A New Watergate? 

Last month State Department whistleblower Aurelia Fedenisn came forward with serious allegations of misconduct by top officials. If the charges are true, they could be a huge embarrassment for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama. 

But the most damning information wasn't necessarily the misconduct, but rather the political manipulation and intervention that was going on inside the State Department to quash reports by investigators and to hide the truth from members of Congress. 

The story has taken a bizarre turn. The law firm representing Aurelia Fedenisn was broken into last weekend. All kinds of valuables, including silver bars and coins, were ignored. But locked filing cabinets were busted open and three computers were stolen. The law firm was the only suite of offices burglarized in the entire office building.

Cary Schulman, Aurelia Fedenisn's attorney, told The Cable, "It's a crazy, strange and suspicious situation. It's clear to me that it was somebody looking for information and not money." Schulman added, "My most high-profile case right now is the Aurelia Fedenisn case, and I can't think of any other case where someone would go to these great lengths to get our information."  Stay tuned! 

Bush's Blunder: Immigration Reform 

Many conservatives have taken some comfort in the fact that George W. Bush's approval ratings have recovered significantly. In fact, they are as high as Obama's. After four and a half years out of office, it is more difficult for the left to blame Bush for every problem. 

But in all honesty, even though I believe the former president is a good and decent man, I think he does deserve some blame for muddling the perception of what conservatism is. He did it again last week during an interview with ABC's Jonathan Karl. 

First, Bush was asked about immigration reform. You'll recall that as president, Bush made comprehensive immigration reform a major issue during his second term. Due to overwhelming grassroots opposition, he failed to get an amnesty bill through Congress. But in leading that effort, Bush alienated many conservative voters who do not believe that individuals who came into the country illegally should be granted any form of amnesty. 

When asked during the ABC interview about the current effort to pass another so-called "immigration reform" bill, Bush said: 
 

• "Sometimes, it takes time for some of these complex issues to evolve. And it looks like immigration, you know, has a chance to pass. The reason to pass immigration reform is not to bolster a Republican Party -- it's to fix a system that's broken."

If this bill becomes law, it will be enforced by the Obama Administration for the next three years and then maybe by Hillary Clinton after that. By legalizing millions of new liberal voters, there is no way it will bolster the Republican Party. 

And as Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID) warns, if the GOP fails to get iron-clad agreements on border security, "politically it's going to be the death of the Republican Party." 

By the way, the big border security agreement that broke the logjam in the Senate, and got more than a dozen GOP votes for this quasi-amnesty bill, isn't such a big deal after all. According to theCongressional Budget Office, the Corker-Hoeven "border surge" amendment would likely reduce illegal immigration somewhere "between one-third and one-half." 

That is a step in the right direction, but still a far cry from what most Americans would consider real border security. 

Bush's Blunder: Redefining Marriage 

President Bush was also asked by an African reporter whether same-sex marriage conflicts with Judeo-Christian values. The most President Bush could muster was to paraphrase the Bible by saying, "I shouldn't be taking a speck out of someone else's eye when I have a log in my own." 

This is deeply disappointing coming from a president who is an avowed Christian. In its own way, it is emblematic of the surrender of many Christians when it comes to pushing back against the cultural tsunami that is battering Judeo-Christian civilization.

Here's how I wish he had answered the question:
 

• "Yes, I believe same-sex marriage is inconsistent with Judeo-Christian traditions. I believe the Old and the New Testaments make it clear that marriage is an institution created by God to bring men and women together in the greatest happiness to raise the children created from their unions. 

  "I bear no animus toward any citizen. But it is outrageous to see not only marriage being attacked, but also the attempt to label as bigotry the heartfelt beliefs of millions of Americans."

Would it really have been so hard for the president to say something like that? 

Do good men like former President Bush, Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio and others not realize what they are doing when they go out of their way to use rhetoric that effectively embraces the narrative of the left? It not only emboldens the secular left, but it also demoralizes millions of values voters. 

Chaos In Cairo 

Scores of people in Cairo, Egypt, are reportedly dead after radical Islamists seeking to return Mohammed Morsi to power attempted to assault the headquarters of Egypt's military leadership. More than four hundred people have been wounded since fighting erupted last week. 

While the Obama Administration is refusing to take sides, and many journalists seem confused over what has transpired in recent days, it is instructive to note the comments of Mohamed Tawfik, Egypt's current ambassador to the United States. Ambassador Tawfik, who was appointed by Morsi, told ABC News yesterday: 
 

• "Egypt has not undergone a military coup, and it was certainly not run by the military. Today, there is an interim president in place... President Morsi, he could have said, 'Listen, my people, I listen, I hear you.' But instead of that, he whipped up religious fervor among his supporters. And there was violence in the air. 

  "After more than 20 people had been killed, leaders from Egyptian parties, from Egyptian religious establishments, from the military, they came together, they said, 'We have to stop this, otherwise violence will spiral out of control.'"

Nabil Fahmy, a former Egyptian ambassador to the U.S., agreed. On "Meet The Press," yesterday, Fahmy said: 
 

• "You had 20 million to 30 million people out on the street. The military had the choice between intervention and chaos, and they had to respond to that. They did oust the president, that's true. But then they handed over government immediately to the interim president. So the fact that they seized power or wanted to seize power is, frankly, incorrect."