Fleas on a Dog

No, this isn’t about a new album by the bassist from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and it’s also not a commentary of the ravages of that annoying, hopping insect that afflicts our canine friends. What this IS about is something that the mainstream media would be jumping all over like fleas on a dog if an unmentioned previous Republican President were still in office…Cough, cough…Bush…Cough.

Representative Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) has floated accusations that someone at the White House offered him a job there if he would step down in his bid for the Senate against incumbent Arlen Specter. This accusation came in February of this year, i.e. over THREE MONTHS ago. I’m sure someone somewhere other than Fox News and conservative talk radio has mentioned this story but, by and large, it’s gone unnoticed amongst all the other white noise generated by the media.

Also, in a COMPLETELY surprising move…note the intended sarcasm here…The Justice Department has declined a Republican request to appoint a special counsel to look into these allegations.

Though Sestak won the Democratic primary by defeating former Republican Specter, he has claimed that he was asked by someone in the White House to “clear the field” for his challenger. The alleged position offered is not known but has been speculated that it was Secretary of the Navy.

Of course, we’re also talking about a White House that came into this Administration amidst claims that openness would be the new norm instead of what they claimed happened in the previous administration. In fact, just the opposite has occurred since Obama took the country’s reins. His leadership has seen a marked increase in secrecy, a fact that has not even escaped the notice of a liberal organization like The Huffington Post. You can read more on this issue in my blog post titled “Silent Nation“.

Word has it that now Sestak is considering accepting President Obama’s endorsement for his Senate bid, a move that seems to smack of hypocrisy considering his allegations in February. Kurt Bardella, a spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), had this to say about such a prospect:

It would be incredibly disingenuous and reek of political payback to accept any support from the Obama administration to become the next senator of Pennsylvania while knowingly protecting the very White House that tried to bribe him.

Issa also commented on his thoughts as to why Sestak has steadfastly refused to disclose the name of the official who purportedly offered him this position:

Could the reason why Congressman Joe Sestak refuses to name names is because the very people who tried to bribe him are now his benefactors? Was Joe Sestak embellishing what really happened or does he have first-hand knowledge of the White House breaking the law? If what he said is the truth, Joe Sestak has a moral imperative to come forward and expose who within the Obama administration tried to bribe him.

Sestak’s opponent in Pennsylvania, Pat Toomey, has publicly stated that he will not make this an issue in his campaign against the Democrat. However, one has to wonder how he could not use it if it becomes a larger issue as it appears it likely will.

Not surprisingly, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, in his normal manner, brushed off the allegations:

Whatever conversations have been had are not problematic.

I suppose we’ll see but the arrogant dismissals and refusals to even acknowledge some issues by this White House are beginning to be noticed by those who heretofore have been willing to give them a pass.