Darrell Issa's reckless and dangerous transcripts

Shorter Darrell Issa: I couldn't possibly release the full transcripts because (a) NSA scandal is sucking up all of the news cycles and (b) they would prove my IRS scandal is a partisan scam.

WASHINGTON -- One week after he released partial transcripts of interviews with IRS officials involved in the scandal surrounding the targeting of conservative groups, the chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said releasing the full transcripts would be "reckless" and "irresponsible."

Get that? Releasing hand picked excerpts to media is fine. The full transcripts to put the excerpts in context, dangerous. By which he means it's dangerous to Issa's now ruined plan to keep his fakery alive all summer. Ranking Democratic on the committee, Elijah Cummings, called Issa out.

Shorter Cummings: Cut the bullshit Issa. You got nothing. Release the transcripts and end the hearings or I'll release the damn transcripts myself.

Issa is of course, appalled that his good friend across the aisle would utter such a coarse challenge.

"Your decision to publicly announce that the investigation should wrap up was irresponsible, but not surprising," said Issa, in a letter to Cummings. "However, your push to release entire transcripts from witness interviews while the investigation remains active was reckless and threatened to undermine the integrity of the Committee’s investigation."

Cummings is not alone. Apparently even Republicans are grumbling in private. Amusing development in light of the current media meme -- transparency in government. Steve Benen adds more context.

Can we have a serif with this stupid scandal

Silly faux scandal of the day is the GOP freakout over the White House calligrapher. This is a side outrage to the shutting of the White House tours the GOPers have been wildly howling about all over the intertoobz.

[T]he “Chief Calligrapher,” Patricia A. Blair, who has an annual salary of $96,725, and her two deputies, Debra S. Brown, who gets paid $85,953 per year, and Richard T. Muffler, who gets paid $94,372 every year.

No idea what the going rate for high quality calligraphy is these days, but with all the White House formal functions that happen in any given year, I'm certain they work for the money. And it's not an easy art form to master. One might assume these are the best of the best.

In any event, it's a long standing position in the White House. And Blair wasn't hired by Obama anyway.

Oh: It’s probably worth noting that President Obama didn’t open the Graphics and Calligraphy Office and staff it with his Chicago cronies. Here’s a C-SPAN “Tour of the White House Calligraphy Office” from the Bush administration; Blair was heading it back then, too. I haven’t been able to figure out when it first opened but someone has been hand-writing White House invitations since at least the John Adams administration.

My own useless GOP Senator was pushing this fauxtroversy on the Twitter this morning. Paraphrase: OMG, there's 3,500 North Carolinians who won't be able to tour the White House this year. Think of the poor tourists.

I rememinded him there are almost 450,000 unemployed people in this lovely state who couldn't afford a trip to DC at all. Asked Mr. Burr why he doesn't something to raise revenue and improve the economy so they could find jobs. Of course, he didn't answer me. He never does.