But what is it about Issa? He starts these investigations and they run off the rails just as he’s rounding first base, ya know? Is it Kabuki theater designed both to burnish his image as a crusader and equally designed to fail early on? Or is he an amateur lawyer who doesn’t have (on his own) the chops to press the case(s) and isn’t smart enough to get outside counsel? Perhaps he’s being sabotaged by his own side...and that shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Or is the admin so incredibly deft that they simply dodge, deny, defer and delay?
[multiple choice]
Perhaps Issa (and Grassley in the Senate) have conservative instincts but still have to play the pork game. They bring certain issues to public (and Congress’) attention and offer opportunity for their fellow Congressmen to respond. When they meet with no support, they go back to pork and other subjects until another opportunity comes along instead of rendering themselves completely irrelevant.