandal since Watergate. Sen. James Inhofe is suggesting impeachment. Mike Huckabee is predicting Obama may not serve out his full term. The mainstream liberal media is actually upset about two of the scandals. The Washington Posteditorialized that Benghazi is nothing, whereas the other two scandals are serious.
Republicans must be careful how they go about investigating the scandals, or it could backfire on them. Political columnist Chris Adamo warns, “Americans should remember how successfully Hillary Clinton was able to generate a 'scandal overload' and by constantly changing the subject, managed to protect the thoroughly compromised administration of her husband, Bill Clinton, from any repercussions for his malfeasance and innumerable violations of the law.”
Washington Times columnist Eric Golub advises Republicans not to try and impeach Obama. He warns, “The left needed and tolerated the Clintons, but they worship Barack Obama...As a supporter of the 1998 impeachment and a believer in the rule of law, there comes a time to admit that many leftists are above the law.” Golub believes that eventually the American public will become tired of Obama, similar to “Clinton fatigue,” which ruined Al Gore's chances of winning the presidency.
Conservative-leaning reporter Major Garrett, who left Fox News for CBS, provides this candid analysis, "The White House believes its greatest ally in all these scandals are Republicans that overreach and they will try to exploit that to the maximum whenever they can."
How serious are the scandals, is Obama really complicit in some of the most corrupt actions ever undertaken by a president? Look at one of the tactics recommended by his mentor Saul Alinsky. Alinsky describes in Rules for Radicals how he organized a union protest on July 14th. After the organizers had chosen the date – selected because it was the one day the labor unions had no scheduled meetings – Alinsky was asked by a reporter if they had picked that date because it was Bastille Day. Caught by surprise, but realizing he had lucked into a windfall, Alinsky answered, "Not at all. It is fitting that we do so and that's why we did it." He then informed all the speakers to mention Bastille Day in their speeches. Alinsky proudly provides this to the world as an example of justifying lying in order to achieve your means.
We now have pretty overwhelming evidence that Obama is part of serious wrongdoing. But will he ever be held accountable, or have Alinsky's methods become the law?