Truthdig Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer and the other “Left, Right & Center” panelists ask whether the Obama administration will be distracted and ineffective from here on out. The head of the IRS apologizes and claims there was no political motivation behind its treatment of conservative groups. Is it a benign symbol of an unwieldy, too-big government, or a terrifying reminder of the Nixon years?

The Justice Department seizes Associated Press phone records. Should we be worried about our free press and First Amendment rights, or is the media just reacting when it hits close to home? The White House releases emails about Benghazi and hopes to quiet the outrage. Is hope for a productive second term over for Obama? A New York Times article by Peter Baker suggests it may be.

Scheer and co-host Matt Miller are joined by Rich Lowry of National Review with the perspective from the right.

— Adapted from KCRW by Alexander Reed Kelly.

KCRW: