Why some Republicans want Darrell Issa to shut up

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, is leading the Republican charge against the Obama administration over the IRS scandal and the White House's handling of Benghazi. But after Issa referred to President Obama's spokesman, Jay Carney, as a "paid liar" on Sunday talk shows, aides to congressional GOP leaders quietly urged him to drop the personal attacks.

The GOP watchdog is sticking to his guns, though, telling Politico that the administration's explanation of the scandals has changed as the truth drips out. "The White House has tried to vilify me," Issa says, "rather than getting into the facts."

Issa's unpredictability is reportedly starting to worry his allies. John Bresnahan and Jake Sherman at Politico say that Republicans are afraid that Issa's attack-dog style "could jeopardize the biggest gift handed to them in months — public outrage over the IRS scandal, combined with questions over Benghazi. They think Issa should stop personalizing the scandals by insulting Obama and his aides and focus on the facts."

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Some observers think it's too late for Issa to dial it down. Joe Gandelman at The Moderate Voice says Issa already has credibility problems. He's known for declaring that he'll hold hearings that will "bust the town wide open," Gandelman says, but it's usually the hearings that are a bust.

Not everyone's convinced Issa is doing the GOP cause any harm. John Dickerson at Slate notes that Democrats are arguing that Republicans are overreaching with these controversies, especially with some hardline conservatives suggesting Obama deserves impeachment. But, Dickerson says, "Republicans have not overplayed their hand. Unlike the late 1990s, they have the country with them in their pursuit of answers."