Scandal.

Not gonna lie here: I'm running out of both energy and inclination to defend the many "scandals", real and overblown, of this Administration. It seems like everyday there's something new in the news, and quite frankly, this sh*t is getting old.

The most corrosive political scandals are the ones that feed a preexisting story line — which is why the White House could have difficulty putting the current ones behind it any time soon.[1]

In the view of President Obama’s adversaries, recent revelations add evidence to arguments that they have been making about the president all along: that he would do or say whatever it took to get reelected; that his is a philosophy of rampant, invasive big government; that he has not acted within the constraints of the Constitution; that he regards those who oppose him with contempt.

At issue are three ostensibly unrelated sets of events: the killing of the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in Ben­ghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11; the improper and overly aggressive Internal Revenue Service scrutiny of groups opposed to Obama’s agenda; and the Justice Department’s seizure of phone records of Associated Press journalists.

On Wednesday, the administration was fighting back on all three fronts.

The White House released 100 pages of e-mails relating to the Benghazi attacks; Obama announced the resignation of the acting IRS director and pledged further action to correct the ­abuses; and Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. appeared on Capitol Hill to defend his agency — at one point, going so far as to tell Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), a frequent antagonist, that his conduct was “unacceptable. It is shameful.”

Taken together, and seen through the eyes of critics, the three controversies that confront the White House look like a tea party fever dream.

While I still content Benghazi is a non-issue, and the IRS problem was swiftly and effectively dealt with, I'm not so certain about the AP/DoJ story. Real talk: I just don't even care anymore. Watching grown people fight each other for Congressional Seats while the country suffers due to their inactivity is tiring. The level of political polarization is ridiculous.

Have at it in the comments section. I'm too tired to digest all this.

Question: Are you getting Scandal Fatigue?!?

[1] No, this post isn't about the TV show of the same name that seemingly every black person other than me is addicted to. Sorry, I watched a few times, it just wasn't interesting.

Mind-blowing Belgian Diamond Heist

The 50 million dollar diamond Belgian diamond heist has been one of the most discussed topics lately. This act of thievery of gargantuan proportions has drawn many comparisons to the events that happen in the Hollywood movie “Ocean’s Eleven”. This recent heist ranks among the biggest of recent times. After many weeks of almost absolute silence on the heist, authorities are starting to take serious action. Reports suggest that over 30 people have already been detained. To detain all of the suspects it was necessary to search in three different countries. The 50 million dollar figure that has been lost is only speculation, since the Antwerp traders are still trying to know the exact quantity of the loss. With the demand for diamonds increasing, it is no surprise that a group of criminals decided to elaborate a heist of this kind. For those interested, you can sell diamonds at www.wpdiamonds.com.

Authority mentions that most of the suspects were detained in Belgium, France and Switzerland; the 31 that have already been arrested all share something in common: criminal records. As an example, one of the suspects currently being held in France is known to be an airport robber with extensive criminal history. The airport robber has a lot of evidence against him such as the possession of large sums of cash, precious stones and luxury items.

Investigators continue to look for evidence in other countries. Other prominent suspects are a Swiss lawyer and a French luxury car exporter. Investigators in Belgium and Switzerland strongly suspect that the heist organizer is the car exporter, a 43 year old man named Marc Bertoldi. Bertoldi has a wealthy seaside house of Antibes on the Côte d’Azur and also owns a luxurious restaurant in Casablanca, Morocco. Bertoldi was detained this Tuesday in France and is currently waiting for his hearing on May 16.

The majority of the suspects are still under investigation, and no solid evidence has been gathered so far. Belgium authorities report that solving this incident is quite high on their list of priorities.

Philadelphia Phillies Looking For Pitching Support

Due to a very unfortunate event regarding Roy Halladay's switching to the disabled list because of shoulder problems, the Philadelphia Phillies are currently on the look for outer options to fill in the Halladay’s role. The general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. recently announced his concerns regarding this issue, since he feels that it won’t be an easy task to find someone to fill in Halladay’s place.

When Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com was interviewed a few days ago, he was quick to suggest that the Philadelphia team already has a couple of candidates in mind: Tyler Cloyd and Adam Morgan were mentioned many times. Salisbury assures that the Phillies are looking for internal players only. Many were speculating that Jesse Biddle could be a top contender to fill Halladay’s role, but Salisbury affirms that he is definitively not an option although he was already considered. There’s no doubt that baseball fans are in for a treat this season. Enjoying a game should be an event that envelops all the senses. There’s probably no better way to experience this than by using a quality home video projector. There are many different projectors here, for you to choose from. It’s only a matter of selecting the device that’s most suited to your needs.

It's too soon in the season for any major trades, but there's been a lot of guesswork regarding the availability of two important Astros hurlers: Bud Norris and Lucas Harrell. Experts mention that the Phillies would have an easier time if they pursued a trade for a seasoned veteran that's placed on a minor league; two names were mentioned a few times: Chris Young of the Nationals and Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees. These two players with impressive careers have may have a shot with a major league contract. However, these are only speculations, and Amaro hasn’t affirmed or denied any possibilities at all.

AB.com Open Mic Monday.

I'm putting in in some extra work on the Day Job, be back soon. You know how it goes. Hold it down.

Question: What's on your mind today?

The IRS Targeted Tea Party Groups In 2012. Finally, An Actual Conservative Bias.

I pride myself on callin' it like it is here on AB.com. While I'm a guy who more times than not sides with Democrats, I can give credit where it's due when someone on the right has an actual point.[1] So while I thought the (belated?) Tea Party movement was a group of people comically misinformed/mislead and mostly upset that the Democrats had regained the White House[2], I never disagreed with their right to voice their opinions. That, after all, is what this country is all about.

While "the movement" essentially smothered itself in the crib by electing un-electable Republican candidates, thus ensuring the party couldn't retake the Senate (or White House for that matter), there is a real, actual case of bias against them (as opposed to their usual paranoia) that just came to light.

The Internal Revenue Service is apologizing for inappropriately flagging conservative political groups for additional reviews during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status.

Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS unit that oversees tax-exempt groups, said organizations that included the words "tea party" or "patriot" in their applications for tax-exempt status were singled out for additional reviews.

Lerner said the practice, initiated by low-level workers in Cincinnati, was wrong and she apologized while speaking at a conference in Washington.

Many conservative groups complained during the election that they were being harassed by the IRS. They said the agency asked them an inordinate number of questions to justify their tax-exempt status. Certain tax-exempt charitable groups can conduct political activities but it cannot be their primary activity.

I'mma keep it one hunned here: This sh*t was wrong!!!!! No, I don't agree with the Tea Party on anything, but they didn't deserve to be singled out by a Federal Government agency. I wouldn't have liked this if some low level staffers had gone after organizations with "Black" in their title, and I don't like this. An abuse of power is an abuse of power, whether or not I dislike the abused party. So props to the IRS for (publicly) admitting wrongdoing. I'm hoping the morons who pulled this little stunt were fired.

On the flipside, you already know the Conservative media narrative on this one is gonna attempt to somehow tie a few $30,000-a-year minions to the President. As if Obama didn't have more to worry about last year than trying to discriminate against a bunch of politically irrelevant fringe groups. Yes, this was abuse of government power, but just because there's a black guy you don't like in the White House doesn't mean he had any knowledge of, or any say so in the matter. #conspiracy

You and I know this small nuance is inconsequential, however. We will see this story get the fullblown Benghazi/Fast & Furious/Solyndra treatment in the coming weeks. Elected Tea Party representatives will hold hearing after hearing trying to get to the bottom of "how and why this happened and what the President knew about it". Expect to see a lot of Michelle Bachmann and Sarah Palin. Not that you missed either of them. So brace yourself.

Cause Conservatives always need a victimhood narrative. This time, niggling details aside, they've actually got a legitimate beef.

Question: Is any abuse of power wrong? Is it even remotely possible the POTUS had anything to do with this nonsense?

[1] As opposed to their typical fear mongering and conspiracy theories.

[2] I still maintain the Tea Party "movement" was faaaar more sour grapes than Fear Of A Black President.