After All, It Was Just A Small Break-In...

What brought Nixon down wasn't the bungled burglary at the Watergate, but rather the cover-up. What started as a very, very small footnote in a police blotter simply didn't die, couldn't die, wouldn't die. But largely because there was someone on the inside - Deep Throat, aka William Mark Felt, Senior - who made sure that crimes weren't covered up.

Richard Fernandez over at Belmont Club has what may well be shaping up to be the Obama's Administration's Watergate scandal, as can be seen here:

Which leads to the suspicion that the incident, while tiny in itself, is the tip of some iceberg. What's under the rock? What really makes the Obama administration so puzzling is their extraordinary sensitivity to ostensibly unimportant things.

The incident in question is why two Black Panthers, captured on camera actively intimidating voters, were not prosecuted for what is a serious crime.

The reason? Because if an investigation is started into voting irregularities, one of the key Democratic support groups, ACORN, may also be investigated for voter fraud.

Why is the Obama Administration so panicked?


Because the Democratic Party's success in the last decade has, to a yet undetermined degree, been based on careful and deliberate voter fraud, executed by purportedly independent actors (ACORN and others) and hence believably deniable. Catch them on this, and the Democratic Party is severely damaged, since this would be a direct attack at the fundament of American democracy. This is why the Obama Administration is being so extraordinarily sensitive to something ostensibly unimportant.

Because it's not unimportant and the likelihood that the proverbial smoking gun will be discovered increases with the number of people involved and the degree to which something unimportant is indeed treated with great sensitivity.

If there is no fire here, then transparency and openness can clear it up very quickly and efficiently. But closing down the case, despite the clear violation of voter rights involved, drew attention and has started the ball rolling. Watch for Congress to get involved and actively help the Obama Administration obfuscate the problem...

The key? Get the FBI involved. Mark Felt effectively brought down Nixon. However, voter fraud is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice...who is blocking the inquiry. Perhaps that is enough to get the FBI involved.

In any case: too many unanswered questions.