House Republicans Demand Holder's Resignation

By Andrea Salazar

Nearly a dozen Republican House members joined together Tuesday to call for Eric Holder to resign from his position as Attorney General, holding him responsible for “Operation Fast and Furious” and the death of a Border Patrol Agent.

Under “Fast and Furious,” the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) allegedly allowed guns across the border and into the hands of Mexican cartels. Two of those guns were found last December where Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was murdered.

“‘Fast and Furious’ endangered the lives of every citizen in this country, especially those of us in the Southwest,” Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) said at a news conference. “Further, this program…severely compromised the safety of our law enforcement folks in every Main Street, every town, county and state by arming criminals and foreign nationals.”

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) called for President Obama to join in asking Holder to resign, saying “if the president does not agree with that stance, then perhaps the president of the United States of America is also complicit in this horrible, tragic event.”

“Leaders take responsibility,” West said. “They very rarely take credit. It’s time for Attorney General Holder to take responsibility for the failures that are coming out of the Department of Justice.”

Reps. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho), Blake Farenthold (R-Texas), Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), Tim Huelskamp (R-Kansas), Diane Black (R-Tenn.), Tim Murphy (R-Pa.), Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) and Anne Marie Buerkle (R-N.Y.) echoed their colleagues demand.

Florida Republican Calls For Stronger Military, Strategic Clarity

By Philip Bunnell

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) said Tuesday that the nation’s military strategy lacks clarity and pushed for a stronger military moving forward.

West raised many concerns with American military strategy and objectives. The War on Terror, West said, is “a terrible misnomer, because a nation cannot go and fight a tactic.”

“What has to be presented for us to be successful on this 21st century battlefield is an understanding of who are we fighting against,” he said. 

West warned against “narrowly defining yourself [because] then you create gaps by which you can be exploited.” West spoke of “strategic vision,” and the ability to recognize threats as important to the 21st century battlefield.

“We need to do a better job of getting the word out,” said West, blaming the media for focusing too much on American follies. “I see most stories about us doing things, like Abu Gharaib… than I do about the bad things that the enemy is doing.”  West added that he was concerned about the media becoming an “ideological-political wing.”

West seemed skeptical of the prospects of the Arab Spring and the Obama administration’s strategy in the Middle East. 

“No one can tell me who these [Libyan] rebels are, where they come from, what do they seek to have, what are they going to bring to the table that’s different from Muammar Gaddafi,” said West.  “I am very concerned over what is happening in Egypt because the story has not been told yet,” he said voicing specific concern over the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Florida Republican added that the up-and-down military spending during the 20th century is not a good roadmap. West said that after each of the World Wars, American military spending “fell into a bottomless pit,” and that if spending is not stable, “we will lose an opportunity to ensure that we protect America for the future.”