"Congressional hearings on BATFE's Fast and Furious program paused last week, after revealing how straw purchasers were allowed to buy up to 2,500 guns for Mexican drug cartels and walk away freely, over the objections of BATFE agents in the field. The pause may be brief, however. A spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which conducted the hearings, said early this week that "The investigations are far from over."

Rep. Issa and others have called for the resignation of BATFE's acting director, Kenneth Melson, who at the very least signed off on allowing straw purchasers to buy guns at gun stores and drive away unimpeded. However, the Los Angeles Times reports that Melson doesn't intend to go down without a fight, and perhaps doesn't intend to go down alone. "I'm not going to be the fall guy on this," Melson is reported to have said."