If Republicans are going to target President Barack Obama for not knowing more about the Internal Revenue Service controversy, says House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, consider this:

"Well," she told a news conference Thursday, "The president doesn't know about everything that is going on in every agency of government.  Should Mr. Boehner have known because this is his neighboring district, and since -- Cincinnati, where the IRS office is?

"I don't think you can hold him accountable for what happened in that IRS office."

Asked if Democrats will be hurt politically, Pelosi, D-Calif, noted, "It happened under the appointment of the head of the IRS, who was appointed by President Bush; his length of stay extended into President Obama's stay." She referred to former IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman.

"But," she said, "I think that that points to the fact that why is this, you know, a politicized issue because the -- we all are concerned about how the IRS does what it's supposed to do, supports the law but does not do it in a selective way.  I've said before what they did was wrong.  The inspector general has said over and over it is not illegal."

The Internal Revenue Service and the 2010 health law? Look out, says Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

"Here’s another thing we shouldn’t be doing: handing over the administration of Obamacare to these folks. I mean, think about it. A deeply unpopular law being administered by an agency that’s so betrayed the public trust," he said in Senate floor remarks Thursday. 

“Even the IRS’ staunchest defenders in this scandal describe their actions as a case of ‘horrible customer service.’   That’s the best they can say: ‘Horrible customer service.’ And now they’re going to be put in charge of a new trillion-dollar program?  One that will give them access to all sorts of sensitive, deeply personal information?"

McConnell, R-Ky., warned "that’s just what the Administration and congressional Democrats are about to let happen."

He noted "The IRS is in charge of administering some of the most important elements of Obamacare. And, for many Americans, that’s going to mean submitting to probing questions about their health insurance."

Then he posed some questions. Here's some of the rest of his speech:

The Republican National Committee Wednesday formally requested a series of documents related to the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups.

The request, filed under the federal Freedom of Information Act, seeks a host of data, including "any and all documents and correspondence"  between Treasury officials and the White House from January 1, 2010 and Monday. The documents would include terms like tea party and patriot.

The RNC also wants documents related to "be on the lookout criteria" the IRS used.

"As each day passes, Americans find ourselves with more questions about the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups and donors—and what the White House and Treasury Department knew and when,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. “Because the administration refuses to be forthright with the American people, I instructed the RNC counsel’s office to file a FOIA request with the IRS to make the facts available for the public.

Priebus noted that Lois Lerner, the head of the tax exempt organizations division of the IRS, is expected to take the Fifth Amendment before a congressional committee Wednesday.

"There’s clearly something serious the American people are not being told,'' Priebus said.

Any confrontation  over the nation’s debt ceiling is now unlikely till after Labor Day.

The government is expected to hit the debt ceiling this weekend, but Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said in a letter Friday that “extraordinary measures” would likely allow the nation to continue
paying its bills “until after Labor Day.”

That means that any war over the debt limit—one that could involve limits on federal spending and perhaps higher taxes—is probably not going to occur in earnest this summer.

Two years ago, that fight not only led to a tense showdown between the Obama White House and congressional Republicans, and ultimately a debt-reduction deal, but saw a downgrading of the
government’s credit rating for the first time in 70 years.

The Internal Revenue Service and Benghazi stories may be consuming Washington, but in the rest of America, not so much.

"The amount of attention Americans are paying to the IRS and the Benghazi situations is well below the average for news stories Gallup has tracked over the years," a new Gallup poll found.

Democrats are not paying much attention, nor are independents, said the survey released Friday--though Republicans are paying a lot of attention.

"Republicans are also much more likely than Democrats to strongly agree that both situations are serious enough to require investigation," according to a Gallup analaysis.

The Democratic-run Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday on the Internal Revenue Service controversy.

"I intend to get to the bottom of what happened here," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont.

"There needs to be a full accounting of what happened at the IRS, who knew what, when, and how long did this practice go on for?" he asked.

He also wants to know "What other groups were flagged for additional scrutiny? There is another important question that needs to be asked: Is there a fault in the tax code that may have contributed to the IRS taking such unacceptable steps?"

Baucus asked several other questions: "Do we need a better definition of what organizations qualify for tax exemptions? Do we need to revisit the role tax-exempt organizations play in our political system? What part of the tax code has to change for us to guarantee this overreach never happens again? There are many more questions."

The top Republican and top Democrat on the House Ways & Means Committee joined forces Tuesday to express outrage at the news that the Internal Revenue Service has targeted certain conservative organizations.

Reps. Dave Camp, R-Mich., and Sander Levin, D-Mich., noted that "despite repeated calls for cooperation, the agency failed to be completely truthful in its resposnse to the committee during its nearly two-year invesigation of this matter in testimony before the committee."

It was "especially concerning," they wrote, that the new came out on the eve of an inspector general's report on the matter.

The two lawmakers asked the IRS a series of questions, including what the White House knew and when. And, they asked, "Did the IRS single out other organizations based on their political views?"

Ways & Means plans a hearing Friday morning. The letter to the IRS: http://waysandmeans.house.gov/uploadedfiles/camp-levin_5_4_13.pdf

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul found an appreciate crowd Saturday morning at the North Liberty, Iowa, Community Center, the last stop on his whirlwind Iowa tour.

Paul told fellow Republicans to be inclusive and look beyond primary victories. "You have to be able to present what we stand for in a way to appeal to people who haven’t heard that message," he said.

He noted that "If you’re an evangelist or a pastor you don’t go beating people over the head to get into your church...it’s the same way with a political party."

Paul, a first-term senator, concluded his trip to the state that traditionally holds the nation's first presidential caucus Saturday. Friday, he met with pastors, Republican women and the media, and spoke at the Lincoln Day Dinner in Cedar Rapids.

His 20 minute talk Saturday was wide ranging. One his biggest applause lines: "Not one penny more to countries that are burning our flag."

He segued into a critique of what he termed government waste. Look at the Commerce Department Paul advised. "You wouldn’t notice if you woke up tomorrow and it was gone," he said.

Paul also urged tax reform that cuts taxes, and spoke about his plan for a 17 percent corporate and income tax with few deductions.

If the nation adopted Reagan-era economic policies, he said, 12 to 13 million jobs could be created.

"It is not inherently unfair to pay the same rate. It would stimulate economy," Paul insisted.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid opened the Senate session Monday by urging Republicans to name negotiators and start work on a budget deal.

Republicans have balked, saying they want some agreement on how the talks might proceed.

Reid began the Senate session, the first after a nine-day recess, noting of the sequester, "Democrats and Republicans voted for these arbitrary cuts and Democrats and Republicans will have to work together to reverse them.

"Why are my Republican colleagues so afraid?" the Nevada Democrat asked. "We know the two sides won't agree on every aspect of the budget. We know finding common ground won't be easy, but we can get it done."

Reid's bid to get GOP negotiators named fell short, since no Republicans were present on the floor. He said he'd bring the matter up again soon.

Congress returns to work Monday after a nine-day break, but the more controversial items--immigration, guns, budget--are not likely to be subject to any big votes anytime soon.

Instead, the Senate will consider the internet sales tax bill. The measure is expected to pass easily, and then face trouble in the House of Representatives. The bill would allow taxes to be collected on many internet sales.

As for the more controversial measures, immigration should take the spotlight later this week,as the Senate Judiciary Committee begins writing the legislation. That's expected to take most of this month, with floor action due in June. Any votes on guns are unlikely for awhile, and the budget legislation will probably not come up until next month.