by Reuben Navarette, Jr. is a columnist and former journalist who gets it when it comes to Operation Fast and Furious aka Project Gunwalker. As he notes in an opinion piece published yesterday at CNN.com, this scandal is about dead Mexicans.
Frankly, I am surprised by Holder’s use of words such as “irresponsible” and “inflammatory.” What could be more irresponsible than allowing weapons to be smuggled into a foreign country, weapons that then wind up killing the citizens of that country? And what could be more inflammatory than appearing to cover up such an operation and distancing oneself from it as staffers allegedly yell, scream and curse at reporters who are just doing their jobs?
And what was the purpose of these alleged theatrics? Was all this huffing and puffing intended to get Attkisson to back off the story? Brilliant.
As a former reporter, let me give the administration a tip: Attacking journalists is usually as effective in stamping out a story as gasoline is in putting out a fire.
Navarette's article pleasantly surprised me–I had come to expect much less from him.