IRS Targeting, Apparent Cover-up, Seized Reporters' Phone Records, not Since Watergate

Well, it looks like something happened in getting out the Benghazi message and the truth was covered up by persons still unknown.  The President gave a press conference calling the inquiry a sideshow.  We learn that the IRS has been targeting the President's political opposition (supported  by Tom Udall).  Most chilling of all, we find that the Justice Department has ordered the seizure of reporters' phone records and the phone records of The Associated Press.  We have not seen this level of arrogance in the Whitehouse since Richard Nixon.  The President's loyal following is claiming that these stories don't have legs, i.e. the stories won't last into next year.  The former Secretary of State in Congressional testimony famously asked, "...what possible difference does it make now?"  This seems to be the general tone in Mr. Obama's own party.  It matters!  We should look to the articles of impeachment in Nixon's case for an example:

1. Obstruction of Justice
2. Abuse of Power
3. Contempt of Congress

Now, for the record, Nixon resigned, he was not impeached.  We should also note that no obstruction of justice has yet been shown.  Yet!  Since it has taken over nine months (long enough to make a baby) to get to this point, however, there has been plenty of obfuscation, dissembling, and cover-up, enough to make me consider Abuse of Power.  As far as contempt of congress, Congressional requests for documents and E-Mails are typically met with claims of executive privilege.  Look at Eric Holder's response to his department's "Fast and Furious"  debacle.  Not all of the requested documents have been released.  Fast and Furious alone makes me wonder why contempt of Congress charges were never sought against Eric Holder.  Now we have the president's press secretary saying that they won't release all of the e-mail traffic surrounding Bengahzi -- we're approaching contempt of congress again.  The IRS officials have told so many different stories about their scrutiny of the President's political opponents that contempt or abuse of power needs to be considered against that agency.  Through it all, however, direct links to the Presidency have not been shown.  With Mr. Obama now insisting that Benghazi is a sideshow and some people in the administration (Jay Carney) saying that further documentation will not be released, it is beginning to look like smoke.

As far as Mrs. Clinton's question, "...what possible difference does it make now?" we should remember that the trigger event for Nixon's demise was in June of 1972 and it took over two years for the truth to come out;  he resigned the Presidency in August of 1974.  

To avoid a crisis in government, we need the Whitehouse to start cooperating now or we need a special prosecutor.