National Review finds a Gunwalker tree, walks up to it, sniffs the bark, puzzles about it, and in conclusion, misses the forest.

Jim Geraghty, who writes the Campaign Spot on National Review Online, and Cam Edwards, who hosts NRANews’s Cam & Company on Sirius XM from 9 p.m. to midnight weeknights, has discovered a Gunwalker Scandal tree in "The Scandal of ‘Gun-Walking’: Why did the Justice Department allow Mexican cartels to purchase 2,500 U.S.-made guns?".

They begin by asking:

Why did the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives stand by and watch as guns were transported across our southern border to Mexico, to be used by violent drug cartels? . . .

Then they ask:

Last Wednesday, President Obama said that neither he nor Attorney General Eric Holder approved the operation. But who within the Justice Department did authorize the dangerous operation? And who decided to ignore the judgment of the agents in the field? An e-mail from a group supervisor told ATF agents who were upset about the operation’s risks, “Whether you care or not, people of rank and authority at HQ are paying attention to this case and they also believe we are doing what they envisioned the Southwest Border Groups doing.” . . .

Then they get close to seeing the forest:

So, the DOJ appears to have initially lied about the circumstances, and it is now insisting the men at the top didn’t know what was going on. The Department of Justice at first referred the allegations to its own inspector general, an unusual choice in that the whistleblowers claim they already contacted the IG and never had their phone calls returned. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) is pushing for an outside investigation. Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, wrote ATF acting director Kenneth Melson, charging that “you are not cooperating with congressional inquiries about Project Gunrunner and Operation Fast and Furious.” Issa has asked for documents about the genesis of the operation as well. . .

And then -- having walked up to a Gunwalker tree, sniffed the bark, and puzzled over it -- they miss the forest:

Shortly after he was confirmed, Attorney General Eric Holder stated that the Obama administration would seek to reinstate the assault-weapons ban that expired in 2004. But that proposal spurred quick and vehement opposition from 65 pro-gun House Democrats, making passage of a new ban all but impossible. Since then, when President Obama has mentioned the word “guns,” it has usually been in appearances with the Mexican president, talking about the need for “an enforcement strategy that slows the flow of guns into Mexico.”

With the president himself talking about the need to stop guns from crossing the border,why would the ATF allow just that to happen? Why would they take such an enormous risk of harming innocent life in both Mexico and the United States, to say nothing of risking exactly the sort of embarrassment and outrage that the current revelations are generating? What made this operation worth overruling the objections of the agents on the ground monitoring the transactions?

What we know about the “gun-walking” operation is already deeply troubling; nothing less than a full investigation to the satisfaction of the whistleblowers, Grassley, and Issa will suffice. The facts at present point to a dangerous and extraordinarily risky operation executed without the knowledge or consent of the top officials in our government, accurate claims initially falsely denied, and whisteblowers dismissed and ignored by the official watchdogs.

"The facts at present point to a dangerous and extraordinarily risky operation executed without the knowledge or consent of the top officials in our government"?????

Really? Now Cam Edwards is no stranger to this scandal. He's had David Codrea on his show before. (INCORRECT. SEE CORRECTION & APOLOGY BELOW.) Just exactly how they come to this conclusion is a wonderment to me. As with everything else about coverage of this scandal, however, I suppose we should be grateful they found the tree.

"THIS SIGN HAS SHARP EDGES! (Also, the bridge is out ahead.)"

CORRECTION: My mistake. David Codrea corrects my misapprehension.

"Now Cam Edwards is no stranger to this scandal. He's had David Codrea on his show before."

Nope. Never has.

I'm not of the body.




And that's more important to them than consulting with people who actually know what they're talking about.

If he wants to talk to a Gun Rights Examiner, he bypasses the national guy and goes to one of the regional writers. I think he's afraid if they let me on, I'll burst into a chorus of "The French Mistake."

My apologies to Cam for assuming him to be smarter than he actually is.

Mike Vanderboegh
III