Yeah, as was mentioned, this was not wiretapping, this was seizure of phone company records listing incoming and outgoing calls. It does give a ton of information with regards to sources, but it is not a wiretap.
Secondly, ‘recuse’ does not mean he doesn’t know anything. It’s almost the opposite: it means he has a conflict of interest and thus should not be persuing the case as a disinterested party.
Thirdly, this was not random. It was part of an ongoing investigation into very seriously damaging leaks re: a terrorist plot in Yemen. Also, this is partially the result of congress calling for in depth investigations into a series of high-profile leaks, with the incrimination that they were simply a political ploy:
“Republicans accused the administration of deliberately leaking classified information, jeopardizing national security in an effort to make Mr. Obama look tough in an election year — a charge the White House rejected. But some Democrats, too, said the leaking of sensitive information had gotten out of control.
Mr. Holder’s move at the time was sharply criticized by Republicans as not going far enough. They wanted him to appoint an outside special counsel, and a Senate resolution calling for a special counsel was co-sponsored by 29 Republican senators. ”
Also of note, Obama co-sponsored a bill that would have blocked this action, or at least have made it more difficult, but it was killed by a republican fillibuster
In the end, it was a terrible action and Holder should be held accountable (and frankly I think he should be replaced anyway, this is just more reason). But this does not make Obama evil any more then the previous ‘scandals’.