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Former Congressman Allen West on Sunday (R-FL) said that an admission by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that it had improperly scrutinized tea party groups was part of a wider conspiracy that included President Barack Obama's administration forcing Republican-owned car dealerships to be shut down during the auto bailout in 2009.

Fox News host Alisyn Camerota asked West if he had any indications that the recently-revealed IRS practice of examining whether tea party groups were abusing their tax-exempt status was not limited to "rogue, low-level IRS agents in the Cincinnati office who thought that they were going to personally stick it to the tea party."

"Well, of course," the tea party-favorite Republican declared. "The most important thing we need to come to understand is your First Amendment rights is you have the right to petition the government for redress of your grievances. If we start to have a government that is targeting certain groups for their political ideology because they don't believe it is in concert with their beliefs, this is Orwellian, to put it in the least manner."

"We've got to come back and have hearings on this," he continued. "This is something that is criminal."

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After last week's appearance at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference, where he told the audience, “There is nothing on this green earth that a liberal fears more than a black American who wants a better life and a smaller government," Fox's Neil Cavuto and his producers decided to bring the disgraced Congressman Allen West on his show. Cavuto immediately asked West if he was possibly going to throw his hat in the ring and run for president, because Lord knows we don't have enough wingnut grifters running that racket already.

There's nothing like seeing a former House member, who the voters of his district had to be insane to elect in the first place, lost his race despite outspending his opponent by about 4 to 1 and then finally conceding in the least gracious manner possible, being asked to weigh in on foreign policy and the economy. Even worse, being asked with a straight face for advice on the future of the Republican party and whether he's going to run for president.

CAVUTO: Real quickly, those who are urging you to run for president at CPAC, and I talked to a lot of them, are you saying you're not?

WEST: Look, Neil, the most important thing is that I'm always in a position that I'll serve my country however they wish me to. If they want a really good dogcatcher I'll be willing to do that. So we don't know what happens, you know, as we go forth for 2013, but maybe I'll have you as my economic advisor.

CAVUTO: Okay, that's already a doomed campaign right there.

Hey, what do you know.? Cavuto actually said something I agree with for once on Fox.

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The hosts of Fox & Friends on Monday lashed out at 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft because he failed to devote a significant part of his Sunday interview with President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to "follow up" on the suggestion that the secretary may have not told the truth about a concussion that delayed her testimony on Benghazi.

In December, Fox News regulars like former Florida Rep. Allen West and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton -- along with numerous other network hosts and personalities -- mocked Clinton by suggesting that had conspired to fake a “diplomatic illness” or “Benghazi allergy” to avoid going before lawmakers.

"If you give somebody 30 minutes [for an interview], you could get real news -- especially Steve Kroft, who is usually awesome," co-host Brian Kilmeade opined on Monday. "But I think for some reason, they just didn't dig in to anything at all. For one thing, I would like to know, did she pass out and hit her head? Was she pushed? How did she hit her head and get a concussion?"

"She said -- quote -- 'I still have some lingering effects from falling on my head,'" co-host Steve Doocy noted. "That's all she said! And there was no follow up!"

"Okay, she was injured, she had a concussion," co-host Gretchen Carlson pointed out, attempting to inject some reality into the conversation.

"That's a question I have!" Kilmeade exclaimed.

"How did you follow on your head?" Doocy insisted.

"She passed out, I think was the story," Carlson continued. "For me, this was more of -- the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the two of them together was, Barack Obama is going to endorse Hillary Clinton for president in 2016. That's why they were doing this interview together, I think."

"Then Joe Biden just passed out on his head, he's going to be seeing double soon," Kilmeade quipped as Doocy simulated Biden's imagined accident by placing his head on the studio desk.

"Bonk!" Doocy said.

(h/t: Media Matters)

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I would love to know why Anderson Cooper and his producers at CNN thought anyone in their audience would benefit from hearing what wingnut former Rep. Allen West had to say about the recent announcement that the Pentagon is removing military's ban on women serving in combat, given his background.

I don't know about anyone else, but someone who bragged about torturing Iraqi policemen is not the person I want to hear from when it comes to any matters involving our military, but here he was, on CNN, being treated like he's someone who's sane and credible, which he's not.

Allen West Slams Women In Combat ‘Social Experiment,’ Suggests They Should Also Join NHL And NBA:

Former Republican Congressman and Army veteran Allen West made his views about the recent decision to allow women to serve in combat roles known this morning on Twitter and Facebook. And tonight, he brought those views to CNN.

Appearing on Anderson Cooper 360 along with retired General Rick Hillier of the Canadian Forces, West laid out his opposition to the new rule, saying that with all of the budget issues the military is having right now, the focus shouldn’t be on “this foray into an inequality trip.”

West then went off into an extended sports metaphor that seemed to have both Anderson Cooper and General Hillier baffled:

“I have to tell you, if this is the case, then why do we have separate hockey leagues? Women should be out there playing ice hockey with the guys in the NHL. We should not have a WNBA. I can’t shoot a three-pointer, but there are ladies who could certainly take me to the hoop. Maybe they should be competing with Kobe Bryant.”

Cooper quickly steered the conversation back to the more practical concerns surrounding women in combat, asking Hillier if he had seen any advantages in his career working with women in combat. Read on...

I'm guessing there are a whole lot of people out there that would rather have a woman serving next to them in combat than a loose cannon like West. He's no longer in the Congress but it seems our corporate media isn't done allowing him to pollute our airways.

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Fox News host Greta Van Susteren on Sunday offered a defense of conservatives on her network who suggested that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could have been faking a concussion in order to delay testimony on attacks in Benghazi, saying that the conspiracy theories were put forth "before she was hospitalized" with a blood clot.

In December, Republicans like former Florida Rep. Allen West and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton — and numerous other Fox News personalities — had repeatedly mocked Clinton by suggesting that her illness was a manufactured “diplomatic illness” or “Benghazi allergy” to avoid testifying before lawmakers.

After the Daily Beast published an article which incorrectly said that Van Susteren was also peddling conspiracy theories about Clinton, the Fox News host took to her blog to demand that the website "CORRECT THIS PRONTO — and do so in a BIG WAY."

"Of course I will accept an apology but I’m more interested in the TRUTH getting out and that I did not make this crack about the Secretary of State," she wrote, stopping short of also calling on conservatives to apologize to Clinton.

On Sunday, ABC News host George Stephanopolous offered Van Susteren another chance to appeal for a retraction from West, Bolton, Laura Ingraham and others.

"I'm responsible for what I say, number one," Van Susteren explained. "Those were all very dated, before she was hospitalized. And there was not much information coming out of the State Department and very early on with those quotes."

"Look, not for one second did I doubt it," she added. "Once these people heard that she was seriously ill, that all changed. The secretary of state will have to -- should answer questions about Benghazi. There's a lot of mystery... I have nothing beyond to say to that."

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Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) says that the Republicans who hyped a conspiracy theory that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton faked her concussion to avoid testifying about September attacks in Benghazi were the "same people who said that the moon landing was staged in a Hollywood set."

MSNBC host Richard Lui on Monday asked Israel if he had heard anything new about Clinton's health after it was reported that she was hospitalized because a blood clot was discovered during an exam to follow up on her recent concussion.

"I've not heard anything new about her health," Israel replied, adding that Clinton was "as tough as nails... she is strong, she is resilient."

Lui pointed out that Republicans like Rep. Allen West (FL) and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton -- as well as numerous Fox News personalities -- had repeatedly mocked Clinton by suggesting that her illness was a manufactured "diplomatic illness" or "Benghazi allergy" to avoid testifying before lawmakers.

"That's what's wrong with Washington, the people who invent conspiracies behind every cloud," Israel explained. "These are the same people who said that the moon landing was staged in a Hollywood set."

"Let this woman rest, let her get well and give her some space," he suggested. "Stop creating a conspiracy behind every cloud."

(h/t: Mediaite)

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West made his announcement early this morning via media release. He later went on Fox & Friends for a more formal announcement.

via Politico

Florida Rep. Allen West — the tea party pugilist and face of the class of House Republicans that stormed to power two years ago — conceded Tuesday to 29-year-old construction executive Patrick Murphy in one of the nation’s highest-profile congressional races.

After two weeks of battle with St. Lucie County elections officials — and a recount of early votes that wound up extending Murphy’s lead — West acknowledged that he couldn’t surmount his 1,904-vote, or 0.58 percent, deficit. That difference was just outside the 0.5 percent threshold to automatically trigger a recount of all votes.

So the brash conservative opted to bow out rather than wage a long and costly court battle he was unlikely to win.

“For two weeks since Election Day, we have been working to ensure every vote is counted accurately and fairly. We have made progress towards that goal, thanks to the dedication of our supporters and their unrelenting efforts to protect the integrity of the democratic process,” West said in a statement to POLITICO.

“While many questions remain unanswered, today I am announcing that I will take no further action to contest the outcome of this election.”

West congratulated Murphy, saying, “I pray he will serve his constituents with honor and integrity, and put the interests of our nation before his own.”

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From this Friday's Real Time With Bill Maher, Bill's annual election reel, "In Memoriam."

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It seems Republicans are determined to continue to be completely tone deaf if they think trotting Allen West out there as someone they want representing their party on a national level is a good idea. This is the same man that bragged about torturing a policeman in Iraq, that has called the progressives in the Congress Communists, and who regularly shoots his mouth off being as mean and nasty towards those on the other side of the aisle as possible, where the list is too long to go into here.

The reason I say they're continuing to promote him on a national level is because Mitt Romney decided this is just the guy who should serve as the chair of his Black Leadership Council. Now they've got him out there, giving their weekly address, complaining about the defense cuts that their vice presidential nominee voted for. I can only assume they're hoping that no one ever watches this, or that their base who might be interested in it, is just too uninformed to realize that all West is serving up for them here is a big huge pile of steaming hypocrisy and misinformation about who has been obstructing and making sure nothing gets done or passed in the Congress if President Obama might gain from it, the consequences of their actions and how damaging they have been to the American public and our economy be damned.

West seems to be doing his best to give cover for their vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, who voted for those defense cuts and as David Plouffe pointed out last weekend, is now running from that vote as fast as he is his fictional marathon time.

And this is a member of Congress that just decided to go on vacation again while, as Think Progress noted, leaving key bills awaiting action. They've got more on other bills but here's the portion on the defense cuts:

5. Sequestration. A spokesman for Boehner said earlier this week that stopping budget cuts he voted for last August “topped our July agenda and remains atop our agenda for September.” While House Republicans have complained about the imminent spending reductions and passed a bill that would require President Obama to find offsets for spending cuts they don’t like, Republican Leader Canter could not name a single compromise he was willing to make to get a deal.

Go read the rest of the list if you want your stomach to churn. But never mind all that. It's all President Obama's fault that these cuts might be coming if you believe Allen West and not the fault of a House of Representatives that is completely unwilling to compromise, ever -- Weekly Republican Address: Rep. Allen West (R-FL) on President Obama’s Defense ‘Sequester’:

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Tea party favorite Rep. Allen West (R-FL) is slamming President Barack Obama for using the word "Forward" as his campaign slogan, insisting that it is an "old Soviet Union, Marxist-Socialist theme."

"This is about whether we continue to be a republic governed by the Constitution," West told a Republican Jewish Coalition rally in Boca Raton, Florida on Sunday. "Or will we become a liberal-progressive, bureaucratic, welfare nanny state, which is exactly what the other side wants?"

He continued: "They want to bring out an old Soviet Union, Marxist-Socialist theme for their campaign called 'Forward'. I have to ask you one simple question. Where is the Soviet Union today?"

After the Obama campaign unveiled its campaign slogan in April, conservative outlets like The Washington Times and Breitbart.com warned that the word had a ties to Marxism.

"The Obama campaign apparently didn’t look backwards into history when selecting its new campaign slogan — or maybe they did," Fox Business host Lou Dobbs said at the time. “That’s because ‘Forward’ has a very long history with Marxists and socialists and communists.”

"Forward" is also the motto of Wisconsin, where Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan serves as a congressman.

(h/t: Think Progress, Shark Tank)