[UPDATE] Now that I’m done laughing at that Walpin response: welcome, Instapundit readers.
We can begin with this video, which goes over the basic points:
Short version: Walpin was investigating Obama crony’s involvement in an AmeriCorps-related scandal involving misappropriation of funding. Case was settled, to the mild detriment of crony*. Walpin disagreed with settlement. Complaint made against him. So far, this is all he-said, he-said.
Then the White House tried to force out Walpin; Walpin, well aware of his rights, made them go through the process. At this point, Senator Charles Grassley – Republican – stepped in, as IG issues are one of his interests. Grassley would also like to know if the First Lady’s office is involved in this somehow, given that her CoS is going over to run the Corporation for National and Community Service, who Walpin was also responsible for oversight over. Meanwhile, Senator Claire McCaskill – Democrat – has also stepped in, as she too is usually associated with IG protection. That makes this officially a matter of bipartisan concern, which means that the White House of course is doing everything it can to address said concerns seriously.
I’m kidding, of course. No, what the White House is actually doing, of course, is trying to imply that Walpin’s senile:
WASHINGTON — Responding to criticism from a Senate Democratic ally, President Obama explained why he fired the Inspector General of the AmeriCorps without the 30-day notification required by law, calling Gerald Walpin so “confused” and “disoriented” that there was reason to question “his capacity to serve.”
As Ed Morrissey noted, believing that this was the White House’s primary motive requires that you believe that the administration’s instinctive, immediate reaction to seeing an employee come down with a debilitating disease is to fire them. Yes. That is precisely the thing that one does when one wishes to maintain a reputation for empathy and tolerance. I can’t say that I have as much difficulty as Michelle Malkin reconciling the allegation of Walpin’s mental diminished capacity with his public appearances (see the video above), mostly because neither I nor Ms. Malkin can take it at all seriously…
Moe Lane
*Nobody went to jail for misappropriating 850K. That makes it “mild” detriment.
Crossposted to RedState.
Would someone explain why we want guys that think like this to be in charge of rationing health care as we boomers reach our older stages? Sure, sometimes we’ve been jerks and maybe rushing us off the stage would be better – but I don’t see that the present crop is all that much more innovative and productive than we were.
That aside, why are we surprised? Isn’t this the Chicago way? The way of every political group that has gained power making the arguments Obama did last fall? Did anyone ever think that those who think putting a remarkably dishonest guy in charge of Treasury would not be likely to keep IG’s on a short and quite politicl leash?
Damned if I know. Then again, I still don’t understand why anybody would want the people who gave us the various departments of motor vehicles in charge of our access to health care.
Obviously, Mr. Walpin is not aware of how we do these things in Chicago.
Is anyone really surprised by all of this?
This is how Chicago-style politics operates. It’s just being executed on a much bigger stage this time. Obama rose from a community agitator to state Senator to US Senator to President in less than a decade with this style. Why should he stop now?
Keep in mind that facilitating his quick rise to power was generous federal grants and funding—-through the Annenberg project, the Woods foundation, ACORN, etc. This is why his “grassroots” organization is so effective. It’s under the guise of social justice, but really is social engineering and a power-hungry opportunism.
The Americorps is just another means to a familiar end for Obama. It’s not so much about ideology, but a ravenous appetite for power.
The sooner we understand this the better.
Maybe it’s time to “send one of theirs to the morgue” as it were.
Of course he was dazed and disoriented. He was dazed by the blatant corruption of the Obama administration. He was disoriented by the rapid change of the Obama administration from its election stance in favor of honest government and it governing the Chicago way. Wouldn’t anyone be dazed and disoriented by the hypocrisy of this administration?
The detail about his papers being rifled while he was out of the room is also interesting.
Well, this is a dirty business, by all appearances. But I read “dazed and disoriented” in a meeting to mean “drunk”, not senile. Still nasty, but Walpin seems to be not denying it.
JorgXMcKie, if I were Walpin I would damn well be hiring at least one bodyguard right now. Because that sort of thing definitely is part of the Chicago tradition.
I’ve heard some say that MGCC engages in sex acts with small hairless mammals in low earth orbit.
No denials, so it must be true.
One thing that I question is that the special deal that was worked out behind Walpin’s back was done by a career US Attorney who took over the office after the departure of the Bush appointed US attorney in January. So how many of the Bush appointed US attorneys have left office since Pres. Obama took over?
Remember the outrage over Bush’s firing of 5 of his Attorneys General?