Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Scandal in the Obama Administration. Chicago style? And the buck stops where?

Here's an interesting exchange on FOX News' "Political Insiders" segment, featuring Pat Caddell and  Doug Schoen former Democrat political pollsters and former Rep. John LeBoutillier (R-NY) on the three major controversies swirling around the Obama Administration.  They think the Benghazi scandal is bigger than people think and the IRS scandal and invasion of the privacy of media and other opponents of the Obama Administration are just starting to come to light.

If so, it looks like things could drag on for a long time.  Some have noted that the Obama Administration's response is reminiscent of the Nixon White House.  Not that these scandals will rise to the level of Watergate but the response is similar -- refuse to be forthright, attack one's political opponents, etc., etc.

Also given where Obama learned his politics, Chicago, one wonders if the corruption endemic in Chicago politics has made its way into the White House.  If so, I'd expect a lot more stuff to come dribbling out.

And ultimately, will it implicate the man at the top, President Obama.  Only time will tell both the severity of the activities and whether President Obama had any personal knowledge of what went on.

President Obama has said in the past "the buck stops here" to borrow the famous Harry Truman line.  Certainly he's ultimately held accountable for what happens in his administration whether he had first hand knowledge or personally directed particular activities.  However, who one hires and the tone and values set by the top person and his close associates usually filter down through a particular organization.  What these scandals tell us about President Obama will be very interesting to say the least.

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