Screenshot of Karl Rove speaking on Fox on Mon. May 13, 2013
Karl Rove speaking on Fox Monday morning about what would have happened if the IRS had targeted liberals for scrutiny during the Bush administration:
We'd have every major liberal newspaper in America calling for investigation ending in impeachment. It'd be leading the evening news. We'd have have every group that had liberal or progressive tendencies demanding answers and marching on the White House. And leaders of Congress, Democrats in Congress, demanding to have answers. It'd be a nightmare at the Bush White House had this been done on our watch.
Poor Republicans. Always the victim of hypocritical liberals.
Except:
Stepping up its probe of allegedly improper campaigning by churches, the Internal Revenue Service on Friday ordered a liberal Pasadena parish to turn over all the documents and e-mails it produced during the 2004 election year with references to political candidates.
All Saints Episcopal Church and its rector, the Rev. Ed Bacon, have until Sept. 29 to present the sermons, newsletters and electronic communications.
The IRS investigation was triggered by an antiwar sermon delivered by its former rector, the Rev. George F. Regas, at the church two days before the 2004 presidential election. The summons even requests utility bills to establish costs associated with hosting Regas' speech. Bacon was ordered to testify before IRS officials Oct. 11.
Maybe it's just me, but somehow I'm forgetting the part about where George W. Bush got impeached because the IRS investigated liberals under his watch. That doesn't mean we should ignore what happened under President Obama, but Rove's baseless hyperventilating is a reminder to keep things in perspective. Of course, with Darrell Issa in charge of the House Government Oversight committee, fat chance of that happening.
h/t: billmon