Al Kamen's In the Loop contest deadline: December 15
From WaPo | November 2, 2010 - Al Kamen has great timing, as always:
One specter haunting Democrats is that of uber-partisan Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) wielding the gavel at the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Democrats predict that Issa and other GOP leaders would follow former committee chairman Dan Burton's policy during the Clinton years - let a thousand subpeonas bloom - and would bury the Obama administration in an avalanche of subpoenas and hearings.
But Issa, while planning to double his investigators if he becomes chairman, went out of his way recently to tell reporters that a subpoena tsunami is "not my plan at all" - as long as the Democrats "work with us."
Right. So, on the assumption that all the polls and pundits are right about a GOP House takeover - and with a caution to wait for an official count - we proudly announce the Loop Who Gets It First Contest, which lets you guess which federal agency or individual gets Issa's first subpoena.
The possibilities are numerous. First, of course, might be Attorney General Eric Holder, for wanting to try alleged Sept. 11 terrorists in Manhattan, or for dropping charges against the New Black Panther Party of intimidating white poll-watchers and hypothetical white voters in an all-black Philadelphia precinct.
That could play to the tea party base, but maybe better to go deep on Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, for being mean to polluters and enacting cap-and-trade regulations before Congress actually passes a bill. That would please mining, oil and other heavy polluters.
Then there's former president Bill Clinton - no executive privilege anymore- and the White House, for a job offer to Rep. Joe Sestak (D) to get him out of the Pennsylvania primary. That might be immensely satisfying to Issa personally, since he's really steamed about it. (On the other hand, Clinton's polls are up these days, and pursuing this could seem too political and unstatesmanlike.)
Treasury Secretary Tim "Bailout" Geithner is another fine target, if you're looking to rev up anger over the management - not the actual Bush-signed legislation - of the TARP billions. Or the Energy or Transportation Departments, for their management of the stimulus money. Good ties to jobs and deficit-cutting in those areas.
For excellent waste, fraud and abuse, Issa might want to subpoena Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and CIA chief Leon Panetta about those pallets of cash shipped to Afghanistan to show Washington's deep respect for certain warlords - and the presidential palace, where about half the money went.
To win our contest, simply predict which agency or person will get the first Issa subpoena and over what issue. As a tiebreaker, guess the month and day.
Note: Issa needs the committee to be organized and to meet to vote a subpoena, so it's not likely that he'll push one out much before February. For example, after the D's retook Congress in 2006, then-committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) didn't sign one until March 2, 2007.
So - assuming the GOP takes the House - send your entry to: firstsubpoena@washpost.com. As always, Hill and administration officials may submit entries on background. Those coveted In the Loop T-shirts will be awarded the first 10 entrants with the correct answer.
(We're working to see if we can also offer a copy of the subpoena itself, sure to be a prized historic document. This would be unframed, so you can get one to match your wall color.)
Deadline for entries is Dec. 15.
By the way, time.com reported that Darell Issa believes Barack Obama was born in America -- so there won't be any subpoenas/hearings on the President's birth certificate or Kenyan midwife, or his head gear pick or (fill in the blank). But apparently the congressman is confident that more federal spending also means more waste, fraud and abuse to spotlight and says he won't shy away from using his subpoena power.
Uh-oh!
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