Gates-gate and Christie

Yes, the use of 'gate' on the end of anything controversial is trite and overused, but I couldn't resist.

Although nobody except Gates and a selected few have read the book yet, the releases make it sound like a hit job on his former boss.  Which seems a bit unseemly considering he's not gone yet, that is unless the former Secretary believes the information he's passing along is somehow critical to the moment.  The White House sure seems engaged. Then again, if it was so critical he could have released the book before the election.

Just standing back and taking a perspective, the contrast between Mr. Gates' bombshell assertions--that Obama and Hillary both played politics as Senators by opposing the Iraq surge in 2007 and that Obama sent a surge into Afghanistan but believed the mission would fail (ie, he had to do it because he'd used Afghanistan as a cudgel against McCain and Bush to get elected), those allegations are much worse than a New Jersey governor being accused of closing a few lanes of traffic as some kind of vindictive political punishment to a mayor.

Speaking of which, shall we question the timing?  The Christie story followed the Gates story by a day, how convenient, since one story hurts Hillary and the other greatly helps her.  Just sayin'.  

As to the book, I may buy it, but I may not.  The teaser makes it attractive to conservatives but it's just as likely it contains a glowing portrayal of Obama, a general criticism of Bush, and a tacit disapproval of the Tea Party.  Just guessing here.  Will take an NFL approach and wait for further reviews.  

As to Christie, well, he's now fired more staffers involved with scandals than has the President.   But he's up against the Clinton machine now.  There's only one machine that has successfully defeated them and their "sent" man is in the White House--a man who outmaneuvered Hillary based on her Iraq vote and who actually had two machines, one in Chicago and the other in the national media.  Christie has no known machine and no help from the national media, so things will get worse.  They will try to make this a boat anchor, but Christie is no Ken doll so it's a toss up.  That is, unless evidence comes out that he ordered it.

And that still wouldn't be as bad as running illegal guns to Mexico, intimidating Inspector Generals, using the IRS to target political enemies, disregarding the law through an Attorney General, spying on the media, spying on foreign leaders' personal phones, lying about health care, lying about Benghazi, appointing people when Congress isn't in session, or changing laws by fiat.  Or even lying about being shot at during a stop in the Balkans as a sympathy ploy to get elected.  But it will kill Christie's political career in a New York minute anyway.

1/10/14

Corrected obvious misspelling of Chris Christie's name in the headline.  

Meanwhile,  Jay Leno wins the comment of the day award...

“Pundits are saying this could hurt [Christie’s] 2016 presidential campaign. The ironic thing is now that Christie is denying everything he sounds even more presidential..

That should be an 'ouch, that's gotta hurt' moment, but sadly, it won't.

MORE  1/12/14

As criticism comes in on Gates writing a book before his old boss leaves office it's worth remembering how the media treated Paul O'Neill, Dubya's first Treasury Secretary, who claimed Bush was after Saddam Hussein on day one, wink, wink.