Will Obama and Holder Throw the ATF Under The Bus?

In just two days, Eric Holder is scheduled to testify before Congress in the Fast and Furious scandal. What will be his plan?

I believe that it is possible that Holder and the administration will try to blame the ATF for the entire scandal - and that having done so they will join Republican Rep. Issa in calling for the agency to be abolished. Of course, all the gun laws would stay on the books, and likely be enforced by the FBI.

Here are some of the reasons why I think this move is possible:

1) The BATFE - more commonly called the ATF - has a long and troubled history going all the way back to it's beginning as the agency the enforced Prohibition. At that time the vast majority of agents were believed to be corrupt. After prohibition ended - in the depths of the Depression - it became an agency with little to do. In order to keep the agents employed, they were given additional responsibilities - including enforcement of the few Federal gun laws on the books (and a few new ones). After the passage of the Gun Control act of 1968, firearms became ATF's main job. Agency abuses began almost immediately. In the early 1980's this lead to Democratic Representative John Dingell of Michigan calling ATF agents "jackbooted government thugs". In addition to hundreds of lessor known incidents, ATF was responsible for both the Waco and Ruby Ridge debacles. Now there is Fast and Furious. Ample cause exists to conclude that ATF has major problems as agency - although many, many fine agents work for it.

2) Earlier this year, it was revealed that a "whitepaper" calling for the elimination of the ATF was being circulated within the administration.

3) The gun rights movement has been calling for this step for years. By calling for the elimination of the ATF, Obama and Holder could turn the tables on Republican critics who accuse them of being "anti-gun rights". This could make the difference in several "swing states" in the upcoming election.

4) Finally, by eliminating the BATFE the administration could prove that they are doing something to prevent something like "Fast and Furious" from ever happening again.

Will this be the administration's plan? An article in a Bloomberg publication strongly suggests that Holder will try to push responsibility back down the chain of command - and that is precisely where the ATF is.

Is Holder Headed for Impeachment?

Eric Holder seems to be getting more and more desperate as his testimony before a joint session of the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees on December 8th grows nearer.

Yesterday, in a move that can only be described as Nixonian, he tried to intimidate The Daily Caller into killing the story. This clearly has backfired, resulting in even more coverage - albeit in the alternative media.

Even more ominous is the increasing number of House members (now 52, plus two Senators) calling for his resignation before even hearing his testimony. It is hard to imagine that these calls will decrease after he is questioned on the 8th. It is much more likely that even more Representatives will join those now calling for Holder to go.

A wise president would have asked for Holder's resignation by now. President Obama may yet do that - but if he does not, Holder is probably headed for impeachment - and a trial before the Senate.

It is by no means certain that he would not be convicted. As we all know, 2012 is an election year - and many, many senators come from pro-gun states, and many are up for re-election. These senators cannot afford to lose the support of gun owners - and less than 20 senate Democrats voting to convict would spell the end of Holder as Attorney General.

Even if Holder is not convicted, a Senate trial would be an absolute disaster for President Obama as he is running for re-election. It would bring the entire Fast and Furious scandal to the front pages, and could easily cost him several swing states, and therefore the presidency.

We will soon find out if he is smart enough to avoid this by firing Eric Holder.