For Holder, New Congress Means New Headaches

[firedupdem]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/31/us/pol...f=politics

When the Obama administration wakes up next month to a divided capital, no cabinet member will be facing a more miserable prospect of oversight hearings and subpoenas than Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.

Mr. Holder is a particularly juicy target because he presides over issues that have served as recurrent fodder for political controversy — including using the criminal justice system for terrorism cases, and federal enforcement of civil rights and immigration laws.

More than most administration officials, he has served as a proxy for Republican attacks on what they see as President Obama’s left-leaning agenda. At least two possible 2012 Republican presidential hopefuls have already called for Mr. Holder’s resignation.

“It’s likely to be a difficult year,” said Bruce Buchanan, a political science professor at the University of Texas, Austin, who said Mr. Holder’s coming fights are likely to “attract press attention in a way that steps on other messages the Obama administration would like to have front and center.”

[pappy]

If the administration plays this right they may gain an advantage with the voters in 2012 over the investigations (dare I coin the phrase "investi-gate").

I think the general public about had their fill of House investigations in the 90's. When the Democrats took power and controlled both Congress and the Executive they resisted the urge to retaliate. While this was enormously unpopular with much of the "left" it was widely accepted among the center of the voting populace.

As often happens with the Republicans I think they will overplay their hand and appear to the "center" as being more concerned with a game of "gotcha" than with solving problems. As I said, however, much depends on how the President (and the Democrats in Congress) play their cards.

I only see an advantage to the Republicans in this if they uncover something really awful or criminal. Barring that I see an real mine field for Republicans in a steady stream of negative attacks making it to the evening news. People will tune out the message and turn on the messenger at some point.

[Treestar]

They are going to look idiotic trying to make scandals out of nothing.

I used to think during the election that if (Rev. Wright, Ayers,) was the most they had on Obama, then Obama must have led a blameless life.

With the federal bureaucracy it will be easier to find something, but it will still be hilariously ridiculous.