For a while there, maybe as long as three weeks ago, some people were compiling lists of Obama-era scandals just to keep track of them. Indeed, it seemed every week another insulting or embarrassing leak was happening that showed what a crappy President we have right now.

But then the whole NSA-tracking-you-calls story broke, along with its inept anti-hero Eddie “Edward” Snowden antics, and the supply of new scandals appears to have dried up for now.

Whew, said the Obama administration. We understand some of its insiders are secretly pleased about the NSA story because the Benghazi and IRS scandals were not only getting traction in the press, but the stories were starting to resonate with the public. Indeed, Obama’s popularity almost across the board of voters began tanking. He will slide likely further still, but the NSA story seems to have distracted everybody.

Hmmm, said the political pundits. Perhaps this President is not the brilliant politicial master that we keep hearing if the administration thinks this is the case. The best way to distance Benghazi and the IRS story is by further distractions and time. The NSA story is not working: the media is practically at the bottom of it already, and it looks worse for the administration.

And when they are done, guess where they will go? Back to the IRS story, and back to Benghazi. Perhaps if you watched network television news only, which the President hopes you do but alas ratings show few of us do, you might think we wrapped up Benghazi and the IRS scandal weeks ago. Not so; in fact, there have been minor breaks in those stories as recently as yesterday that will be investigated, including the revelation that decisions to under-equip Ambassador Stevens’s security detail were intentionally made at the highest levels. The very highest levels. Since the MSM refuses to do its job, you can catch youself up elsewhere.

The IRS scandal has slowed down a bit, though, by contrast. And while the Obama spin doctors are already changing their story to this being not a big deal (silly Tea Partiers), the denials are getting less press coverage whereas the original claims evidently still circulate. Basically, no one is hearing the hundreds of pages of explanations and exemptions and explication that the government is offering—because the story is going cold—but ask the average American and they still think the story is that Obama specifically ordered political harrassment Tea Party groups.

So the IRS story is still hot with independent voters who heard the official Republican explanations but have been prevented from hearing any convincing denials from the Democrats, thanks to the NSA scandal. Otherwise, you would be unable to explain the activity Sen. Ted Cruz has generated about eliminating the IRS, and the recent poll numbers, and the interest Sen. Rand Paul is generating at every speech when he talks about the IRS.

If some in the President’s circle are pleased about the NSA story, they are celebrating a bit early. They still have not repaired the damage from the other scandals, and this is festering with the voters. And with only a couple of exceptions, the Republicans are letting the Democrats ruin things for themselves: you will hear abut Benghazi again, and you will be reminded in detail of what happened at the IRS—right in time for the 2014 elections.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.