Facts Pertaining to Fast and Furious

1) Not only did the ATF allow guns to be sold to straw purchasers, they totally encouraged it. And we know this because of the emails that were sent by concerned gun dealers to ATF supervisor, David Voth, his reassuring responses to these emails, and the fact that the ATF even went as far at to VIDEOTAPE THESE PURCHASES.............2) Katherine Eban, the woman who wrote this now infamous Fortune Magazine piece, is a Democrat, a former Hillary Clinton campaign staffer, a frequent contributor to progressive magazines, and a regular spinner for Mr. Obama on MSNBC.............3) The ATF has admitted that they engaged in gun-walking and the acting director had to resign because of it.............4) There have been MANY whistle-blowers who've spoken out on Fast and Furious. Mr. Dodson just happens to be the only one who has decided to take it public.............5) Thousands of guns go to Mexico via the State department every year through legal sales.............6) Only 20-36% (depending on the study) of all guns in Mexico can be ever traced back to the United States, not the "over 90%" figure that the Obama administration has cited. Most of the guns in Mexico in fact are purchased via the black market from Russia, China, South America, and from Mexican soldiers who've defected.............7) Eban lied about the ATF not having the capacity to track guns. Ten million dollars from the stimulus package alone was available and Eban even went as far as to debunk herself. She said that the ATF didn't have a data base for tracking these weapons and a couple of pages later claimed that the ATF had tracked the weapons in the Terry killing back to Fast and Furious (duh!).............8) Fast and Furious is the name that the ATF itself came up with. Sharyl Attkisson from CBS News, Darrell Issa, and conservative bloggers had absolutely nothing to do with naming it.............9) Eban claims to have interviewed some 40 people, but in the text of her "story" she quotes only one retired IRS agent and Voth.............10) Eban goes out of her way to smear the whistle-blowers and resurrect Voth.............11) There was no attempt by ATF to interdict the sold weapons. None.............12) Emails from Mr. Voth show that the ATF and DOJ both had full knowledge of what was going on in Phoenix.............13) The reason that there was "no evidence" was because the ATF refused to put the straw buyers under surveillance, didn't use tracking devices on the guns, and kept the Mexican authorities completely in the dark.............14) ATF agents in Mexico repeatedly asked the people in Phoenix to stop the program because of the bloodshed and the fact that the cartels were snapping up so may of the weapons.............15) According to CBS News's investigation, the approval for Operation Fast and Furious went all the way up to the Justice Department.............16) The rationale for Fast and Furious (again, according to CBS News) was basically to see where the guns showed up, make a strong case, and then attempt to take down a major cartel (not, as the Republicans have paranoiacally hypothesized, to strengthen gun laws).............17) Eban claims that it was Dodson who allowed the guns walk (this after she says that there wasn't any gun-walking). The fellow was fingering himself, apparently.............18) If is wasn't for whistle-blowers like Dodson, we would have never found out about Fast and Furious and it would probably still be in effect.............19) Chairman Issa claims that there are wire-taps which implicate the DOJ and Attorney General Holder specifically. Maybe he's bluffing, but maybe he isn't.