Chris Hayes - The DOJ/AP Phone Scandal is Actually Serious

[limpyhobbler]

Summary: "Why it's outrageous what the DOJ did"

[Life Long Dem]

1. I don't look at it as Obama doing this or Bush doing this

I look at it as the law allowing this. Which doesn't put the fault at Obama or Bush because they can't get involved in an investigation. If they stuck their nose into an investigation to disallow obtaining evidence then that would be a scandal which the Republicans would be saying involves Obama.

Once again it boils down to Congress not enacting laws like the shield law bill.

[1StrongBlackMan]

2. Thank you ...

It is the President's 1st obligation to use whatever means available to accomplish policy and legislative objectives.

If We D. People don't like how the President accomplishes those objective, then Congress must change the law.

[NoMoreWarNow]

4. in my opinion, this was an egregious abuse of power and it's just as bad as when he does it

as when Bush did.

[1StrongBlackMan]

5. An egregious abuse of power ...

that is absolutely within the the bounds of legality.

Question: How is this whistle-blower thing supposed to work? If I disagree with a policy or operational decision, should I be free to risk the lives of countless others leaking information to the press? What if I just think that operational/policy decision is just not the best decision? Where is the line?

IMO, when you take a trusted position, you go through the chain of command ... when you breach that chain and divulge classified information, you should expect punishment. Don't like the rules, resign your post ... and run for Congress.

[NoMoreWarNow]

7. some laws can be-- or lead to-- egregious abuses of power

see the patriot act.

There may be instances where national security secrecy and prosecuting leakers is justified, but in bogus terror cases like this, it's just ridiculous. They are just covering their butts from embarrassment.

http://www.salon.com/2013/05/15/absolutely_outrageous_big_brother_is_listening/

[NoMoreWarNow]

3. it IS serious and the "National Security State" is totally out of control.

It's a huge waste of money and an obscene amount of government power. It is no better when Obama hides behind bogus national security excuses than when Bush did.

[snot]

6. You also have to look at it in the context of

decades of apparent Dem indifference to the consolidation of media ownership in the hands of big corps. I.e., for a long time I was mystified: why didn't the Dems stop this, when it seems so clearly to be working to their detriment?

It seemed like the only possible answers were (1) that Dems were equally beholden to the same paymasters; or (2) calamitous obtuseness.

The AP scandal makes it look a lot more like (1).

[DeSwiss]

8. K&R

[jjewell]

9. The Internal Revenue Service is charged with the task...

of collecting REVENUE for the government.

I suppose that if the "TEA" in "TEA" Party had been publicly declared an acronym for "Tax Evasion Alliance" instead of "Taxed Enough Already", they'd still think that the IRS should simply just "rubber stamp" their application for Tax Exempt Status, and cheat the government out of it's due and owed revenue, without further review and examination...

[limpyhobbler]

10. LOL probably

I don't think the IRS/Teabagger story shouldn't really be a scandal. Those applications should be scrutinzed. The DOJ/AP thingis real though. Basically Chris Hayes got it right in the above video, IMO.