In 2006, the Bush administration's Department of Justice carried out an operation in cooperation with Mexican law enforcement. It involved allowing some weapons to be trafficked into Mexico so that Mexican police could intercept the traffickers. It failed miserably, and almost all of the weapons went off the radar as soon as they crossed the border. For that reason, it was almost immediately discontinued.
In 2009, the Obama administration's Department of Justice carried out a similar operation. It was much larger-scale. It did NOT have the cooperation, permission, or even knowledge of the Mexican government. No sane person could think that reviving a flawed operation without the people who were supposed to be on the other end could result in success unless there was a different objective. I won't speculate on what the objective was in this diary. However, arming an insurgent group without the permission of the government is an act of war.
The fact that preventing the US government from committing unprovoked acts of war against Mexico and holding them accountable when they do has become politicized is a sign of exactly what is wrong with the political system of the United States. Neither of the two main parties can escape blame for this, neither was blameless with regard to scandal about twenty years ago that involved arms smuggling, and both parties acted in an absolutely disgusting manner in both cases. Regardless of the good things that Eric Holder has done, he's committed a very serious crime (even if he wasn't initially involved, he is guilty due to being involved in the coverup) and should be held accountable by being given free room and board in a taxpayer-funded hotel for the next twenty years.
Because this otherwise unrelated issue has been drawn in to the controversy as a deflection tactic by people like Sharpton, I feel like I should state my views on voter ID laws. I believe that an ID should be required, but it should be a specific ID that is acquired by registering to vote. When you register to vote, you should receive a card with your name, signature, and face on it, and you should have to show that specific card in order to be allowed to vote, not your drivers' license, passport, concealed carry permit, or another form of ID accepted by my state of Virginia or any other state. The photography and card-printing fees should be paid for entirely through income taxes, including a few higher tax brackets than what we have, as well as money that could otherwise be funneled into enforcing drug laws and padding the wallets of those in the private prison industry.