Languish.org

QuoteBarack Obama's second-term Cabinet

President Barack Obama plans an extensive shuffle of his West Wing and Cabinet, with White House chief of staff Jack Lew most likely headed to Treasury and former Sen. Chuck Hagel, a moderate Republican, under consideration for secretary of defense, administration insiders said.

Planning for a second term has been under way for months, with Lew and Pete Rouse, the counselor to the president and Obama's internal management guru, preparing lists of possible promotions and nominations. The staff process has been gossiped about by the staff, but details have been kept secret, even from insiders.

"They haven't even made calls. People haven't been asked," said a Democrat familiar with the situation. "They're more targets than they are potential nominees."

Now, officials will start to cement their departure dates, and aides will sound out colleagues about possible new roles. Among the top current officials expected to go: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Lisa Jackson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Attorney General Eric Holder and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood might not be far behind — or may even beat them out the door.

There's also a growing list of people the administration is looking to find spots for: Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick most of all, as well as former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and outgoing North Dakota Sen. Kent Conrad.

Obama has overseen one of the most stable cabinets in history — the only departures have been Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and Gary Locke and John Bryson from Commerce. But what's about to happen amounts to an almost full-scale second transition:

Treasury

If not for the upcoming fiscal cliff negotiations, Geithner might have been ready to hand Obama his resignation letter as the president walked off stage at the McCormick Place Tuesday night. But once the negotiations are done — or done enough — he's still expected to be the first to go.

The post is going to be crucial for Obama's second-term challenges — job growth, a massive restructuring of the budget and, of course, the teetering of the eurozone. There's a comfort that Obama feels with Geithner, a security just from having the treasury secretary swing through the Oval Office. That's going to be hard to replicate, and a big part of why discussions are focused increasingly around one person: Lew.

"Increasingly in the last week, it's his name and only his name," said one Democratic insider who's in touch with the Obama circle. "They like Jack, they can get Jack. Jack can do the job. I'd be shocked if it were anyone other than Jack."

There's some chatter about Erskine Bowles, but he's not trusted by the inner circle and hasn't helped his cause since the end of the Bowles-Simpson Commission. Roger Altman, who was a deputy at Treasury under Clinton, is also seen as a possibility.

Much of Rouse's attention has been focused on trying to find a Fortune 500 CEO to recruit, such as Larry Fink of BlackRock, Tony James of the Blackstone Group and David Cote of Honeywell or even Eric Schmidt of Google. Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg's name comes up — Obama clearly likes her, and she served as chief of staff at the department under Larry Summers. She would also be the first woman to run Treasury after an election in which middle-class women provided a crucial margin for the president. But despite the recent uptick in the stock price, her company still has a lot of work ahead.

Commerce

There's also the possibility that one of them lands at commerce, which has been run by an acting secretary since Bryson resigned, but Wall Street tends to see that as a second-string prize that might not be enough to lure titans from their big compensation packages. Other possibilities here include U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Export-Import Bank President Fred Hochberg, who would be the first openly gay Cabinet secretary.

State

Given the celebrity of Clinton and the two top contenders to replace her, there's little question that this could quickly become the most interesting Cabinet battle. In one corner, there's Susan Rice, the U.N. ambassador with strong connections to Obama and other senior staffers. In the other, there's John Kerry, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman who picked Obama to give his career-making 2004 keynote address, endorsed him early in the 2008 primaries and worked with the White House throughout Obama's first term. Whatever Clinton is thinking about for 2016, she's expected to be gone before much of 2013 has passed — though she may extend her initial time frame to see the Benghazi fallout through.

This one's heavy with political ironies. If Obama picks Rice, Republicans would hammer her with Benghazi questions. Her prospects were damaged because she was a team player, going on the Sunday shows to carry the administration's initial message that the riot over an anti-Muhammad video seemed to be responsible, in part, for Ambassador Chris Stevens's death. If Obama picks Kerry, he'd open up a Senate seat, in a state where Republican Sen. Scott Brown is now looking for a job. The Massachusetts Legislature changed the appointment law in 2004 to stop then-Gov. Mitt Romney from appointing then-presumed President-elect Kerry's replacement, and it was under that special election provision that Brown won in the first place. Patrick, the governor, would be a Democratic candidate for that race, but he's also a potential Cabinet member.

Patrick waited about an hour after the election was called for Obama to talk up Kerry's prospects, which were helped by the Democratic gains in the Senate that made the majority more secure. But opinions are torn about how this decision will fall.

"They think it's going to be Susan Rice," said one Democratic insider in touch with the Obama circle. "If Obama wants to make her secretary, he'll get her in."

"Kerry was a very close second the first time around. He wanted it; he had several interviews. There was an assumption that he would get it if Hillary said no," said another Democrat familiar with the circumstances. "Now that Hillary's no longer a question and he still wants it, and because he's been such a great team player and worked so hard in the debate prep, I think he has the inside track."

Then there's the dark horse: National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, who's always wanted the job but wouldn't have the same weight of personality that Rice or Kerry would bring. He has Obama's trust — though that's exactly the argument for having him take over for Lew as chief of staff.

NSA

Wherever Donilon goes, if he does, the smart money's on his deputy, Denis McDonough, to move up — or on former Defense Undersecretary Michèle Flournoy, who's known to want to come back. Tony Blinken, Vice President Joe Biden's national security adviser, is also a possibility to move over.

Chief of Staff

Donilon could have some competition for chief of staff, including former Biden chief of staff Ron Klain, who hit it off with Obama during debate prep and other campaign strategy meetings. Klain could be headed to a senior adviser position, though. Tom Nides, a current deputy secretary of state, is also a possibility for chief of staff. Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle's name has come up a few times recently — he knows the Hill, and this job wouldn't require Senate confirmation — but the time he's spent out of the game might be a reason for both him and the president to consider other options.

Defense

Panetta is expected to stay only as long as he's needed to oversee the first round of post-fiscal cliff budget cuts before deciding he's had enough weekend-only trips to his California home.

That might point to Ash Carter, Panetta's deputy. As a physicist, he's seen as a guy with the right mind-set for restructuring and rethinking a slimmer military. Flournoy is interested in the job, which could let Obama appoint the first female head of the Pentagon. And Richard Danzig, Clinton's former secretary of the Navy and a 2008 Obama adviser, would allow Obama to have someone from his circle in charge of an agency that's often been the source of presidential heartburn.

But as Obama continues to wind down the wars, a veteran might have some appeal. Outsiders' fantasy bingo sometimes lands on CIA Director David Petraeus or outgoing Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, though few believe Obama would go with Webb, who takes pride in being hard to control.

There's a lot of attention here on Hagel, an old favorite for the job who — other than making a last-minute cross-aisle endorsement of Bob Kerrey for Senate this year — has largely pulled out of public life since leaving the Senate four years ago. A Vietnam veteran and moderate, Hagel could provide the president with a high-profile bipartisan pick.

There's also Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), a former Army Ranger, who's name perennially comes up for the job. Reed presents another Senate appointment problem — Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee endorsed Obama and spoke at the Democratic Convention, but he's still a political independent who can be hard to predict.

"You want to get your new team established as quickly as possible and make that transition," said former State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley, comparing the situation to Bill Clinton's second term switch to Madeleine Albright at State, William Cohen at Defense and Sandy Berger as his national security adviser. "You could stagger that, but there's also a compelling argument to 'Form your new team and keep things going.'"

Attorney General

The uncertainty about Chafee might also impact a possible pick for attorney general, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). Holder is sure to go at some point, but so far, he hasn't been clear about how quickly he'll leave. The past few years have been exhausting and the politicization is more than what Holder wants. But they've also been liberating — after all, he's already been held in contempt of Congress and been able to go right on with his job, so there's not much more that can be held over his head.

The main buzz here is for Patrick, an assistant attorney general under Clinton before being elected in Massachusetts. Between his work as a surrogate, the record he's continued to build at the statehouse and the personal relationship he's expanded with the president himself, there are few people whose stock has risen as much as Patrick's in the past year.

There's been occasional mention of Preet Bharara, the head of the country's most prominent U.S. Attorney's office in New York's Southern District — he's young and Indian-American, but he might be more suited for deputy this time to set him up for the top job in the next Democratic administration.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is interested in the job, but she's also interested in John McCain's Senate seat in 2016 — and the White House is interested in her as a possible Supreme Court nominee. Granholm — who, like Napolitano, is a former state attorney general — is also seen as a possible fit here.

Homeland Security

Judge Merrick Garland, currently serving on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, is seen as a potential contender for Holder's job but also could replace Napolitano. Matt Olsen, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, is seen as a DHS contender as well.

Health and Human Services

One contentious figure who's expected to stay in place is Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. She's steeped in Obama's health care law, and with the amount of work needed to prepare for most of its provisions to take effect in 2014, making a switch now could complicate things.

Since confirmation hearings for a new nominee would inevitably become an Obamacare retrial, the argument to keep her gets even stronger. There aren't many replacement options for Sebelius if she goes. As a woman who was elected twice as a Democratic governor of Kansas, she once seemed like a natural Senate candidate back home, but her involvement with Obamacare would likely prove a fatal taint.

Labor, Education, Agriculture, HUD

There's not much discussion about Hilda Solis — who did not play a significant campaign role despite being a Latino woman with deep connections to unions. Labor isn't seen as a department that's likely to face a change soon, nor is Education, where Arne Duncan is clearly enjoying his job and can focus on the policy issues he loves while keeping his spot in Obama's regular pick-up basketball games. If he does go, former D.C. schools chief Michelle Rhee and Gov. Jack Markell are two possible contenders. HUD's Shaun Donovan has taken an increasingly strong role within the administration, and there's no sense he's going anywhere — there's thinking that he might be headed for the chief of staff's office, but not quite yet. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's plans will most likely hinge in part on the plans of his wife, who lost her Iowa House race Tuesday.

Interior

Salazar has indicated to friends and other Democrats that he's on his way out at Interior for a private-sector job back in Colorado, where he has a granddaughter with autism whom he and his wife care for. That could leave the job open for his deputy, David Hayes, but given that the bulk of Interior jurisdiction land is out West, the department's a natural home for a Westerner former elected official. Among the options: former North Dakota Sen. Byron Dorgan, former Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal and soon-to-be former Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire.

Energy

Chu is probably the Cabinet secretary the White House wants to see go the most. Nobel Prize cachet aside, the Solyndra debacle has been a disaster, and the Hill is unhappy too. Possibilities here include Cathy Zoi, a former CEO of Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection and Kathleen McGinty, the Clinton-era chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. This could be a private- sector draw too — there's talk of Lewis Hay of NextEra Energy and Jim Rogers, the head of Duke Energy who was co-chairman of the Democratic convention in Charlotte.

EPA

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has been eyeing a departure for a potential political run where she used to work in New Jersey or back in her native New Orleans. Her successors could be current deputy EPA Administrator Robert Perciasepe, current top EPA air pollution official Gina McCarthy or former Clinton White House aide Ian Bowles, who ran the energy and environmental department in Massachusetts.

The question for all of these picks comes down to a simple question, one former administration official said.

"What's the narrative?" the official said. "What's the legacy they want to create, and who are the people they want to do that with?"

Quote from: garbon on November 08, 2012, 05:03:00 PM
Isn't that sad? His strongest contenders to replace Clinton are Rice and Kerry.

Quote from: Barrister on November 08, 2012, 05:16:53 PM
How come Hillary is out?

Quote from: celedhring on November 08, 2012, 05:27:46 PM
Wanting to disengage herself from the administration in advance of her 2016 bid, imho.

Quote from: garbon on November 08, 2012, 05:03:00 PM
Isn't that sad? His strongest contenders to replace Clinton are Rice and Kerry.

Quote from: Barrister on November 08, 2012, 05:33:08 PM

Quote from: celedhring on November 08, 2012, 05:27:46 PM
Wanting to disengage herself from the administration in advance of her 2016 bid, imho.

She'll be 69 by 2016.  That's the same age as Reagan when elected IIRC.  So not impossible, but that's kind of pushing it...

Quote from: Neil on November 08, 2012, 05:38:58 PM

Quote from: garbon on November 08, 2012, 05:03:00 PM
Isn't that sad? His strongest contenders to replace Clinton are Rice and Kerry.

It's not like either of them are weaker than she is.  She's just a failed presidential candidate, and she didn't even make it to the general.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 08, 2012, 06:32:56 PM
I think Hillary just wants to be a grandmother.  If Chelsea gets knocked up in the next 24 to 36 months, you can forget Hillary running.

Quote from: derspiess on November 08, 2012, 06:40:39 PM

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 08, 2012, 06:32:56 PM
I think Hillary just wants to be a grandmother.  If Chelsea gets knocked up in the next 24 to 36 months, you can forget Hillary running.

Hard to imagine her losing the appetite but I guess stranger things have happened.  Shed be best off retiring and putting in time at church.

Quote from: derspiess on November 08, 2012, 06:07:17 PM
If that piece of shit Holder leaves that will be an automatic improvement.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 08, 2012, 05:05:54 PM

Quote from: garbon on November 08, 2012, 05:03:00 PM
Isn't that sad? His strongest contenders to replace Clinton are Rice and Kerry.

Holbrooke up and died, and the travel would kill Mitchell.

Rice is damaged goods, Kerry would give up a Senate seat in a year they spent too much money to increase their seats.

I say: JOHN HUNTSMAN.  :wub:

Quote from: Ed Anger on November 08, 2012, 06:59:55 PM
Bob can be defense.

Quote from: Razgovory on November 08, 2012, 07:03:47 PM

Quote from: Ed Anger on November 08, 2012, 06:59:55 PM
Bob can be defense.

As Sec of State he could go to Vietnam and visit old friends, and possibly kill them.

Quote from: Razgovory on November 08, 2012, 07:03:47 PM

Quote from: Ed Anger on November 08, 2012, 06:59:55 PM
Bob can be defense.

As Sec of State he could go to Vietnam and visit old friends, and possibly kill them.

Quote from: Sheilbh on November 08, 2012, 07:50:43 PM
I'd love to see Lugar get some sort of appointment.

Quote from: Razgovory on November 08, 2012, 09:21:40 PM

Quote from: Sheilbh on November 08, 2012, 07:50:43 PM
I'd love to see Lugar get some sort of appointment.

That wouldn't be a bad idea actually.

QuoteAs a physicist, he's seen as a guy with the right mind-set for restructuring and rethinking a slimmer military.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 09, 2012, 01:33:13 PM
Apparently, David Betrayeus is meeting with the POTUS today.  Resignation?

Quote from: The Minsky Moment on November 09, 2012, 02:01:11 PM

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 09, 2012, 01:33:13 PM
Apparently, David Betrayeus is meeting with the POTUS today.  Resignation?

Or promotion.

Quote from: MadImmortalMan on November 09, 2012, 02:07:51 PM
SecState?

Quote from: The Brain on November 09, 2012, 03:10:56 PM
What was the real reason?

Quote from: MadImmortalMan on November 09, 2012, 03:12:48 PM
Honeytrapped?  :P 

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 09, 2012, 03:13:30 PM

Quote from: The Brain on November 09, 2012, 03:10:56 PM
What was the real reason?

Could very well be the real reason;  CIA doesn't like its people fucking around, it's a compromising situation, even for the Director.

Quote from: OttoVonBismarck on November 09, 2012, 03:17:17 PM
Of all the guys in Washington to be diddling I didn't think it'd be Petraeus. What a downfall. I don't think he was ever a serious political force though, he was at most a Powell type. All rumor of his running never to materialize.

Quote from: The Brain on November 09, 2012, 04:26:23 PM
Banging the ass is "extramarital" in America? :bleeding:

Quote from: 11B4V on November 09, 2012, 04:27:26 PM

Quote from: The Brain on November 09, 2012, 04:26:23 PM
Banging the ass is "extramarital" in America? :bleeding:

Kind of like Extraterrestrial.... :P

Quote from: Valmy on November 09, 2012, 04:46:02 PM
I look forward to the conspiracy theories saying this is all about the great Benghazi scandal.

Though I am still not sure why I am supposed to be scandalized at anybody besides Islamic Terrorists :hmm:

Quote from: Strix on November 09, 2012, 03:56:59 PM

Quote from: The Brain on November 09, 2012, 03:10:56 PM
What was the real reason?

It is obvious from the timing. Obama won the election so he gets to re-write the history of what happened at Benghazi. He cannot go after Hillary so he gets Petraeus out of office puts a lickspittle in his place who willing shifts the blame to the CIA (and it's outgoing Chief). End of story, everyone goes home happy.

It's like a town not having enough fire trucks (State Department security) and than placing all the blame on a neighboring town (CIA security) for not helping enough when the place burns down.

Quote from: The Brain on November 09, 2012, 04:53:08 PM
Homelanders? Are they as bad as homeschoolers?

Quote"It's very disturbing," Santorum says. "We all have our personal failings and none of us are perfect but to put yourself in that type of position and engage in activity which could compromise your ability to do your job is something that is very very disturbing and shows incredibly poor judgement."

Santorum is disturbed not only because Petraeus broke his marital vows "but for putting himself in a position that could compromise the agency."

Quote from: Valmy on November 09, 2012, 04:46:02 PM
I look forward to the conspiracy theories saying this is all about the great Benghazi scandal.

Though I am still not sure why I am supposed to be scandalized at anybody besides Islamic Terrorists :hmm:

Quote from: Valmy on November 09, 2012, 04:46:02 PM
I look forward to the conspiracy theories saying this is all about the great Benghazi scandal.

Though I am still not sure why I am supposed to be scandalized at anybody besides Islamic Terrorists :hmm:

Quote from: Ed Anger on November 09, 2012, 04:51:22 PM

Quote
No mere man, I don't care how good and clean and righteous he may be, can hold out indefinitely in the face of such an amoral onslaught of "me first" and "if it feels good, do it" that you get from the Obama Cadre. I pity General Petraeus, that he had to endure the company of the Obama Cabinet and now he's taken on their taint.

Quote from: Valmy on November 09, 2012, 05:08:59 PM

Quote from: Ed Anger on November 09, 2012, 04:51:22 PM

Quote
No mere man, I don't care how good and clean and righteous he may be, can hold out indefinitely in the face of such an amoral onslaught of "me first" and "if it feels good, do it" that you get from the Obama Cadre. I pity General Petraeus, that he had to endure the company of the Obama Cabinet and now he's taken on their taint.

Damn.  Who knew the Obama administration was full of irresistable succubi?

Quote from: 11B4V on November 09, 2012, 05:01:18 PM
Just tune in to Fox News  :bleeding:

Quote from: The Minsky Moment on November 09, 2012, 04:53:22 PM

Quote from: Strix on November 09, 2012, 03:56:59 PM
It is obvious from the timing. Obama won the election so he gets to re-write the history of what happened at Benghazi. He cannot go after Hillary so he gets Petraeus out of office puts a lickspittle in his place who willing shifts the blame to the CIA (and it's outgoing Chief). End of story, everyone goes home happy.

Someone remind me to invest in the tin foil business.  That stuff always sells.

Quote from: Razgovory on November 09, 2012, 05:05:36 PM

Quote from: Valmy on November 09, 2012, 04:46:02 PM
I look forward to the conspiracy theories saying this is all about the great Benghazi scandal.

Though I am still not sure why I am supposed to be scandalized at anybody besides Islamic Terrorists :hmm:

Here's a conspiracy theory:  The Benghazi attack wasn't actually Obama's fault and there is no evidence of malice on the part of administration.  It is in fact a bad thing that happened in a war torn country, and even with added security the ambassador may have been killed.  Accurate information on the nature of the attacks has been hard to come by because of the chaotic and dangerous nature of current Libya.

Quote from: mongers on November 09, 2012, 05:24:59 PM

Quote from: The Minsky Moment on November 09, 2012, 04:53:22 PM

Quote from: Strix on November 09, 2012, 03:56:59 PM
It is obvious from the timing. Obama won the election so he gets to re-write the history of what happened at Benghazi. He cannot go after Hillary so he gets Petraeus out of office puts a lickspittle in his place who willing shifts the blame to the CIA (and it's outgoing Chief). End of story, everyone goes home happy.

Someone remind me to invest in the tin foil business.  That stuff always sells.

Seriously you should, it's the spirit of the age; Gordon Brown recently gave a presentation at the UN, one person turned up, whereas David Icke (we need a spit smile), the other weekend got a sellout 6,000 at Wembley arena to listen to his 11+ hour rant. :bleeding:

Quote from: Razgovory on November 09, 2012, 05:34:21 PM

Quote from: mongers on November 09, 2012, 05:24:59 PM

Quote from: The Minsky Moment on November 09, 2012, 04:53:22 PM

Quote from: Strix on November 09, 2012, 03:56:59 PM
It is obvious from the timing. Obama won the election so he gets to re-write the history of what happened at Benghazi. He cannot go after Hillary so he gets Petraeus out of office puts a lickspittle in his place who willing shifts the blame to the CIA (and it's outgoing Chief). End of story, everyone goes home happy.

Someone remind me to invest in the tin foil business.  That stuff always sells.

Seriously you should, it's the spirit of the age; Gordon Brown recently gave a presentation at the UN, one person turned up, whereas David Icke (we need a spit smile), the other weekend got a sellout 6,000 at Wembley arena to listen to his 11+ hour rant. :bleeding:

That's a lot of people who believe in giant blood sucking morphing lizards.

Quote from: mongers on November 09, 2012, 05:24:59 PM
Seriously you should, it's the spirit of the age; Gordon Brown recently gave a presentation at the UN, one person turned up, whereas David Icke (we need a spit smile), the other weekend got a sellout 6,000 at Wembley arena to listen to his 11+ hour rant. :bleeding:

Quote
Lockheed Martin executive quits over relationship

US defence company Lockheed Martin says its incoming president and chief executive officer has resigned over a relationship with a subordinate.

Christopher Kubasik resigned after an internal ethics investigation confirmed the "close personal relationship", the company said in a statement.

He was due to take over as head of the company next year after serving as its chief operating officer.
......

Quote from: Valmy on November 09, 2012, 06:16:18 PM
Clearly he knew something about Benghazi.

Quote from: The Minsky Moment on November 09, 2012, 04:59:49 PM
"Sweaters" Santorum on Strategos Petraeus:

Quote"It's very disturbing," Santorum says. "We all have our personal failings and none of us are perfect but to put yourself in that type of position and engage in activity which could compromise your ability to do your job is something that is very very disturbing and shows incredibly poor judgement."

Santorum is disturbed not only because Petraeus broke his marital vows "but for putting himself in a position that could compromise the agency."

That's why he had to resign.

Quote from: Valmy on November 09, 2012, 04:46:02 PM
I look forward to the conspiracy theories saying this is all about the great Benghazi scandal.

Though I am still not sure why I am supposed to be scandalized at anybody besides Islamic Terrorists :hmm:

QuoteCIA chief sacked after US Intelligence failes...
The head of the CIA, four-star general David Patraeus has been sacked from the CIA. General Patreus is the warcriminal who was in charge of the US invasion of Afghanistan. He's been sacked because the CIA has failed to ind their mole - a high class spy who has shared US data on free-energy technology, currently being employed in the Arctic, to the Russian government.

The spy is either found inside the Pentagon, the White House or the CIA headquarters at Langley. Patraeus' commission has failed to locate the individual or individuals responsible for the leak and now, the general has been sacked, with the civerstory that he has been cheating on his wife and needs to take 'moral responsibiity' - so the massmurderer and warcriminal 'resigned' from his post.

Quote from: Valmy on November 09, 2012, 05:08:59 PM

Quote from: Ed Anger on November 09, 2012, 04:51:22 PM

Quote
No mere man, I don't care how good and clean and righteous he may be, can hold out indefinitely in the face of such an amoral onslaught of "me first" and "if it feels good, do it" that you get from the Obama Cadre. I pity General Petraeus, that he had to endure the company of the Obama Cabinet and now he's taken on their taint.

Damn.  Who knew the Obama administration was full of irresistable succubi?

Quote from: Neil on November 09, 2012, 07:44:41 PM

Obama always struck me as Chaotic Evil.

Quote from: PDH on November 09, 2012, 08:08:48 PM

Quote from: Neil on November 09, 2012, 07:44:41 PM

Obama always struck me as Chaotic Evil.

Naw, he is more Lawful-Incompetent.

QuoteDavid Petraeus resigns as CIA director
By Greg Miller, Updated: Friday, November 9, 8:45 PM

CIA Director David H. Petraeus resigned Friday and admitted to having an extramarital affair, bringing a shocking end to his brief tenure at the spy agency and highly decorated national security career.

The affair came to light as part of an FBI investigation into a potential security breach involving Petraeus's e-mails, according to federal law enforcement officials and a former senior intelligence official. The investigation uncovered e-mails describing an affair between Petraeus and Paula Broadwell, a former military officer and co-author of a glowing biography of Petraeus, according to two law enforcement officials who were briefed on the investigation.

Petraeus, a retired four-star Army general who once was seen as a potential presidential candidate, met with President Obama on Thursday and said he intended to step down because of the affair, Obama administration officials said. The president accepted his resignation Friday.

"After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair," Petraeus said in a statement distributed to the CIA workforce Friday.

"Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours. This afternoon, the president graciously accepted my resignation," he said.

A senior administration official said the White House learned only on Wednesday that Petraeus had a potentially serious problem. The official said that Petraeus telephoned Thomas E. Donilon, the national security adviser, early Thursday and asked to meet with Obama.

The investigation is not expected to result in any accusations of criminal wrongdoing by Petraeus or Broadwell, according to the two law enforcement officials, who spoke on the condition that their names be withheld because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Paul Bresson, an FBI spokesman, refused to comment. Attempts to reach Broadwell were unsuccessful. A CIA spokesman declined to answer questions about the timing of the affair or Petraeus's decision to disclose it to the White House.

Current and former U.S. military officials said suspicions of infidelities had followed Petraeus for several years.

The sudden departure of Petraeus created turmoil in the administration's national security team just days after the president's reelection. That team was expected to see a series of changes in the coming months, but many believed that Petraeus would remain in position.

In a statement, Obama said Petraeus has "provided extraordinary service to the United States for decades," adding that "through his lifetime of service David Petraeus has made our country safer and stronger."

The statement did not directly address Petraeus's reason for resigning, but the president said that his "thoughts and prayers are with Dave and Holly Petraeus, who has done so much to help military families through her own work. I wish them the very best at this difficult time."

Holly Petraeus is an assistant director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where she is charged with advocating on behalf of service members and their families. She and her husband met in 1973 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where her father was superintendent.

Broadwell, who also is married, is a West Point graduate and a research associate at Harvard University. She is the co-author of "All In: The Education of General David Petraeus." (The book's co-author was Vernon Loeb, local editor at The Washington Post.)

In earlier interviews, Broad­well described meeting Petraeus in 2006 at Harvard, where she was working on a dissertation about leadership. She said they soon started e-mailing and discussing her research.

In the preface to the book, Broadwell said that after Obama picked Petraeus to lead U.S. forces in Afghanistan in June 2010, he invited her to Kabul and she decided to turn her dissertation into a biography. She made repeated trips to Afghanistan to spend time observing Petraeus.

In describing Petraeus in a CBS News interview two months ago, she said: "He, at the end of the day, is human and is challenged by the burdens of command. . . . So, he has this mask of command — you think he's really confident — but I got to see a more personal side. He's confident, but he's also very compassionate about the loss of troops and sacrifices we're making in Afghanistan."

Petraeus was scheduled to testify next week on Capitol Hill in hearings on the deaths of four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador and two CIA security officers, in Libya in September.

U.S. officials insisted that the controversy surrounding the attack — and the administration's shifting accounts of it — played no role in Petraeus's decision to resign.

Petraeus's 14-month tenure as CIA director is one of the shortest in agency history.

Michael J. Morell, who served as Petraeus's deputy at the CIA, will serve as interim director, a position he occupied for several months before Petraeus was sworn in. Morell is seen as a leading candidate to replace Petraeus, but there are others, including Michael G. Vickers, a former CIA paramilitary officer now serving as undersecretary of defense for intelligence.

Petraeus came into the CIA job after a highly decorated Army career that included command of the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, which made him one of the most venerated officers of his generation.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Friday that she believed Petraeus's infidelity did not require him to resign.

"I wish President Obama had not accepted this resignation, but I understand and respect the decision," she said in a statement. She described Petraeus's resignation as an "enormous loss for our nation's intelligence community and for our country."

The nature of Petraeus's resignation is likely to leave a stain on the polished reputation he cultivated during his 37-year military career. Petraeus was widely credited with helping to reverse the course of the war in Iraq and overhauling the military's approach to counterinsurgency fighting. Petraeus was later handed command of the war in Afghanistan, where success proved more elusive.

Because of his evident ambition and abundant publicity, some military rivals saw Petraeus as preening and self-aggrandizing. He did little to discourage speculation that he could be a presidential or vice presidential candidate and quietly campaigned for the CIA job when his path to higher military positions was blocked.

At the agency, Petraeus presided over an expansion of the CIA's Predator campaign in Yemen and was recently behind a push to expand the agency's drone fleet. He was involved in decisions to carry out controversial strikes, including the Predator attacks last year that killed two U.S. citizens: the alleged al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki and his teenage son.

Petraeus, who retired from the military last year, is still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which classifies adultery as a crime.

Practically speaking, however, the odds are extremely low that the military would prosecute a retired officer for having an affair, said Eugene R. Fidell, a prominent military law expert who teaches at Yale University.

"They're as close to zero as you can get," Fidell said. "It would have to be a grave matter before the executive branch would prosecute a retiree."

Petraeus married Holly two months after graduating from West Point. His courtship was seen as audacious because of her father's rank at the elite military academy. They have two children, Stephen, who became an Army officer, and Anne.

Petraeus has frequently praised his wife in public appearances for her sacrifices and contributions to his career, and he characterized his return to Washington as an opportunity for them to be closer after his years-long assignments overseas.

As Petraeus assumed a low profile when he moved to the CIA, Holly became increasingly visible at the Pentagon as part of her work for a government agency that helps service members manage their finances. In recent months, she has traveled to dozens of military bases around the country to counsel students about predatory lending, student loans and debt.

Quote from: Sheilbh on November 09, 2012, 10:32:38 PM
She gives off a kind of Kristen Scott-Thomas vibe.  I can see the attraction. 

QuoteMY WIFE'S LOVER

My wife is having an affair with a government executive. His role is to manage a project whose progress is seen worldwide as a demonstration of American leadership. (This might seem hyperbolic, but it is not an exaggeration.) I have met with him on several occasions, and he has been gracious. (I doubt if he is aware of my knowledge.) I have watched the affair intensify over the last year, and I have also benefited from his generosity. He is engaged in work that I am passionate about and is absolutely the right person for the job. I strongly feel that exposing the affair will create a major distraction that would adversely impact the success of an important effort. My issue: Should I acknowledge this affair and finally force closure? Should I suffer in silence for the next year or two for a project I feel must succeed? Should I be "true to my heart" and walk away from the entire miserable situation and put the episode behind me? NAME WITHHELD

Don't expose the affair in any high-profile way. It would be different if this man's project was promoting some (contextually hypocritical) family-values platform, but that doesn't appear to be the case. The only motive for exposing the relationship would be to humiliate him and your wife, and that's never a good reason for doing anything. This is between you and your spouse. You should tell her you want to separate, just as you would if she were sleeping with the mailman. The idea of "suffering in silence" for the good of the project is illogical. How would the quiet divorce of this man's mistress hurt an international leadership initiative? He'd probably be relieved.

The fact that you're willing to accept your wife's infidelity for some greater political good is beyond honorable. In fact, it's so over-the-top honorable that I'm not sure I believe your motives are real. Part of me wonders why you're even posing this question, particularly in a column that is printed in The New York Times.

Your dilemma is intriguing, but I don't see how it's ambiguous. Your wife is having an affair with a person you happen to respect. Why would that last detail change the way you respond to her cheating? Do you admire this man so much that you haven't asked your wife why she keeps having sex with him? I halfway suspect you're writing this letter because you want specific people to read this column and deduce who is involved and what's really going on behind closed doors (without actually addressing the conflict in person). That's not ethical, either.

Quote from: Sheilbh on November 09, 2012, 11:56:54 PM
This letter to the NYT in July has been pinging round the internet today:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/magazine/a-message-from-beyond.html?_r=1&

QuoteMY WIFE'S LOVER

My wife is having an affair with a government executive. His role is to manage a project whose progress is seen worldwide as a demonstration of American leadership. (This might seem hyperbolic, but it is not an exaggeration.) I have met with him on several occasions, and he has been gracious. (I doubt if he is aware of my knowledge.) I have watched the affair intensify over the last year, and I have also benefited from his generosity. He is engaged in work that I am passionate about and is absolutely the right person for the job. I strongly feel that exposing the affair will create a major distraction that would adversely impact the success of an important effort. My issue: Should I acknowledge this affair and finally force closure? Should I suffer in silence for the next year or two for a project I feel must succeed? Should I be "true to my heart" and walk away from the entire miserable situation and put the episode behind me? NAME WITHHELD

Don't expose the affair in any high-profile way. It would be different if this man's project was promoting some (contextually hypocritical) family-values platform, but that doesn't appear to be the case. The only motive for exposing the relationship would be to humiliate him and your wife, and that's never a good reason for doing anything. This is between you and your spouse. You should tell her you want to separate, just as you would if she were sleeping with the mailman. The idea of "suffering in silence" for the good of the project is illogical. How would the quiet divorce of this man's mistress hurt an international leadership initiative? He'd probably be relieved.

The fact that you're willing to accept your wife's infidelity for some greater political good is beyond honorable. In fact, it's so over-the-top honorable that I'm not sure I believe your motives are real. Part of me wonders why you're even posing this question, particularly in a column that is printed in The New York Times.

Your dilemma is intriguing, but I don't see how it's ambiguous. Your wife is having an affair with a person you happen to respect. Why would that last detail change the way you respond to her cheating? Do you admire this man so much that you haven't asked your wife why she keeps having sex with him? I halfway suspect you're writing this letter because you want specific people to read this column and deduce who is involved and what's really going on behind closed doors (without actually addressing the conflict in person). That's not ethical, either.

Quote from: Razgovory on November 10, 2012, 01:08:16 AM

Quote from: Sheilbh on November 09, 2012, 11:56:54 PM
This letter to the NYT in July has been pinging round the internet today:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/magazine/a-message-from-beyond.html?_r=1& (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/magazine/a-message-from-beyond.html?_r=1&)

QuoteMY WIFE'S LOVER

My wife is having an affair with a government executive. His role is to manage a project whose progress is seen worldwide as a demonstration of American leadership. (This might seem hyperbolic, but it is not an exaggeration.) I have met with him on several occasions, and he has been gracious. (I doubt if he is aware of my knowledge.) I have watched the affair intensify over the last year, and I have also benefited from his generosity. He is engaged in work that I am passionate about and is absolutely the right person for the job. I strongly feel that exposing the affair will create a major distraction that would adversely impact the success of an important effort. My issue: Should I acknowledge this affair and finally force closure? Should I suffer in silence for the next year or two for a project I feel must succeed? Should I be "true to my heart" and walk away from the entire miserable situation and put the episode behind me? NAME WITHHELD

Don't expose the affair in any high-profile way. It would be different if this man's project was promoting some (contextually hypocritical) family-values platform, but that doesn't appear to be the case. The only motive for exposing the relationship would be to humiliate him and your wife, and that's never a good reason for doing anything. This is between you and your spouse. You should tell her you want to separate, just as you would if she were sleeping with the mailman. The idea of "suffering in silence" for the good of the project is illogical. How would the quiet divorce of this man's mistress hurt an international leadership initiative? He'd probably be relieved.

The fact that you're willing to accept your wife's infidelity for some greater political good is beyond honorable. In fact, it's so over-the-top honorable that I'm not sure I believe your motives are real. Part of me wonders why you're even posing this question, particularly in a column that is printed in The New York Times.

Your dilemma is intriguing, but I don't see how it's ambiguous. Your wife is having an affair with a person you happen to respect. Why would that last detail change the way you respond to her cheating? Do you admire this man so much that you haven't asked your wife why she keeps having sex with him? I halfway suspect you're writing this letter because you want specific people to read this column and deduce who is involved and what's really going on behind closed doors (without actually addressing the conflict in person). That's not ethical, either.

Kinda reminds of some sort of medieval story about the king having an affair with a nobles wife.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 09, 2012, 10:41:26 PM
The aforementioned, and suddenly dish-breaking-around-the-house-how-could-you-you-asshole, Mrs. Petraeus:

QuotePetraeus' biographer Paula Broadwell under FBI investigation over access to his email, law enforcement officials say

The biographer for resigning CIA Director David Petraeus is under FBI investigation for improperly trying to access his email and possibly gaining access to classified information, law enforcement officials told NBC News on Friday.

Paula Broadwell is the author of Petraeus' biography, "All In." She had extensive access to Petraeus in Afghanistan and has given numerous television interviews speaking about him.

The law enforcement officials said they do not believe the FBI investigation will result in any criminal charges. They also stressed that Petraeus is not under investigation.

The CIA declined all comment on the case. Broadwell could not be reached for comment.

Broadwell's Twitter account describes her as a national security analyst and Army veteran. A biography on her website, which went offline Friday evening, said she is married to a radiologist and has two children, both boys. The family lives in Charlotte, N.C. The biography said she is a West Point graduate and a research associate at Harvard University's Center for Public Leadership and a doctoral candidate in the Department of War Studies at King's College London.

Quote from: celedhring on November 10, 2012, 06:53:54 AM
Would be so cool if she turned out to be a Russian spy.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 10, 2012, 06:56:22 AM
Some things will never change.

Quote from: Phillip V on November 10, 2012, 07:05:58 AM

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 10, 2012, 06:56:22 AM
Some things will never change.

We can change our education, training, parenting, and then ultimately ourselves.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 10, 2012, 07:07:59 AM

Quote from: Phillip V on November 10, 2012, 07:05:58 AM

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 10, 2012, 06:56:22 AM
Some things will never change.

We can change our education, training, parenting, and then ultimately ourselves.

What are you, a Pepsi slogan?

Alpha Males and Alpha Females don't change their spots.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 10, 2012, 07:07:59 AM

Quote from: Phillip V on November 10, 2012, 07:05:58 AM

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 10, 2012, 06:56:22 AM
Some things will never change.

We can change our education, training, parenting, and then ultimately ourselves.

What are you, a Pepsi slogan?

Alpha Males and Alpha Females don't change their spots.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 10, 2012, 08:39:57 AM
So cynical, Strixy. So cynical.

Quote from: garbon on November 10, 2012, 09:19:45 AM

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 10, 2012, 07:07:59 AM
Alpha Males and Alpha Females don't change their spots.

You're joining the seduction community too?

Quote from: garbon on November 10, 2012, 09:20:38 AM

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 10, 2012, 08:39:57 AM
So cynical, Strixy. So cynical.

I know, why would anyone be cynical about Obama? He's so forthright and honest.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 10, 2012, 11:57:27 AM
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Quote from: Count on November 10, 2012, 12:42:11 PM
His wife was the daughter of the head of West Point when he was at West Point. What a striver.  :lol:

QuoteF.B.I. Said to Have Stumbled Into News of Petraeus Affair
By SCOTT SHANE and ERIC SCHMITT

WASHINGTON — The F.B.I. investigation that led to the resignation of David H. Petraeus as C.I.A. director on Friday began with a complaint several months ago about "harassing" e-mails sent by Paula Broadwell, Mr. Petraeus's biographer, to an unidentified third person, a government official briefed on the case said on Saturday.

When F.B.I. agents following up on the complaint began to examine Ms. Broadwell's e-mails, they discovered exchanges between her and Mr. Petraeus that revealed that they were having an affair, said the official, who spoke of the investigation on the condition of anonymity.

The person who complained about harassing messages from Ms. Broadwell, according to the official, was not a family member or a government official. One Congressional official who was briefed on the matter on Friday said senior intelligence officials had explained that the F.B.I. investigation "started with two women."

"It didn't start with Petraeus, but in the course of the investigation they stumbled across him," said the Congressional official, who said the intelligence officials had provided no other information about the two women or the focus of the inquiry. "We were stunned."

Mr. Petraeus said in a statement that he was resigning after 14 months as head of the Central Intelligence Agency because he had shown "extremely poor judgment" in engaging in the affair after 37 years of marriage.

The government official dismissed a range of media speculation that the F.B.I. inquiry might have focused on leaks of classified information to the press or even foreign spying. "People think that because it's the C.I.A. director, it must involve bigger issues," the official said. "Think of a small circle of people who know each other."

The F.B.I. investigators were not pursuing evidence of Mr. Petraeus's marital infidelity, which would not be a criminal matter, the official said. But their examination of his e-mails, most or all of them sent from a personal account and not from his C.I.A. account, raised the possibility of security breaches that needed to be addressed directly with him.

"Alarms went off on larger security issues," the official said. As a result, F.B.I. agents spoke with the C.I.A. director about two weeks ago, and he learned in the discussion, if he was not already aware, that they knew of his affair with Ms. Broadwell, the official said.

Web-based e-mail like Gmail and Yahoo Mail can be quite vulnerable to hacking, and it is possible that F.B.I. experts were studying whether Mr. Petraeus's accounts had been compromised. Any possibility that hackers could use the C.I.A. director's e-mail as a route to break into sensitive government computer systems would be an obvious concern.

But the fears of bigger security problems proved unjustified, and the security questions were resolved, the official said.

Neither the Congressional intelligence committees nor the White House learned of the investigation or the link to Mr. Petraeus until this week, officials said. Some Congressional staff members said they believed that the bureau should have informed at least the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees about the unfolding inquiry, and the committees are likely to demand an explanation of why they were not told.

White House officials said they were informed on Wednesday night that Mr. Petraeus was considering resigning because of an extramarital affair. On Thursday morning, just before a staff meeting at the White House, Mr. Obama was told. That afternoon, Mr. Petraeus went to see him and informed him that he strongly believed he had to resign. Mr. Obama did not accept his resignation right away, but on Friday, he called Mr. Petraeus and accepted the resignation.

"Dave's decision to step down represents the loss of one of our nation's most respected public servants," James R. Clapper Jr., the director of national intelligence, said in a statement on Friday.

A senior intelligence official said on Saturday that Mr. Clapper had learned of Mr. Petraeus's situation only when the F.B.I. notified him about 5 p.m. on Tuesday. That night and the and next day, the official said, the two men discussed the situation, and Mr. Clapper told Mr. Petraeus "that he thought the right thing to do would be to resign," the intelligence official said.

Mr. Clapper notified the president's senior national security staff late Wednesday that Mr. Petraeus was considering resigning because of an extramarital affair, the official said.

QuoteWith Paula Broadwell, Gen. David Petraeus let his guard down
By Joby Warrick, Ernesto Londoño and Kimberly Kindy, Published: November 10

Gen. David H. Petraeus had just assumed his new role as U.S. Central Command chief in 2009 when he began introducing his staff to a young Harvard University researcher who was writing his biography. The woman, Paula Broadwell, then 37, had never written a book and had almost no journalistic experience. But that wasn't the only thing about her that made the general's aides nervous.

Petraeus — already the most acclaimed U.S. military commander in recent decades — had until then been extraordinarily careful in managing his public image, allowing limited access to a handful of journalists, former aides say. Yet, when it came to Broadwell, he seemed eager to throw his own rulebook out the window.

Over the next two years, the two would spend countless hours together in interviews, in Petraeus's headquarters in Tampa and, later, in Kabul, where he was sent as commander of U.S. troops. They ran together and occasionally traveled together in Petraeus's military airplane.

The general appeared to have developed a special bond with his enthusiastic but untested biographer, aides say, and Broadwell appeared willing to take full advantage of her special access.

"I found her relationship with him to be disconcerting," said a former aide to Petraeus, one of several who insisted on anonymity in order to speak candidly about his former boss. "Those who worked for him never tried to leverage our relationship with him. It seemed to a lot of us that she didn't have that filter."

Relationship exposed

The full extent of the bond was exposed Friday when Petraeus, 60, abruptly resigned as CIA director, acknowledging in a statement that he had been unfaithful to his wife of 38 years. The resignation marked a stunning career reversal for Petraeus, a storied commander whose successes in Iraq and Afghanistan had made him a hero to millions of Americans and won him a perennial mention as a possible future candidate for U.S. president.

Telephone and e-mail requests for interviews with Broadwell were not returned.

For Broadwell, who is also married, the startling turn of events has reportedly been painful as well. After writing a best-selling and highly laudatory book about Petraeus, she appears to have initiated the series of events that led to his public humiliation. Investigators say threatening e-mails from Broadwell to another woman led to the discovery of the affair between the biographer and her subject. It is an outcome made more poignant because she has been — and remains — zealous in her devotion to the general, friends and colleagues say.

"She was relentlessly pro-Petraeus," said a longtime Afghan policy expert who met Broadwell in Kabul. "There was no room for a conversation of shortcomings of the Petraeus theology. She wasn't a reporter. She struck me as an acolyte."

According to her own account, Broadwell met Petraeus in 2006, when she was a graduate student at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Petraeus had gone to Harvard to talk about his experiences as commander of the 101st Airborne Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and about a new counterinsurgency manual he was developing. After the presentation, Broadwell — an Army reservist and, like Petraeus, a West Point graduate — was invited to attend a dinner with the general and a few of other students.

"I introduced myself to then-Lt. Gen. Petraeus and told him about my research interests," she would write in her book, "All In: The Education of Gen. David Petraeus." She said the general handed her his business card and offered to put her in touch with other researchers working on similar issues. (Vernon Loeb, the local editor of The Washington Post, was a co-author of the book.)

"I later discovered that he was famous for this type of mentoring and networking, especially with aspiring soldiers-scholars," she wrote.

In 2008, while pursuing a doctorate, Broadwell decided to write a case study of Petraeus's leadership style. After several e-mail exchanges, Petraeus, an avid runner, invited her to discuss her project during a run along the Potomac River.

Passing the test

The two discovered a common bond: Broadwell, a high school track star who won awards for fitness at West Point, earned the general's admiration by keeping up with his grueling, six-minute-mile pace.

"I think I passed the test," she would later say, "but I didn't bother to transcribe the interview."

Soon after, Broadwell decided to turn her dissertation into a book. With the blessing of Petraeus, she made the first of about a half-dozen extended trips to Afghanistan to spend time with him and interview members of his senior staff and field commanders.

Her trips were not without controversy. Aides were stunned by the close access that Broadwell was granted — and that she occasionally flaunted. At the same time, some were unimpressed by her reporting style and thin journalistic résumé.

"Her credentials didn't add up," said a former Petraeus staff member who was interviewed a number of times by Broadwell. "I was underwhelmed. It was surprising to me that she was his official biographer."

Peter Mansoor, a former executive officer on Petraeus's staff, said he thought the general's uncharacteristic confidence in an untested writer was "strange."

"My gosh, if you are going to have someone interview everyone who has ever touched you in your life, choose someone who has written a biography or at least a history book," he said in an interview Saturday.

Other controversies

There were other controversies as well. Former aides say Broadwell's attire — usually tight shirts and pants — prompted complaints in Afghanistan, where Western-style attire can offend local sensibilities. Her form-fitting clothes made a lasting impression on longtime Afghan hands, and Petraeus once admonished her, through a staffer, to "dress down," a former aide recalled.

"She was seemingly immune to the notion of modesty in this part of the world," said a general who served in Afghanistan while Petraeus was commander there.

Officers close to Petraeus grew concerned about her posts on Facebook, which they believed sometimes divulged sensitive operational details. The posts, intended for friends back home, were often playfully written and aimed at showing off her adventures in the war zone.

Some senior officers thought Broadwell, who held a security clearance and had served as an Army intelligence officer, should have known better.

The 'unthinkable'

Despite the obvious closeness between the general and the biographer, former aides said, that the two could be having an affair seemed unthinkable, mainly because Petraeus came across as the consummate gentleman and family man.

"I spent a lot of time with him, and I never heard him say, 'Wow, she was hot,' " one former aide said. "I never recalled hearing him say anything crass or even mentioning the good looks of a person."

Broadwell impressed others who met her because of her hard work, intelligence and seemingly inexhaustible energy, traits that often are associated with Petraeus. Journalists who befriended her were struck by her idealism and passion for favorite causes, including a wounded-warrior project that she has promoted, sometimes with Petraeus's help.

"Paula is an impressive woman — high energy, smart, a classic overachiever," said Thomas E. Ricks, who came to know Broadwell while researching his new book, "The Generals," which is in part about Petraeus.

Other friends and acquaintances also described her as driven and high-achieving. Broadwell, a North Dakota native, was valedictorian and prom queen of her high school graduating class and a member of the state's all-star basketball team. She  graduated from West Point with a degree in political geography and systems engineering and finished first in her class in fitness.

After college, she served for more than a decade in the Army, attaining the rank of major before leaving the military to attend Harvard. Through her 30s, while traveling for her book and raising two children, she managed to compete in Ironman triathlons.

Competitive streak

On an official Web site for her book, which has since been taken down, Broadwell talks about her competitive streak.  "I was driven when I was younger," she said. "Driven at West Point where it was much more competitive in that women were competing with men on many levels, and I was driven in the military and at Harvard, both competitive environments."

In promoting her book this year, Broadwell went on a nationwide media tour that included an appearance on "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" in January. She challenged Stewart to a push-up contest, and he agreed, saying he would donate to a charity for wounded veterans if she beat him. Her husband, Scott Broadwell, a radiologist, was brought on stage, and she beat both of them.

Broadwell, who turned 40 on Friday, lives in Charlotte, with her husband and her two sons. As the news of Petraeus's resignation made national news Friday, Broadwell and her husband were visiting friends in Virginia, celebrating her birthday with dinner at the Inn at Little Washington, one of the region's most famous and most expensive restaurants.

In the acknowledgments at the conclusion of her book, Broadwell credited her successes in part to her husband, an "amazing and supportive partner," who "played Mr. Mom for our two boys while I was in Afghanistan." Then she thanked Petraeus for his cooperation, saying his "willingness to indulge my endless questions . . . provided me with a once-in-a-lifetime education."

"I am grateful for his candor, trust and support," she wrote.

Quote from: OttoVonBismarck on November 10, 2012, 12:59:26 PM
Um wow. I actually know Broadwell, we graduated the same year from West Point.  :huh:

Quote from: OttoVonBismarck on November 11, 2012, 11:13:52 AM
So our boy Eric Cantor appears to have known about this since October, and a spokesman for him said as much to CNN today. Little strange that House Majority Leader would know about this in October but not the President.

QuoteHouse Majority Leader Eric Cantor spoke to an FBI whistle-blower two weeks ago who accused then-CIA Director David Petraeus of having an extramarital affair and potentially jeopardizing the security of classified information, according to a news report.
Cantor's chief of staff, Steve Stombres, later spoke with FBI officials to pass on the accusations from the whistle-blower, the New York Times reported on Saturday night.
Cantor's involvement in the Petraeus scandal is the first indication that anyone outside of the FBI knew Petraeus was under scrutiny for an extramarital relationship or potentially leaking classified information.
The FBI had been investigating Petraeus for several months after his alleged mistress, author Paula Broadwell, was suspected of sending "harassing" e-mails to another woman close to Petraeus.
During their probe of Broadwell's activities, FBI agents uncovered information about a reputed romantic relationship between Broadwell and Petraeus. Broadwell is the author of a flattering biography on Petraeus's extraordinary military career that was released early in 2012.
There were also concerns that Broadwell may have obtained sensitive information via her ties to Petraeus.
But the revelation of Cantor's role in the scandal - and the emergence of an FBI whistle-blower - raises dramatic new questions about how the bureau conducted what was clearly a hugely sensitive problem, both in terms of the FBI's relationship with the CIA and what it could mean for the highly esteemed Petraeus.
It also raises the stakes for the political fallout surrounding the scandal. Top CIA officials have been asked to brief members of the House Intelligence Committee next week on what happened and how the case unfolded.
"I was contacted by an F.B.I. employee concerned that sensitive, classified information may have been compromised and made certain [FBI] Director Mueller was aware of these serious allegations and the potential risk to our national security," Cantor said in a statement.
Petraeus resigned on Friday after 14 months atop the CIA while admitting to an extramarital affair. The announcement stunned Washington, as lawmakers, Obama administration officials and the press scrambled to find out the reasons behind his abrupt departure.
James Clapper, director of National Intelligence, only learned about the FBI probe on Tuesday, according to news reports. Following discussions with Petraeus, Clapper told the CIA director he should resign. Petraeus then met with President Barack Obama on Thursday to inform him of that decision.
The informant was brought to Cantor's attention by Rep. David Reichert (R-Wash.). Reichert declined to comment on his role in the scandal.
A Cantor aide said Stombres spoke with FBI officials on Oct. 31 to pass on the allegations about Petraeus.
Cantor's office declined to provide more information beyond saying that the New York Times report "was accurate."
It is unclear if Cantor told Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) or other top House Republicans - including Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (Mich.) - of the allegations surrounding Petraeus.

Quote from: jimmy olsen on November 11, 2012, 08:55:34 AM

Quote from: OttoVonBismarck on November 10, 2012, 12:59:26 PM
Um wow. I actually know Broadwell, we graduated the same year from West Point.  :huh:

Cool. How well did you know her? What was her personality like?

Quote from: Maximus on November 11, 2012, 09:15:12 PM

Quote from: Razgovory on November 11, 2012, 01:16:47 PM
Do you not understand the word "conjecture"?  Tell me, how is this "clear" to you?  You don't have any evidence of this, nor do you know the inner workings of the State Department (unless you have been moonlighting as a high ranking State Department official).  You keep bring up Fast and Furious, a favorite conservative talking point.  As far as I know, no criminal wrong doing discovered involving Obama in that either.

Even you must realize that the sum of Strix's contribution to this thread has consisted of badly reanimated talking points stuck together with horseshit glue. There's no way he's both sentient and not trolling.

QuoteWoman Who Reported Threats Is Identified

WASHINGTON --- The woman who reported to the F.B.I. that she had received threatening e-mails from a woman romantically linked to David H. Petraeus, the former director of the C.I.A., is a friend of Mr. Petraeus and his wife, Holly, who lives in Tampa, Fla., according to another close friend of the Petraeus family.

The woman, Jill Kelley, 37, is "a very well-known person of influence in the Tampa community," active in community organizations that support military causes, according to the friend. Tampa is the home of the military's Central Command, which Mr. Petraeus headed before serving in Afghanistan and then as C.I.A. director. It was during the Petraeuses' time in Tampa that they became friends with Ms. Kelley and her husband, Dr. Scott Kelley.

In a statement released Sunday night, Ms. Kelley and her husband did not address their involvement in the investigation that ultimately led to Mr. Petraeus's resignation on Friday from the C.I.A. after admitting that he had had an extramarital affair.

The Kelleys said that they had been friends with Mr. Petraeus "and his family for over five years."

"We respect his and his family's privacy, and want the same for us and our three children," the family said in a statement.

The identity of Ms. Kelley was first reported by The Associated Press.

The F.B.I. began an investigation last summer after it received a report from Ms. Kelley that she had received threatening e-mails ultimately traced to Paula Broadwell, a former member of the military who had written a biography of Mr. Petraeus. The e-mails related to Ms. Kelley's relationship with Ms. Broadwell, according to government officials.

Shortly after the F.B.I. began its investigation, its agents discovered that there had been e-mails between Mr. Petraeus and Ms. Broadwell that revealed they were having an affair.

According to the friend, Ms. Kelley and her husband visited the Petraeuses at their home in the Washington area after Mr. Petraeus served overseas and then at the C.I.A.

QuoteThe FBI was investigating harassing emails sent by Petraeus biographer and girlfriend Paula Broadwell to a second woman. That probe of Broadwell's emails revealed the affair between Broadwell and Petraeus. The FBI contacted Petraeus and other intelligence officials, and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper asked Petraeus to resign.

A senior U.S. military official identified the second woman as Jill Kelley, 37, who lives in Tampa, Fla., and serves as an unpaid social liaison to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, where the military's Central Command and Special Operations Command are located.

Staffers for Petraeus said Kelley and her husband were regular guests at events he held at Central Command headquarters. A U.S. official said the coalition countries represented at Central Command gave Kelley an appreciation certificate on which she was referred to as an "honorary ambassador" to the coalition, but she has no official status and is not employed by the U.S. government.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the case publicly, said Kelley is known to drop the "honorary" part and refer to herself as an ambassador.

The military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation, said Kelley had received harassing emails from Broadwell, which led the FBI to examine her email account and eventually discover her relationship with Petraeus.

A former associate of Petraeus confirmed the target of the emails was Kelley, but said there was no affair between the two, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the retired general's private life. The associate, who has been in touch with Petraeus since his resignation, says Kelley and her husband were longtime friends of Petraeus and wife, Holly.

Attempts to reach Kelley were not immediately successful. Broadwell did not return phone calls or emails.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on November 11, 2012, 09:41:09 PM
So...was he fucking the other one, too?  Or did?  Or Was she protecting him?  A friend of Holly's, considering her activity in "in community organizations that support military causes", perhaps?  There had to be a reason Broadwell wanted to scratch her eyes out.

QuoteAn FBI agent's call to a congressional staffer had no effect on the investigation of CIA Director David Petraeus and Paula Broadwell or the timing of the disclosure to James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, a senior law enforcement official tells NBC News.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., has suggested that if not for the agent's call, the matter might never have been disclosed, or at least, not when it was revealed.

But the official insists that's not the case.

"I was contacted by an FBI employee concerned that sensitive, classified information may have been compromised and made certain (FBI Director Robert) Mueller was aware of these serious allegations and the potential risk to our national security," Cantor said in a statement.

Petraeus resigned on Friday from the CIA post, citing an extramarital affair.

The official says the call to Capitol Hill came from an agent who was initially involved in the investigation but who was later removed from the case because he knew an associate of one of the people being investigated.

The agent knew someone on the Hill and called that person, a Republican staffer, according to the official. But that phone call had no effect on either the course of the investigation, the involvement of the FBI's Mueller -- who was following it closely long before Cantor called him -- or the decision to notify Clapper, the official says.

"The investigation had to take a certain path, step by step. Things needed to be explored, and there were sensitivities to observe. It was overseen carefully," the official says.

This official says the agent did not seek whistle-blower protection and should not be described as a whistle-blower, as other sources have said.

QuoteMeanwhile, Steven Boylan, a former spokesman for Petraeus, said he was "very surprised and shocked" at the news that led to Petraeus' resignation.

"I don't know if 'let down' would be right word ... my first reaction was disbelief and then wondering if there wasn't somebody out there was spinning something to try to do some kind of harm 'cause that's happened in the past," Boylan told NBC News in an interview on Saturday.

He said he also had communications with Broadwell during the early stages of her research for her book.

"Based on my initial contact with her on email, telephone, she sounded driven, she seemed smart on the topic. Anyone probably doing their dissertation knows the rigors of research and is going to have to be dedicated in that direction," Boylan said.

He said he didn't recall Petraeus ever commenting to him about Broadwell.On Sunday, Boylan said he spoke with Petraeus again and said the general told him the affair lasted nine or 10 months and ended four months ago. As for Petraeus' wife Holly, Boylan said she's hanging tough, and to suggest that she's furious is an "understatement."

QuoteOfficials Say F.B.I. Knew of Petraeus Affair in the Summer
By SCOTT SHANE and CHARLIE SAVAGE

WASHINGTON — High-level officials at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department were notified in the late summer that F.B.I. agents had uncovered what appeared to be an extramarital affair involving the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, David H. Petraeus, government officials said Sunday.

But law enforcement officials did not notify anyone outside the F.B.I. or the Justice Department until last week because the investigation was incomplete and initial concerns about possible security breaches, which would demand more immediate action, did not appear to be justified, the officials said.

The new accounts of the events that led to Mr. Petraeus's sudden resignation on Friday shed light on the competing pressures facing F.B.I. agents who recognized the high stakes of any investigation involving the C.I.A. director but who were wary of exposing a private affair with no criminal or security implications. For the first time Sunday, the woman whose report of harassing e-mails led to the exposure of the affair was identified as Jill Kelley, 37, of Tampa, Fla.

Some members of Congress have protested the delay in being notified of the F.B.I.'s investigation of Mr. Petraeus until just after the presidential election. Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California and the chairwoman of the Intelligence Committee, said Sunday that her committee would "absolutely" demand an explanation. An F.B.I. case involving the C.I.A. director "could have had an effect on national security," she said on "Fox News Sunday." "I think we should have been told."

But the bureau's history would make the privacy question especially significant; in his decades-long reign as the F.B.I.'s first director, J. Edgar Hoover sometimes directed agents to spy improperly on the sex lives of public figures and then used the resulting information to pressure or blackmail them.

Law enforcement officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the investigation, defended the F.B.I.'s handling of the case. "There are a lot of sensitivities in a case like this," said a senior law enforcement official. "There were hints of possible intelligence and security issues, but they were unproven. You constantly ask yourself, 'What are the notification requirements? What are the privacy issues?' "

A close friend of the Petraeus family said Sunday that the intimate relationship between Mr. Petraeus and his biographer, Paula Broadwell, began after he retired from the military last year and about two months after he started as C.I.A. director. It ended about four months ago, said the friend, who did not want to be identified while discussing personal matters. In a letter to the C.I.A. work force on Friday, Mr. Petraeus acknowledged having the affair. Ms. Broadwell has not responded to repeated requests for comment.

Under military regulations, adultery can be a crime. At the C.I.A., it can be a security issue, since it can make an intelligence officer vulnerable to blackmail, but it is not a crime.

On Sunday, the same Petraeus family friend confirmed the identity of Ms. Kelley, whose complaint to the F.B.I. about "harassing" e-mails, eventually traced to Ms. Broadwell, set the initial investigation in motion several months ago. Ms. Kelley and her husband became friends with Mr. Petraeus and his wife, Holly, when Mr. Petraeus was head of the military's Central Command, which has its headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. Ms. Kelley, who volunteers to help injured service members and military families at MacDill, has been photographed with the Petraeuses at social events in Tampa.

"We and our family have been friends with General Petraeus and his family for over five years," Ms. Kelley and her husband, Scott Kelley, said in a statement released Sunday. "We respect his and his family's privacy, and want the same for us and our three children."

The statement did not acknowledge that it was Ms. Kelley who received the e-mails, which was first reported by The Associated Press.

The involvement of the F.B.I., according to government officials, began when Ms. Kelley, alarmed by about half a dozen anonymous e-mails accusing her of inappropriate flirtatious behavior with Mr. Petraeus, complained to an F.B.I. agent who is also a personal friend. That agent, who has not been identified, helped get a preliminary inquiry started. Agents working with federal prosecutors in a local United States attorney's office began trying to figure out whether the e-mails constituted criminal cyber-stalking.

Because the sender's account had been registered anonymously, investigators had to use forensic techniques — including a check of what other e-mail accounts had been accessed from the same computer address — to identify who was writing the e-mails.

Eventually they identified Ms. Broadwell as a prime suspect and obtained access to her regular e-mail account. In its in-box, they discovered intimate and sexually explicit e-mails from another account that also was not immediately identifiable. Investigators eventually ascertained that it belonged to Mr. Petraeus and studied the possibility that someone had hacked into Mr. Petraeus's account or was posing as him to send the explicit messages.

Eventually they determined that Mr. Petraeus had indeed sent the messages to Ms. Broadwell and concluded that the two had had an affair. Then they turned their scrutiny on him, examining whether he knew about or was involved in sending the harassing e-mails to Ms. Kelley.

It was at that point — sometime in the late summer — that lower-level Justice Department officials notified supervisors that the case had become more complicated, and the Criminal Division's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section began working on the investigation as well.

It remains unclear whether the F.B.I. also gained access to Mr. Petraeus's personal e-mail account, or if it relied only on e-mails discovered in Ms. Broadwell's in-box. It also remains uncertain exactly when the information about Mr. Petraeus reached Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and Robert S. Mueller III, the F.B.I. director. Both men have declined to comment.

But under the Attorney General Guidelines that govern domestic law enforcement officials, agents must notify F.B.I. headquarters and the Department of Justice whenever they are looking at a "sensitive investigative matter," which includes cases "involving the activities of a domestic public official."

F.B.I. agents interviewed Ms. Broadwell for the first time the week of Oct. 21, and she acknowledged the affair, a government official briefed on the matter said. She also voluntarily gave the agency her computer. In a search, the agents discovered several classified documents, which raised the additional question of whether Mr. Petraeus had given them to her. She said that he had not. Agents interviewed Mr. Petraeus the following week. He also admitted to the affair but said he had not given any classified documents to her. The agents then interviewed Ms. Broadwell again on Friday, Nov. 2, the official said.

Based on that record, law enforcement officials decided there was no evidence that Mr. Petraeus had committed any crime and tentatively ruled out charges coming out of the investigation, the official said. Because the facts had now been settled, the agency notified James R. Clapper, the director of national intelligence, about 5 p.m. on the following Tuesday — Election Day.

Meanwhile, the F.B.I. agent who had helped get a preliminary inquiry started, and learned of Mr. Petraeus's affair and the initial concerns about security breaches, became frustrated. Apparently unaware that those concerns were largely resolved, the agent alerted the office of Representative Eric Cantor, Republican of Virginia, the House majority leader, about the inquiry in late October. Mr. Cantor passed on the agent's concerns to Mr. Mueller.

Officials said Sunday that the timing of the notifications had nothing to do with the election, noting that there was no obvious political advantage for either President Obama or Mitt Romney in the news that the C.I.A. director had had an affair; Mr. Petraeus is highly regarded by both Republicans and Democrats. They also said that Mr. Cantor's call to the F.B.I. on Oct. 31 had not accelerated or otherwise influenced the investigation, which they said had never stalled.

F.B.I. and Justice Department officials knew their handling of the case would ultimately receive immense scrutiny and took significant time to determine whom they were legally required to inform, according to a senior law enforcement official.

"This was very thought-through," the official said.

The law requires that the Senate and House intelligence committees be kept "fully and currently informed" of intelligence activities, which conceivably might cover an investigation into a possible compromise of the C.I.A. director's e-mail account and the possession of classified documents by Ms. Broadwell.

But Justice Department and F.B.I. rules, designed to protect the integrity of investigations and the privacy of people who come under scrutiny, say that investigators should not share potentially damaging information about unproved allegations or private matters unless it is critical for the investigation.

Glenn A. Fine, the inspector general for the Justice Department from 2000 to 2011, said it appeared that the F.B.I. was "legitimately following a lead" about possible criminal wrongdoing or a security breach.

"Some have said the F.B.I. was out to get the C.I.A.," said Mr. Fine, who is now a partner at the law firm Dechert LLP in Washington. "That might have been true 20 years ago. But it is hard to believe that is going on today."

John Prados, a historian and an author on intelligence and its abuses, said the case "posed several dilemmas for the F.B.I." that would have prompted agents and their bosses to proceed gingerly.

"Petraeus is a very important person, so they would want to be crystal clear on exactly what happened and what the implications were," Mr. Prados said. "There was probably a sense that it had to be taken to top bureau officials. And bureau officials probably thought they had better tell the White House and Congress and the D.N.I., or they might get in trouble later," he added, referring to the director of national intelligence.

But if the security issues were resolved and no crime had been committed, Mr. Prados said, there was no justification for informing Congress or other agencies that Mr. Petraeus had had an affair.

"In my view, it should never have been briefed outside the bureau," he said.

Quote from: Ed Anger on November 12, 2012, 08:03:31 AM
This is why women are unfit to rule. Their vagina's, when inflamed, shut down their tiny brains.

Quote from: celedhring on November 10, 2012, 06:53:54 AM
Would be so cool if she turned out to be a Russian spy.

But I just came out of a James Bond marathon.

Quote from: garbon on November 12, 2012, 09:53:47 AM

Quote from: Ed Anger on November 12, 2012, 08:03:31 AM
This is why women are unfit to rule. Their vagina's, when inflamed, shut down their tiny brains.

An odd statement to make in a thread about a man who was clearly thinking with his inflamed region and not his brain.

Quote from: Valmy on November 12, 2012, 11:29:05 AM

Quote from: garbon on November 12, 2012, 09:53:47 AM

Quote from: Ed Anger on November 12, 2012, 08:03:31 AM
This is why women are unfit to rule. Their vagina's, when inflamed, shut down their tiny brains.

An odd statement to make in a thread about a man who was clearly thinking with his inflamed region and not his brain.

Ed Anger may not be entirely even handed in making gender-related internet trolls.

Quote from: The Great Santini on November 12, 2012, 12:42:14 PM

He can be such a dick.

Quote from: The Great Santini on November 12, 2012, 12:42:14 PM

Quote from: Valmy on November 12, 2012, 11:29:05 AM

Quote from: garbon on November 12, 2012, 09:53:47 AM

Quote from: Ed Anger on November 12, 2012, 08:03:31 AM
This is why women are unfit to rule. Their vagina's, when inflamed, shut down their tiny brains.

An odd statement to make in a thread about a man who was clearly thinking with his inflamed region and not his brain.

Ed Anger may not be entirely even handed in making gender-related internet trolls.

He can be such a dick.

QuoteFormer CIA director David H. Petraeus told the woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair to stop sending threatening e-mails to a family friend, Jill Kelley, after a federal investigation determined who was behind the harassment.

The move by Petraeus came in mid-summer after Kelley contacted a friend who worked as an FBI agent in Tampa, where she lived, beginning a process that would eventually force the former four-star former general to resign last week.

The new information, provided by two law enforcement officials, helps fill in a summer timeline when Petraeus's e-mail account became the subject of a federal investigation into whether national security had been compromised during his affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell.

Broadwell, a former Harvard University researcher who focused her dissertation on Petraeus's military career, hired longtime Washington criminal defense attorney Robert F. Muse, the lawyer said Monday.

Attempts to reach Broadwell since Petraeus resigned Friday have been unsuccessful.

Federal investigators have said Broadwell sent a series of e-mails to Kelley from an anonymous account telling her to stop behavior she saw as overly friendly toward Petraeus, or she would be exposed. The law enforcement officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the e-mails indicate Broadwell felt jealous of the other woman.

The e-mails did not specifically cite Kelley's friendship with Petraeus, according to a person close to Kelley, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. She did not know who was sending them and why.

Kelley contacted her friend in the FBI, who took her concerns to the bureau. Investigators were later able to trace the e-mails to Broadwell.

In Broadwell's account, investigators found e-mails from Petraeus, and given the personal nature of some of them, believed at first that they were being sent by someone who had hacked into the CIA director's account.

Kelley was informed that Broadwell was the sender, although she told investigators that she did not know the woman, according to the person close to Kelley.

At some point, Kelley told Petraeus about the e-mails and named Broadwell as the person who had sent them. That may have prompted the CIA director to send his own e-mails to Broadwell, telling her to stop the harassment, the law enforcement officials said.

People close to Petraeus say his affair with Broadwell ended four months ago, around the time he e-mailed her about the harassment.

When confronted by FBI agents about the e-mails, Broadwell acknowledged the affair with Petraeus and turned over her computer to investigators. Petraeus, who has been married to Holly Petraeus for 38 years, also acknowledged the extramarital relationship in his interview with the FBI.

By late summer, the FBI informed the Justice Department about the case. Federal prosecutors decided there was not enough evidence to file charges against Petraeus, who was interviewed by investigators during the week of Oct. 21. Broadwell was interviewed by agents for the last time the week before.

The FBI agent in Tampa had been taken off the investigation by that time. He was frustrated by the investigation's apparent lack of progress, according to the person close to Kelley.

But the agent recently got in touch with the Washington office of Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) to express concern. Reichert then contacted Rep. Eric Cantor (Va.), the House Republican leader.

"I was contacted by an F.B.I. employee concerned that sensitive, classified information may have been compromised and made certain Director Mueller was aware of these serious allegations and the potential risk to our national security," Cantor said in a statement issued Saturday. He referred to FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III.

QuoteObama considering John Kerry for job of defense secretary
By Karen DeYoung and Greg Miller, Monday, November 12, 7:31 PM

President Obama is considering asking Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) to serve as his next defense secretary, part of an extensive rearrangement of his national security team that will include a permanent replacement for former CIA director David H. Petraeus.

Although Kerry is thought to covet the job of secretary of state, senior administration officials familiar with transition planning said that nomination will almost certainly go to Susan E. Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

John O. Brennan, Obama's chief counterterrorism adviser, is a leading contender for the CIA job if he wants it, officials said. If Brennan goes ahead with his plan to leave government, Michael J. Morell, the agency's acting director, is the prohibitive favorite to take over permanently. Officials cautioned that the White House discussions are still in the early phases and that no decisions have been made.

Petraeus's resignation last week after revelations of an extramarital affair have complicated what was already an intricate puzzle to reassemble the administration's national security and diplomatic pieces for Obama's second term.

The process has become further complicated by congressional ire over not being told that Petraeus was under FBI investigation, on top of what are likely to be contentious closed-door hearings this week over administration actions surrounding the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Rice, one of an inner circle of aides who have been with Obama since his first presidential campaign in 2007, is under particular fire over the Benghazi incident, in which the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed.

Some Republican lawmakers have suggested that she was part of what they suspect was an initial, election-related attempt to portray the attack as a peaceful demonstration that turned violent, rather than what the administration now acknowledges was an organized terrorist assault.

Rice's description, days after the attack, of a protest gone wrong was either intentionally misleading or incompetent, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) said Sunday. Rice, he said, "would have an in­cred­ibly difficult time" winning Senate confirmation as secretary of state.

But several White House officials said Obama is prepared to dig in his heels over her nomination to replace outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Rice's post-Benghazi remarks on several television news shows were merely a recitation of administration talking points drawn directly from intelligence available at the time, said the senior administration officials, who agreed to discuss the closely held transition planning only on the condition of anonymity.

Tommy Vietor, spokesman for the National Security Council, said the White House would not comment on personnel matters.

The upcoming hearings and an independent State Department review of the Benghazi attack — being led by retired diplomat Thomas Pickering and retired Adm. Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — may reveal some intelligence lapses and security missteps, one official said. But they will also demonstrate that there was no attempt at subterfuge, the official added.

Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter also has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, as has been Michele Flournoy, former undersecretary for policy at the Pentagon.

The timing of a nomination for Panetta's successor is unclear. On Monday, he said he had no imminent plans to step down but indicated that he was unlikely to stay in the job for the duration of Obama's second term.

"Who the hell knows," Panetta said, when asked by reporters traveling with him to Australia whether he would remain in office for four more years. "It's no secret that at some point I'd like to get back to California."

Kerry did not respond to requests for comment on his possible nomination at the Pentagon. A spokesperson, Jodi Seth, said: "Senator Kerry's only focus right now is his job as senior senator from Massachusetts and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee."

But administration officials, one of whom described Kerry as a "war hero," said his qualifications for the defense job included not only his naval service in Vietnam but also his knowledge of the budget and experience in the diplomacy that has increasingly become a part of the defense portfolio. They said the Democrats' retention of the Senate majority, with a net gain of two seats, in last week's election provided a cushion that allowed them to consider Kerry's departure from the chamber.

White House national security adviser Thomas E. Donilon, principal deputy Denis R. McDonough and Benjamin Rhodes, deputy for strategic communications, are more likely than not to remain in place, at least initially, officials said.

Antony J. Blinken, Vice President Biden's national security adviser, is said to be under consideration for Rice's job at the United Nations, as is Samantha Power, the National Security Council's senior director for multilateral affairs and human rights.

It was unclear who would take Brennan's job if he leaves government or moves to the CIA. He was the top contender to lead the agency when Obama was first elected in 2008, but he withdrew under criticism, which he deemed unfair, of his role in intelligence excesses under the administration of George W. Bush. Although that challenge is now seen as behind him, officials said he has not indicated whether he would like to be considered again to head the agency where he spent 25 years.

Beyond complicating the overhaul of the national security team, Petraeus's departure will send ripples through management layers at the CIA.

Many had expected Petraeus to stay in place for Obama's second term, and he had spent recent months planning transitions at other key posts at CIA headquarters. Now, four of the agency's most critical positions — director, deputy director, head of the National Clandestine Service and chief of the Counterterrorism Center — have become question marks.

Within hours of Petraeus's resignation Friday, his biography was excised from the CIA Web site and replaced with that of Morell.

Michael G. Vickers, undersecretary of defense for intelligence, also has been mentioned as a candidate for CIA director.

If Morell ends up permanently in the job, he will need to designate a new deputy and would be in charge of other pending personnel decisions that Petraeus had been poised to make.

The head of the clandestine service, John Bennett, was talked out of retirement to take that job and has signaled his intent to step down in the coming months, current and former officials said.

The top position in the Counterterrorism Center, which carries out the CIA's drone campaign, is also expected to come open. The current director, known by his cover name "Roger," has been in the job for more than six years. Former CIA officials said Roger has wanted to be named director of the clandestine service but has a reputation for harshness toward subordinates and had been expected to be passed over by Petraeus.

Morell was considered a standout analyst at the CIA before entering the agency's upper ranks and is highly respected among his colleagues and at the White House. Obama, a White House official said, "has enormous trust in [Morell's] ability to lead the CIA for as long as is necessary." He is also considered a possible candidate to replace Brennan at the White House.

Quote from: The Minsky Moment on November 12, 2012, 11:07:08 AM

Quote from: celedhring on November 10, 2012, 06:53:54 AM
Would be so cool if she turned out to be a Russian spy.

But I just came out of a James Bond marathon.

"Broadwell" does have a appropriate Bondgirlish ring to it.

QuoteWhy did Paula Broadwell think the CIA had taken prisoners in Benghazi?
Posted by Max Fisher on November 12, 2012 at 11:28 am

Paula Broadwell, the former military intelligence officer whose alleged affair with CIA Director David Petraeus culminated in the end of his career, had earlier made some startling, now-revealed claims about the agency's role in the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi.

In an Oct. 26 speech at the University of Denver, she said that Libyan militants had attacked the post to retrieve some fellow fighters who'd been taken prisoner at the nearby CIA annex. She also seems to suggest that Petraeus himself knew about it, implying that he may have been her source. Here's the relevant passage from the speech, transcribed in full here by Foreign Policy's Blake Hounshell.

    Now, I don't know if a lot of you heard this, but the CIA annex had actually, um, had taken a couple of Libyan militia members prisoner and they think that the attack on the consulate was an effort to try to get these prisoners back. So that's still being vetted.

    The challenging thing for General Petraeus is that in his new position, he's not allowed to communicate with the press. So he's known all of this — they had correspondence with the CIA station chief in, in Libya. Within 24 hours they kind of knew what was happening.

The CIA is flatly denying this. "CIA adamant that Broadwell claims about agency holding prisoners at Benghazi are not true," The Post's Greg Miller tweeted. Fox News cites a single anonymous source saying that the CIA annex had prisoners at the time, and "multiple intelligence sources" as saying that the annex had at different times held prisoners. So why did she say it? I can only imagine three possible explanations, all of which should be taken with many grains of salt:

1. Intelligence from faraway conflict areas can be hazy, and the story got honestly confused. Who knows how long or convoluted the chain of information was from Benghazi to Broadwell, whether or not it went through Petraeus, and it's not hard to imagine a misstatement or mistake getting amplified.

2. She made it up or exaggerated some other piece of information, possibly including the name-dropping implication of Petraeus's knowledge, either deliberately or mistakenly.

3. The story is true, and she let slip what had otherwise remained a remarkably well-kept secret from the Benghazi incident, which has been characterized by weeks of leaks. If true, it would raise further questions about the CIA's efforts to maintain necessary levels of security.

I could be missing other possible scenarios, but all of these further raise the concern that, even if Petraeus did not allow classified intelligence to be compromised, his relationship with Broadwell may have heightened that very serious risk.

The full story of Broadwell's access to Petraeus's world at the CIA is still not clear, but it appears to have been intimate, perhaps problematically so. The Wall Street Journal now reports that FBI investigators found classified documents on her computer. That Petraeus's relationship may have jeopardized sensitive intelligence would seem to remain the strongest case for his resignation.

Quote from: Ed Anger on November 12, 2012, 09:04:56 PM
Great, long face in charge. :glare:

QuoteTop U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Is Linked to Petraeus Scandal
By ELISABETH BUMILLER

PERTH, Australia — Gen. John Allen, the top American and NATO commander in Afghanistan, is under investigation for what a senior defense official said early Tuesday was "inappropriate communication" with Jill Kelley, the woman in Tampa, Florida who was seen as a rival for David H. Petraeus's attentions by Paula Broadwell, who had an extramarital affair with Mr. Petraeus.

In a statement released to reporters on his plane en route to Australia early Tuesday, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said that the F.B.I. on Sunday had referred "a matter involving" General Allen to the Pentagon.

Mr. Panetta turned the matter over to the Pentagon's inspector general to conduct an investigation into what the defense official said were 20,000 to 30,000 pages of documents, many of them e-mails between General Allen and Ms. Kelley, who is married with children and lives in Tampa, Fla.

Asked if the F.B.I. had determined that there was criminal action involved, the defense official replied, "That is for the F.B.I. to discuss." The official, who briefed reporters on Mr. Panetta's plane, said that "there is the distinct possibility'' that the e-mails were connected to an ongoing F.B.I. investigation into Mr. Petraeus and Ms. Broadwell.

The defense official said that General Allen, who is also married, told Pentagon officials he had done nothing wrong. Neither he nor Ms. Kelley could be reached for comment early Tuesday. Mr. Panetta's statement praised General Allen for his leadership in Afghanistan and said that "he is entitled to due process in this matter.''

But the Pentagon inspector general's investigation opens up what could be a widening scandal into two of the most prominent generals of their generation — Mr. Petraeus, who was the top commander in Iraq and Afghanistan before he retired from the military and became director of the C.I.A., only to resign on Friday because of the affair, and General Allen, who also served in Iraq and now commands 68,000 American troops in Afghanistan.

Although General Allen will remain the commander in Afghanistan, Mr. Panetta said that he had asked President Obama to put on hold General Allen's nomination to be the commander of American forces in Europe and the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, two positions he was to move into after what was expected to be easy confirmation by the Senate. Mr. Panetta said in his statement that Mr. Obama agreed with his decision.

Gen. Joseph A. Dunford, the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps who was nominated last month by Mr. Obama to succeed General Allen in Afghanistan, will proceed as planned with his confirmation hearing. In his statement, Mr. Panetta urged the Senate to act promptly on his nomination.

The defense official said that the e-mails between Ms. Kelley and General Allen spanned the years 2010 to 2012. The official could not explain why there were so many pages of e-mails and did not specify their content. The official said he could not explain how the e-mails between Ms. Kelley and General Allen were related to the e-mails between Mr. Petraeus and Ms. Broadwell and e-mails between Ms. Broadwell and Ms. Kelley.

In what is known so far, Ms. Kelley went to the F.B.I. last summer after she was disturbed by harassing e-mails. The F.B.I. began an investigation and learned that the e-mails were from Ms. Broadwell. In the course of looking into Ms. Broadwell's e-mails, the F.B.I. discovered e-mails between Ms. Broadwell and Mr. Petraeus that indicated they were having an extramarital affair. Ms. Broadwell, officials say, saw Ms. Kelley as a rival for her affections with Mr. Petraeus.

The defense official said he did not know how General Allen and Ms. Kelley knew each other. General Allen has been in Afghanistan as the top American commander since July 2011, although before that he lived in Tampa as the deputy commander for Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East.

The defense official said that the Pentagon had received the 20,000 to 30,000 pages of documents from the F.B.I. and was currently reviewing them.

The defense official said that at 5 p.m. Washington time on Sunday Mr. Panetta was informed by the Pentagon's general counsel that the F. B. I. had the thousands of pages of e-mails between General Allen and Ms. Kelley. Mr. Panetta was at the time on his plane en route from San Francisco to Honolulu, his first stop on a weeklong trip to the Pacific and Asia. Mr. Panetta notified the White House and then the leaders of the Senate and House Armed Services Committee.

General Allen is now in Washington for what was to be his confirmation hearing as commander in Europe. That hearing, the official said, will now be delayed.

Mr. Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met later with Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia in Perth, where they had traveled for a United States-Australian security and diplomatic conference. Asked by a reporter while pausing for photos with Mrs. Clinton and Ms. Gillard if General Allen could remain an effective commander while under investigation, Mr. Panetta said nothing.

Quote from: MadImmortalMan on November 13, 2012, 02:14:20 AM

Quote from: Ed Anger on November 12, 2012, 09:04:56 PM
Great, long face in charge. :glare:

Gives Scott Brown a chance to run again.  :P

Quote from: sbr on November 13, 2012, 03:17:23 PM
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/abc-affiliate-ran-phony-cover-broadwell-book_663264.html

"All Up In My Snatch"   :lol: :lol: :lol:

Quote from: Ed Anger on November 12, 2012, 09:04:56 PM
Great, long face in charge. :glare:

QuoteOne secret reason Petraeus had to resign NOVEMBER 15, 2012, AT 5:52 PM   70 COMMENTS
Debunking 5 post-election political myths
What the heck, FBI?
5 thoughts about the Petraeus affair we're not supposed to think
When he admitted having an extramarital affair with Paula Broadwell, CIA Director David Petraeus, as a senior civilian in the presidential chain of command should something go catastrophically wrong in Washington, violated special behavior codes for officials who might one day be forced to execute nuclear strikes. 

In classified presidential emergency action documents, the CIA director is among the dozens, if not hundreds, of officials who are listed as National Command Authority successors in the event that higher-ranking officials are no longer able to do their jobs.

Because under certain circumstances he'd have ready access to the nuclear satchel, Petraeus was indoctrinated into the Personnel Reliability Program, which evaluates and monitors the lifestyle and behavior of Americans with access to nuclear command and control mechanisms. Adultery is not a minor sin under the PRP rules.

The details of so-called "nuclear pre-delegation" is one of the most tightly held secrets in the U.S. government. The first 18 presidential successors are spelled out by law. But it is not clear whether the pre-delegation lists follow the Constitutional chain of command.

After retiring as a general, Petraeus was confirmed by the Senate as a civilian, and was probably given emergency action training by the White House Military Office, which runs the Continuity of Government program. In that role, he could serve as one of the two people needed to confirm codes that would key Permissive Action Links (PALs) and activate launch sequences, adhering to the U.S. Strategic Command's two-person rule for nuclear weapons. Precisely what would need to happen for an official like Petraeus to be in the catbird seat is classified, the result of decades of highly secret rules and provisions that are kept locked in safes.

And so seriously does the U.S. government take the PRP that if a missile wing commander is scheduled to get a wisdom tooth extraction, he or she must notify the squadron's PRP officer, who will transfer power to the deputy commander until the commander's doctor certifies in writing that he or she is able to function normally again.

When Petraeus conceded having an affair to DNI James Clapper, Clapper had several reasons to insist on his resignation, one of which was the director's exalted position in COG programs. Another was simply that the CIA director is held to a higher standard of trust and rectitude by foreign officials, who might take strategic advantage of his public embarrassment.

The current nuclear war plan for the United States is numbered "OPLAN 8010-08" and entitled "Strategic Deference and Global Strike."

Quote from: Legbiter on November 16, 2012, 05:44:35 PM
:yes:

Ike successfully combined banging Kay Summersby and kicking Nazi ass.

Quote from: Darth Wagtaros on November 16, 2012, 09:25:53 PM

Quote from: Legbiter on November 16, 2012, 05:44:35 PM
:yes:

Ike successfully combined banging Kay Summersby and kicking Nazi ass.

Just conjecture. On the banging anyway.  He kicked Nazi ass though.  Looks like Europe will need him to do it again though.

Quote"If nominated, I am now convinced that the confirmation process would be lengthy, disruptive and costly – to you and to our most pressing national and international priorities," Rice wrote in a letter to President Obama, saying she's saddened by the partisan politics surrounding her prospects.

"That trade-off is simply not worth it to our country...Therefore, I respectfully request that you no longer consider my candidacy at this time," she wrote in the letter obtained by NBC News.

Quote from: garbon on December 13, 2012, 03:58:55 PM
And she's out. Sucks for her.

Quote"If nominated, I am now convinced that the confirmation process would be lengthy, disruptive and costly – to you and to our most pressing national and international priorities," Rice wrote in a letter to President Obama, saying she's saddened by the partisan politics surrounding her prospects.

"That trade-off is simply not worth it to our country...Therefore, I respectfully request that you no longer consider my candidacy at this time," she wrote in the letter obtained by NBC News.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/report-susan-rice-withdraws-from-sec-of-state

Quote from: garbon on December 13, 2012, 03:58:55 PM
And she's out. Sucks for her.

Quote"If nominated, I am now convinced that the confirmation process would be lengthy, disruptive and costly – to you and to our most pressing national and international priorities," Rice wrote in a letter to President Obama, saying she's saddened by the partisan politics surrounding her prospects.

"That trade-off is simply not worth it to our country...Therefore, I respectfully request that you no longer consider my candidacy at this time," she wrote in the letter obtained by NBC News.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/report-susan-rice-withdraws-from-sec-of-state

Quote from: Kleves on December 13, 2012, 04:43:53 PM
Did Rice have anything to recommend her aside from being an Obama crony?

Quote from: derspiess on December 13, 2012, 04:56:07 PM

Quote from: Kleves on December 13, 2012, 04:43:53 PM
Did Rice have anything to recommend her aside from being an Obama crony?

She's a two-fer.  Plus she had the valuable "well Obama seems to like her so she must be perfect" endorsement from Languish Dems.

Quote:punk:

From what I read, what likely did her in was the growing opposition in Democrat circles (supposedly Hillary herself preferred Lurch).

Quote from: Ed Anger on December 13, 2012, 04:59:23 PM
Angry black woman on CNN was hilarious with her Meri-like frothing on the old boys network. :lol:

Quote from: Ed Anger on December 13, 2012, 04:59:23 PM
Angry black woman on CNN was hilarious with her Meri-like frothing on the old boys network. :lol:

Quote from: Valmy on December 13, 2012, 05:11:56 PM

Quote from: Ed Anger on December 13, 2012, 04:59:23 PM
Angry black woman on CNN was hilarious with her Meri-like frothing on the old boys network. :lol:

Who is the old boys network in this scenario?  It looks like the system of patronage and hierarchy was behind her here but her boss' political opponents took her down.

Quote from: derspiess on December 13, 2012, 04:56:07 PM

Quote from: Kleves on December 13, 2012, 04:43:53 PM
Did Rice have anything to recommend her aside from being an Obama crony?

She's a two-fer.  Plus she had the valuable "well Obama seems to like her so she must be perfect" endorsement from Languish Dems.

Quote from: merithyn on December 13, 2012, 04:11:17 PM
I always wonder, when these things are "leaked", if the president doesn't call them up and say, "Look. This isn't going as planned. I can find something else for you, but I need you to bow out on this thing. Okay? And we'll make your letter public so that way it doesn't look like I screwed up picking you in the first place. Got it?"

:tinfoil:

QuoteDid Rice have anything to recommend her aside from being an Obama crony?

Quote from: DGuller on December 13, 2012, 08:04:29 PM
I don't know, maybe Republican propaganda from 2004 got to me, but Kerry doesn't strike me as much of, well, anything.

Quote from: DGuller on December 13, 2012, 08:04:29 PM
I don't know, maybe Republican propaganda from 2004 got to me, but Kerry doesn't strike me as much of, well, anything.

Quote from: Jacob on December 13, 2012, 05:00:09 PM

Quote:punk:

From what I read, what likely did her in was the growing opposition in Democrat circles (supposedly Hillary herself preferred Lurch).

Savour your victories :cheers:

Quote from: derspiess on December 13, 2012, 10:22:06 PM

Quote from: Jacob on December 13, 2012, 05:00:09 PM

Quote:punk:

From what I read, what likely did her in was the growing opposition in Democrat circles (supposedly Hillary herself preferred Lurch).

Savour your victories :cheers:

So few of them I have to savor them.  Like that last slice of pie.

Quote from: sbr on December 13, 2012, 10:36:16 PM
Did you have a problem with Rice, outside of being an "Obama crony", 4 months ago or is this all still about Benghazi?

Quote from: Razgovory on December 13, 2012, 11:06:50 PM
I don't think even he knows.

Quote from: derspiess on December 13, 2012, 10:19:12 PM
He was dead right about Assad being a reformer, wasn't he?  :lol:

Quote from: derspiess on December 13, 2012, 11:09:22 PM

Quote from: Razgovory on December 13, 2012, 11:06:50 PM
I don't think even he knows.

:moon:

Quote from: DGuller on December 13, 2012, 11:12:41 PM

Quote from: derspiess on December 13, 2012, 10:19:12 PM
He was dead right about Assad being a reformer, wasn't he?  :lol:

What's wrong with that statement?  Seems like Syria is going through a ton of changes at this moment.

Quote from: DGuller on December 13, 2012, 11:15:11 PM

Quote from: derspiess on December 13, 2012, 11:09:22 PM

Quote from: Razgovory on December 13, 2012, 11:06:50 PM
I don't think even he knows.

:moon:

I don't know, when it comes to Rice, you definitely give off the vibe of someone who has been whipped up into a random frenzy.

Quote from: derspiess on December 13, 2012, 11:19:28 PM

Quote from: DGuller on December 13, 2012, 11:15:11 PM

Quote from: derspiess on December 13, 2012, 11:09:22 PM

Quote from: Razgovory on December 13, 2012, 11:06:50 PM
I don't think even he knows.

:moon:

I don't know, when it comes to Rice, you definitely give off the vibe of someone who has been whipped up into a random frenzy.

:rolleyes:  You and your overuse of hyperbole.

Quote from: derspiess on December 13, 2012, 10:19:12 PM

Quote from: DGuller on December 13, 2012, 08:04:29 PM
I don't know, maybe Republican propaganda from 2004 got to me, but Kerry doesn't strike me as much of, well, anything.

He was dead right about Assad being a reformer, wasn't he?  :lol:

But anyway I'm okay with him as SoS, knowing there could be worse.

Quote from: derspiess on December 13, 2012, 11:08:37 PM

Quote from: sbr on December 13, 2012, 10:36:16 PM
Did you have a problem with Rice, outside of being an "Obama crony", 4 months ago or is this all still about Benghazi?

Never liked her.  Way too interventionist & doesn't really seem to factor our national interests into her views on foreign policy. 

QuoteShe's an attractive woman and all, but I don't see anything else positive in her.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on December 14, 2012, 07:31:28 AM
Unlike, say, the politicians that went after her, and that you support.  :lol:

Quote
Well, maybe she'll find a traditional gender role that you'll like.

Quote from: derspiess on December 14, 2012, 10:21:38 AM
You do realize a lot of opposition to her came from your side of the aisle, don't you?

Quote from: CountDeMoney on December 14, 2012, 09:27:42 PM

Quote from: derspiess on December 14, 2012, 10:21:38 AM
You do realize a lot of opposition to her came from your side of the aisle, don't you?

I couldn't hear them over your ignorant ass.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on December 14, 2012, 10:42:39 PM
So who's the next black woman FOX is going to order you to hate?  Lisa Jackson?  MISS JACKSON IF YOURE NASTY

Quote from: derspiess on December 13, 2012, 11:23:56 PM
My frenzies are never random :angry:

Quote from: CountDeMoney on December 14, 2012, 11:02:47 PM
I wait until sunrise, when all the monsters are gone.

Quote from: Kleves on December 15, 2012, 12:30:23 PM
Breaking News: Hillary Clinton faints, has concussion. No more info yet. :hmm:

QuoteWashington (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sustained a concussion after becoming dehydrated and fainting, a State Department official said. Clinton had been suffering from a stomach virus at the time, according to a statement on Saturday from Philippe Reines, deputy assistant secretary of state.

She is being monitored by doctors and is recovering at home. She was never hospitalized, Reines said.

"At their recommendation, she will continue to work from home next week, staying in regular contact with Department and other officials. She is looking forward to being back in the office soon," Reines said.

Clinton had been scheduled to testify next week before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the deadly attack in September on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

But she is not expected to appear at that time because of the health issue.

The September 11, 2012, attack resulted in the deaths of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, and called into question the security of U.S. diplomatic personnel abroad.

Quote from: Phillip V on December 16, 2012, 09:45:29 PM
If John Kerry becomes SecState, think Scott Brown will run and win the vacant Senate seat?

Quote from: garbon on December 16, 2012, 09:53:15 PM
Yeah because heaven forbid Scott Brown have a seat. Thinking like that led to the mediocrity that is Warren getting a voice.

Quote from: Ed Anger on December 16, 2012, 10:17:54 PM
We need misogyny.

Quote from: Ed Anger on December 16, 2012, 10:17:54 PM
We need misogyny.

Quote from: Jacob on December 16, 2012, 10:22:39 PM

Quote from: Ed Anger on December 16, 2012, 10:17:54 PM
We need misogyny.

I hope so, because you have so much of it already.

Quote from: Neil on December 16, 2012, 09:59:59 PM
What sort of man is Brown?  Is he a Nixon/Rockefeller Republican, a Reaganite ideologue or a Tea Party dupe?

Quote from: Ed Anger on December 16, 2012, 10:47:05 PM
Out of office.

Quote from: AnchorClanker on December 17, 2012, 05:00:32 PM
I've heard Jane Harman's name mentioned as a possibility for CIA, perhaps ODNI.  That would be excellent.  She 'gets it'.

Quote from: AnchorClanker on December 17, 2012, 05:00:32 PM
I've heard Jane Harman's name mentioned as a possibility for CIA, perhaps ODNI.  That would be excellent.  She 'gets it'.

Quote from: Phillip V on December 21, 2012, 11:01:17 AM
Kerry will be the SecState.

Brown is the favorite to win the vacated Senate seat with high favorability ratings and double-digit leads over potential opponents. While he is no shoe-in, Dems would need a highly-recognized figure that could campaign and raise a crapload of money within a few months of the summer special election and do all that without Obama's general election coattails.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on December 21, 2012, 01:08:02 PM

Quote from: Phillip V on December 21, 2012, 11:01:17 AM
Kerry will be the SecState.

Brown is the favorite to win the vacated Senate seat with high favorability ratings and double-digit leads over potential opponents. While he is no shoe-in, Dems would need a highly-recognized figure that could campaign and raise a crapload of money within a few months of the summer special election and do all that without Obama's general election coattails.

Giving up a seat in the Senate with a 53 seat margin to make Kerry SoS is a big mistake.

Quote from: derspiess on December 21, 2012, 01:10:21 PM
I'm okay with it :)

Quote from: CountDeMoney on December 21, 2012, 01:11:40 PM

Quote from: derspiess on December 21, 2012, 01:10:21 PM
I'm okay with it :)

Of course you are.  He's not a black female.

Quote from: derspiess on December 21, 2012, 01:12:55 PM
Okay, Raz.  OMG SUSAN RICE SUSAN RICE SUSAN RICE

Quote from: CountDeMoney on December 21, 2012, 01:18:08 PM
Hey, you're the one that fell right in line with what McCain, Graham and FOXNews told you what to think about her.

QuoteIt's been pretty funny to see you parrot the "Susan Rice is not qualified" line all this time, especially coming from a guy that supported Sarah Palin for Veep.

QuoteI'm on to your cracker ass, derklansman.  You're not kidding anybody.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on December 21, 2012, 01:28:18 PM
Who would be the dom?  Condi Rice or Susan Rice?  I'm thinking Condi.  Strikes me as a strap-onner.

Quote from: KRonn on December 21, 2012, 01:36:47 PM
Besides, the State's legislators and Governor could change the laws and make it so the Gov can appoint someone. They did that with the succession rule after Kennedy left office so the Gov could appoint a Dem instead of having an election. So brazen! Lol.   :D  Just depends on what best suited their party's needs at the time.

Quote from: derspiess on December 21, 2012, 01:12:55 PM

Quote from: CountDeMoney on December 21, 2012, 01:11:40 PM

Quote from: derspiess on December 21, 2012, 01:10:21 PM
I'm okay with it :)

Of course you are.  He's not a black female.

Okay, Raz.  OMG SUSAN RICE SUSAN RICE SUSAN RICE

Quote from: Razgovory on December 21, 2012, 03:39:05 PM

Quote from: derspiess on December 21, 2012, 01:12:55 PM

Quote from: CountDeMoney on December 21, 2012, 01:11:40 PM

Quote from: derspiess on December 21, 2012, 01:10:21 PM
I'm okay with it :)

Of course you are.  He's not a black female.

Okay, Raz.  OMG SUSAN RICE SUSAN RICE SUSAN RICE

Dude that shit was funny, you opposed someone with out actually telling us why.

Quote from: Razgovory on December 21, 2012, 04:25:51 PM
Then tell us the reason.

Quote from: Razgovory on December 21, 2012, 04:35:01 PM
See, what I mean?

Quote from: derspiess on December 21, 2012, 04:36:19 PM

Quote from: Razgovory on December 21, 2012, 04:35:01 PM
See, what I mean?

I'm waiting  :whistle:

Quote from: Razgovory on December 21, 2012, 04:39:04 PM

Quote from: derspiess on December 21, 2012, 04:36:19 PM

Quote from: Razgovory on December 21, 2012, 04:35:01 PM
See, what I mean?

I'm waiting  :whistle:

What, you act like I don't like needling you.  You failing to give me a reason to stop doesn't exactly break my heart. :lol:

Quote from: Razgovory on December 21, 2012, 04:44:33 PM
Like she was being affected by Liberal moonbeams or something.

Quote from: derspiess on December 21, 2012, 04:12:30 PM
You have a me-fixation.

Anyway, I've given you my reason at least once.  You didn't like the reason, which is fine, but don't pretend I never told you why I opposed her nomination.

Quote from: Kleves on December 15, 2012, 12:56:14 PM

Quote from: Kleves on December 15, 2012, 12:30:23 PM
Breaking News: Hillary Clinton faints, has concussion. No more info yet. :hmm:

QuoteWashington (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sustained a concussion after becoming dehydrated and fainting, a State Department official said. Clinton had been suffering from a stomach virus at the time, according to a statement on Saturday from Philippe Reines, deputy assistant secretary of state.

She is being monitored by doctors and is recovering at home. She was never hospitalized, Reines said.

"At their recommendation, she will continue to work from home next week, staying in regular contact with Department and other officials. She is looking forward to being back in the office soon," Reines said.

Clinton had been scheduled to testify next week before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the deadly attack in September on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

But she is not expected to appear at that time because of the health issue.

The September 11, 2012, attack resulted in the deaths of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, and called into question the security of U.S. diplomatic personnel abroad.

QuoteJohn Brennan tapped to lead CIA

President Barack Obama will announce Monday that he's nominating the White House's point person on counterterrorism, John Brennan, to be the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency, White House officials told POLITICO.

Brennan, a 25-year veteran of the CIA, currently holds the title of Deputy National Security Adviser for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. He's expected to appear with Obama later Monday at a White House event where the president will also announce his nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) to be the next defense secretary.

"Brennan's career of service and extraordinary record has prepared him to be an outstanding director of the CIA. Brennan served for decades at the Agency. Since 9/11, he has been on the front lines in the fight against al Qaeda. Over the past four years, he has been involved in virtually all major national security issues and will be able to hit the ground running at CIA," the White House said in talking points supporting his nomination provided to POLITICO early Monday.

White House officials also underscored the close working relationship Brennan has developed with the president over the past four years, as Brennan led the administration's response to a string of attempted terrorist attacks.

"Brennan has the full trust and confidence of the President," the talking points say. "For four years, he has seen the President every day, and been by his side for some of his toughest decisions — including the decision to launch the bin Laden raid. Brennan is as close to President Obama as any member of his national security team."

Brennan has been deeply involved in the Obama administration's aggressive use of drones to kill suspected terrorists in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and elsewhere. He was reportedly considered as a possible CIA director at the outset of Obama's first term but took his name out of the running after liberals charged that he was complicit in waterboarding and other tough interrogation tactics that President George W. Bush's administration used against terror suspects.

In what appears to be an effort to assuage civil liberties groups and other activists who spoke out against Brennan four years ago, the White House underscored that he has worked to make sure that counterterrorism efforts are closely monitored, conducted according to legal principles and as transparent as feasible.

"Brennan has been an advocate for greater transparency in our counter-terrorism policy, and adherence to the rule of law. He has spoken out repeatedly about the need for strong oversight and review of our counter-terrorism actions, and has led efforts within the government to ensure that we put those ideals into practice," the talking points say.

If confirmed, Brennan would fill a vacancy created when retired Gen. David Petraeus abruptly resigned as CIA director in November after acknowledging an extramarital affair. Deputy CIA Director Michael Morell has been filling in as acting director since Petraeus left and was also considered a leading contender for the nomination set to be announced Monday.

Before becoming a top adviser to Obama during the 2008 campaign, Brennan spent more than two decades at the CIA as an analyst and served as the agency's station chief in Saudi Arabia. During the Bush era, he served as deputy executive director of the CIA and later as director of the National Counterterrorism Center.

QuoteSen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday called former Republican Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, who is President Barack Obama's likely pick for defense secretary, an "in-your-face" nomination" and someone who is "out of the mainstream" of thinking on foreign policy issues.

"I'm going to vote for Senator [John] Kerry [for secretary of state]. I don't agree with him a lot, but I very much think he's in the mainstream of thought," Graham said on CNN's "State of the Union."

"Chuck Hagel, if confirmed to be the secretary of defense, would be the most antagonistic secretary of defense toward the state of Israel in our nation's history," Graham said. "Not only has he said you should directly negotiate with Iran, sanctions won't work, that Israel should directly negotiate with the Hamas organization, a terrorist group that lobs thousands of rockets into Israel. He also was one of 12 senators who refused to sign a letter to the European Union that Hezbollah should be designated as a terrorist organization."

"He has long severed his ties with the Republican Party. This is an in-your-face nomination by the president," Graham said. "And it looks like the second term of Barack Obama is going to be an in-your-face term."

QuoteSecretary of State Hillary Clinton got a standing ovation at her first day back at work since suffering a concussion and blood clot.

She was presented with a gift from her staff: protective head gear -- a football helmet with the State Department logo on the side as well as a football jersey with the number 112 on it, for the number of countries the secretary visited during her four-year tenure.

Her deputy noted that Washington is a contact sport.

Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 07, 2013, 02:29:07 PM
No word from the league yet on fining Ed Reed for her concussion.

Quote from: derspiess on January 07, 2013, 07:43:53 PM
Testify, sistah!!

Quote from: CountDeMoney on January 07, 2013, 07:58:39 PM

Quote from: derspiess on January 07, 2013, 07:43:53 PM
Testify, sistah!!

When you hate on all women, does that include your mother, too?

QuoteBy Ken Dilanian, Washington Bureau

January 7, 2013, 5:00 a.m.

WASHINGTON — Nearly a decade after the last Al Qaeda detainee was waterboarded, Americans still know little about what the CIA did to its prisoners, or whether it worked.

President Obama decided against an investigation to hold accountable George W. Bush administration and CIA officials who conceived and carried out what he and others believed were acts of torture. And a criminal investigation ended last year with no charges and no public report.

But now, a Hollywood movie has put renewed pressure on CIA officials to reveal whether simulated drowning and other harsh techniques elicited valuable intelligence, as the agency has long contended.

"Zero Dark Thirty," made by Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal after extensive consultation with CIA officers, is sparking a new quest for answers, in part because it suggests that torture by CIA officers was instrumental in pinpointing Osama bin Laden's hide-out in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

A senior CIA official on the short list to be the agency's next head, acting Director Michael Morell, has been caught in the maelstrom in a way that could complicate his bid for the job.

On Thursday, senators on the Intelligence Committee sent Morell a sharply worded letter demanding he explain his assertion in a Dec. 21 message to CIA employees that "some information" leading to the Al Qaeda chief "came from detainees subjected to enhanced techniques."

Democrats on the committee, who produced their own 6,000-page, still-secret report on the CIA interrogation program, contend the agency's records don't support that conclusion.

CIA officials and Washington politicians care so deeply about the movie's depiction because "Zero Dark Thirty" will influence how people understand the Bin Laden operation, said Tricia Jenkins, an assistant professor at Texas Christian University and author of "The CIA in Hollywood," an examination of the agency's role in shaping its image through film.

"The CIA has long said that most people in the general public get their information about the CIA and its activities from film and television," she said. "The film will be a key shaper of public opinion and historical memory about this event."

Both critics and defenders with knowledge of the CIA program say the movie's torture scenes are grossly inaccurate — a cartoonish depiction that bears little resemblance to reality.

But defenders endorse the film's suggestion that harsh techniques, such as waterboarding, sleep deprivation and slapping, yielded clues that helped the CIA find Bin Laden. They say detainees subject to duress offered information that helped the CIA track down Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, the Al Qaeda courier who was helping hide Bin Laden.

Senate Intelligence Committee Democrats, however, contend that no significant information about the courier came from detainees after they were subject to coercive techniques.

Morell was among several senior agency officials who consulted closely with Boal, the screenwriter, as he researched the project. He met with Boal for 40 minutes at CIA headquarters, records show. One email from a CIA public affairs officer says Boal "agreed to share scripts and details about the movie with us so we're absolutely comfortable with what he will be showing."

Yet CIA officials were troubled by some scenes in the movie, prompting Morell's message to employees that the film "takes significant artistic license." In the message, Morell repeated what has been the CIA line since Bin Laden was killed in May 2011 — that "enhanced interrogations" weren't key to finding the terrorist leader. But he also said the CIA learned about the courier in part from detainees who were roughed up.

In their letter, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Intelligence Committee, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) demand that Morell explain exactly what he meant. But Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, the panel's ranking Republican, said in a statement that he was perplexed by his colleagues' concerns. "It is entertainment, not a documentary," he said. "What's next — a Senate inquiry of the Bourne trilogy or '24'?"

If Morell wants to be CIA director, however, he will need the support of the Intelligence Committee — particularly Feinstein. "This could really hurt his nomination process," said a congressional aide familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified to talk about internal discussions.

Morell is in a tough spot. He does not want to repudiate coercive interrogations entirely, because "it's a tool that you might want to use and you don't want to give it away," a former CIA officer said. And he doesn't want to impugn CIA employees who were involved.

Republicans on the committee believe coercive interrogations worked, a GOP aide said, and Morell might lose their support should he say otherwise.

What's not much in dispute is that, despite the aspirations of "Zero Dark Thirty" to accuracy, it gets the interrogation scenes wrong. Boal has responded that the film is not a documentary.

The film shows CIA officers in a Hollywood idea of a tough interrogation, beating a detainee in a decrepit building, making him wear a dog collar and, on the spur of the moment, deciding to waterboard him.

According to a 2004 CIA inspector general report and other sources, the program was more methodical, which is not to say any less brutal. Each harsh technique was approved by Justice Department lawyers and briefed at the highest levels of President Bush's White House.

Three detainees were waterboarded in 2002 and 2003. They were strapped to gurneys and their medical conditions monitored. No dog collars were used, former officers say.

The movie also errs when it shows a detainee who had been waterboarded giving information about Al-Kuwaiti. One of the three waterboarded, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the purported mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, discussed the courier, U.S. officials have said. He denied Al-Kuwaiti was an Al Qaeda member. CIA officers found this telling because other detainees said he had an important role.

Feinstein, McCain and Levin say the detainee who provided crucial information about the courier in 2004, identified by U.S. officials as Hassan Ghul, did so before he was subjected to coercive interrogation techniques. He was never waterboarded, officials have said.

Jameel Jaffer, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, suggested one way to get at the truth would be for Senate Intelligence Committee Democrats to release their report.

"False claims about the interrogation program are dangerous," he said, "in large part because there is a vacuum where there ought to be a public record."

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