Diogenes-Light: Gone Forever?!

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Gone Forever
Late last week we learned that Congress had been informed by the IRS that Lois Lerner's emails were gone, destroyed in a “computer crash” in 2011. Then we learned that it wasn't just Lerner's emails that were lost. The emails of six other IRS officials apparently suffered the same fate. These emails would have shown any communication between the IRS and other branches of government, including the White House, DOJ, FEC, the Treasury, etc. They were important because they were to provide insight as to where or who was directing, requesting, and complying with the orchestrated targeting of Tea Party conservatives. When this news hit, Americans around the country and many in D.C. were beside themselves with skepticism. How is it possible, in this age of information technology, that a computer crash could mean that Lerner's emails were gone? Multiple sources are confirming that lawmakers have been informed that Lerner's hard drives has been thrown away. Recycling crashed hard drives is apparently standard government procedure. IT professional, conveniently, will not be able to get their hands even on the remnants of Lerner's hard drive or any other electronic communication. Seriously, how does this happen?!

End of Obama’s Administration?
Every day it seems we see more and more examples of how this administration is clueless and incapable of leading the country. Over half of America believes that Barack Obama is no longer able “to lead the country and get the job done.” This is according to brand new polling from the Wall Street Journal/NBC News. This means that Americans view Obama as being less competent than George W. Bush at the same point in his presidency, which was post Hurricane Katrina. As bad as the polling is for Obama, it's arguably worse for liberalism. This is because Americans don't see these failures as exclusive to Obama's administration but a failing of big, bloated, bureaucratic government. The Obama presidency has made people skeptical of his leadership and weary of big government. America is ready for a different path, led with bold solutions. As Chuck Todd said, the Obama presidency is effectively over.

Iraqi Government Out?
Fox News confirmed that the U.S. is flying F-18 fighter jets over Iraq to gather intelligence and surveillance. The jets, which aren't exactly quiet, are more a show of force as the country spirals into chaos. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Obama administration is signaling that it may be time for Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to go: "The U.S. administration is indicating it wants Iraq's political parties to form a new government without Mr. Maliki as he tries to assemble a ruling coalition following elections this past April, U.S. officials say." Meanwhile, there are conflicting reports over the control of Iraq's largest oil refinery. Yesterday I told you how it was under siege by ISIS. While top Iraqi security officials claim that the government is still in control of the refinery, other reports show the militants flying their black flags over the refinery. Needless to say, the turmoil is affecting oil prices around the world. The AP reports, "The price of benchmark crude for July delivery rose 57 cents Thursday to $106.54 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange." The average price for gas in America has reached $3.67, which is the highest we've seen since 2008. Even the Associated Press is now reporting that the situation in Iraq is forcing Congress to rethink Obama's plan on withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. But Obama seems adamant that the troops will come home nonetheless. His failure of leadership has gotten us to this point in Iraq, so it's hard to trust his judgment when it comes to Afghanistan.

>>TV Tonight (10pm ET on Fox News)
Rep. Jason Chaffetz discusses the IRS e-mail scandal. Plus Sen. Rand Paul on how the president is handling Iraq. And a preview of our primary coverage