12 November 2012
(Photo courtesy of CIA)
General (ret.) David Petraeus is a peerless asset to the United States. His contributions to the war and to the nation have been incalculable. No one can estimate the number of lives among Americans, the Coalition and Iraqi civilians that his wise leadership saved during that horrible war. His short leadership in Afghanistan rekindled my confidence that that war also might be brought to heel. Unfortunately, he was sent back to lead the CIA, which was a great loss for the military.
Director Petraeus's accomplishments can never be erased. He will undoubtedly be demonized for his affair. It is not easy to ameliorate the stain that it leaves, as the potential final word summing up an impeccable career.
All Alphas have enemies. Petraeus is no exception. The finest leaders usually have more enemies than the company men whose mantra is, "Don't bail the sinking boat. The boss said the boat is not sinking." Unfortunately we have a surfeit of company men and only one Dave Petraeus.
Petraeus’s paramour is Paula Broadwell. I know Paula, but not as well as I know Dave Petraeus. I spent much time talking with Paula in Afghanistan. Her beauty and her confidence are apparent in seconds. It takes another five minutes to realize that she is very bright, and five minutes more to realize that Paula, too, is an Alpha. She believes that women should be Rangers, and infantry officers, and are capable of standing beside men in combat. Ironically, her role in this spectacle serves as a counter to her own argument.
David Petraeus spent years downrange in the wars. Some of his own staff members bailed from the stress, yet General Petraeus kept going. In the middle of all this, he battled cancer and survived. During a 2010 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, he passed out at the table. Yet he kept going and he never publicly complained. And then Paula came along. You might as well starve the man and then cook barbeque outside his cave.
During 2007, at the peak of the Iraq war, an infantry lieutenant colonel told me about the time that Colonel Petraeus was shot during training. A Soldier accidentally put a bullet straight through Petraeus’s chest. Blood and lungs were coming from his mouth. Petraeus nearly died.
Normally a mistake like this might end the career of the Soldier who fired the shot, and it might adversely affect the career of his commanding officer. Instead, Colonel Petraeus survived and he sent the young Soldier to Ranger school. It was the young commander, now older, who told me the story in Iraq. His man fired the shot that almost killed Petraeus. If Petraeus had kicked the young officer out of the Army, it would have been our loss. Instead, Petraeus took a bullet to the chest and he turned it into a teachable moment. That is David Petraeus.
Today journalists and others whinge that they were duped into the cult of Petraeus. Untrue. He really is that man, but he is also just a man.
Petraeus has a long reputation as a mentor. Any insinuation that he used mentorship to prey on Paula Broadwell falls flat. You can hardly talk to the man without him leaving you with a reading assignment. "Michael, make sure to read Foreign Affairs." With this one remarkable exception, the man leads by example.
Paula's intentions are the subject of an ongoing FBI investigation. It is unwise to hypothesize without facts, and Paula deserves the benefit of proper investigation. She is somebody’s daughter, a wife and a mother, and an American citizen.
David Petraeus has enemies. Many wish to see him fall. For example, years ago, a CIA officer confided an abiding hatred for General Petraeus to me. After the CIA officer explained the circumstances, I respected Petraeus more. The officer had a sack of hurt feelings after a combat disaster in Iraq, to which Petraeus, instead of offering a shoulder to cry on, said buck up, there is work to do.
In Afghanistan, I would see Paula at the morning briefings where Petraeus presided. She is connected within powerful circles, including within the special operations community. Access begets access, and once you reach a certain level, you no longer care about doors slamming in your face: every time a door slams, the concussion opens five more. Access is a two-way street. Washington has a million doors down thousands of hallways, and nobody, no matter how powerful, controls more than a single hallway. After you reach a certain level of access, nobody can shut you out. Paula reached that level, and Paula enjoyed playing with high-tension wires where a single misstep can pop a career like a bug zapper, slamming thousands of doors at once. Where this leaves Paula remains to be seen.
Conspiracy theories are crackling the airwaves. The timing of the DCI’s resignation obviously raises questions, but the atomic structure of the event at least is clear. Dave and Paula had an affair. Dave preferred to resign rather than be fired. What was okay for President Clinton is not okay for other government servants, and we all need to keep a handle on that.
No man is without fault. This fiasco does not diminish David Petraeus's contributions to the United States, nor his positive impact on the many people that he inspired and mentored. Dave stumbled. He is fallible. Nonetheless, he remains a remarkable man with rare insights and much earned wisdom. After a decade of persistent sacrifice, he deserves a rest. When General (ret.) Petraeus is ready to resume, no doubt there will be a long line of people requesting his able services.
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Comments
My mother taught me that unless I had walked in another man's shoes I should never demean him. The General spent over 40 years in the service of his country, wounded in action, survived a bad parachute jump and cancer, then you make a snide remark about the "crackerjack" medals he wears. I am one that wears some of the many medals he wears which I won the hard way and I represent the millions of active duty, retirees and veterans who have also won those medals honorably. You, sir, have demeaned and insulted all of us. You have no honor at all nor are you fit to kiss his jockstrap.
Paul Garner
TSgt (Ret), USAF
Battles are not won by generals, or by tactics; but by Men, and with Blood.
Further, I don't condemn, or even look askance at his affair. It has been said that both Petraeus and Broadwell are Alphas. Alphas are intensely sexual, it goes with the job description. Look at Paula, look at Holly. One was obviously offering something the other wasn't, probably for a long time.
How is it that countries without 'great militaries' are able to avoid being embroiled in wars?
Reading on Wikipedeia, he has been in combat zones, but not in combat, by which I mean facing enemy fire. It says he led his division through fierce fighting, but I'm willing to bet that he directed his division through fierce fighting. Patton was the last to actually get up on the front lines during fighting. He was wounded in a training accident, when someone tripped. He was injured in a civilian skydiving accident.
In reading about his awards, a Bronze Star with a V is noted. V is for an act of heroism. How he managed this in a non-combat role, it's not said. Also, Four awards of the Legion of merit, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. It seems that the higher the non-combat awards go, the fancier they get. With the exception of the Bronze Star, non of his ribbons are even remotely for combat. I was erroneous in saying his ribbons were earned by the effort and sacrifices of others, I assumed they were combat awards.
I do not demean his abilities and accomplishments , nor his affair. I point out that much is made of calling people leaders, which means in the front, as in 'Follow Me', when in fact they are directors, which is done from the rear.
I love that sentence. It applies in many non-combat situations.
It is so rare to see anyone try to find facts, and acknowledge when they don't agree with one's initial opinion, that I wanted to offer some encouragement and thanks to Laurence.
Faced with the choice of changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof. — John Kenneth Galbraith
One observation, though - the military today is much, much different than that of Vietnam. I mention this because many of my father's generation noticeably turn cold when they learn I'm an officer (active duty infantry, 7 deployments since 2001). The fact is the relationship between officers and NCOs, and how officer's see their responsibilitie s in the fight, is simply not the same now - with an all-volunteer force and 10+ years of combat. My perspective - and of course it's a large Army, and the Infantry/SOF unit's I've served in have particularly competent people - but NCOs are highly respected, if not idolized, while officers consider it their absolute duty to "lead from the front" and play a worthwhile combat leadership role. This includes at ranks above LT - every BN and BDE Commander I've served with put themselves in at least as much - if not more - danger than their Soldiers, on top of the "administrative " (or really the staff/targeting ) side of running the war. They're not kicking in doors, of course, but they're on patrols, they're driving the IED-ridden roads, etc.
The role/responsibilitie s I think are clear enough, and the responsibility of leadership taken seriously enough, than there is a considerable amount of trust between the officer/NCO sides of the house. It is not adverserial. I'm sure there will be dissenting examples - there always are, cynicism is flows freely when you match a new Specialist with a knuckle-headed butter bar or something - but I think my experiance is representative of the overall culture.
Regarding P4 - I don't think anyone who knew him or studied his career would say he's done anything but try to help the Army and do his duty. When combat started he was a division commander - so of course he wasn't kick doors. He was, however, probably pulling 18+ hour days for the next 11 years, deploying more than most other people in the military, and sacrificing every bit of himself to get the job done. That is admirable, and I think he earned the accolades he received. The few chances I've met him he was incredibly considerate, thoughtful, and helpful - and he followed up personally with an email on a question we discussed (I was a junior CPT at the time). He did the same with NCOs/junior enlisted.
Apologies for the ramble... Just my .02. Perspective is important.
My thanks for your service - Happy Veteran's Day (belated).
Yes, I've calmed down some. Seeing an administrative officer under heavy burden of medals and being called a great soldier, reignited old resentments. A little time, and input from others, I feel more reasonable.
It's true, my perspective is 40 years old. I'm glad to know that things have improved in the military. I'm also reminded of an article on this site, when Michael picked up a weapon. There's video of a LTC running right into the fore, and taking some shots. At the time I saw it, I thought, 'THERE'S a Leader'.
Other things have changed too. At the time, my four tours were considered a lot of time in-country. Now, soldiers are regularly putting in 7 - 8 and more tours as a matter of course. My helmet's off to them.
There was a lot of resentment during VietNam, and staff officers received preferential treatment. I read an account in a book, of General Westmoreland once flying out to a field position with the hot Thanksgiving meals, and then addressing the troops for so long that the meals were cold. AS IF they had any interest in what he was saying. Having learned, thanks again, Arlene, I looked him up, he was an artillery officer during WWII, most of his awards are non-combat, although there are two awards of the Bronze Star without the V.
I'm glad for this conversation, and the input from everyone. I'll say again, I don't demean Petraeus's ability or accomplishments , or his affair (guys and gals will do what they have to do), and it's good to hear personal accounts from people that actually encountered him.
And, thank you, and everyone in uniform for their service.
Petraeus is being put under the bus to protect Obama. This administration doesn't want him to talk.
Interesting. But I have 2 questions:
Firstly, why was Petraeus removed from Afghanistan?
Secondly, doesn't it seem utterly crazy that his public career may come to an end over this?
The sad part it, prior to this most would use two words to describe him ... Integrity and Ethical.
You cannot apply those when the time you admit the mistake is after you have been outed.
I have heard a nearly identical commentary from a personal friend who supports your perspective. I, we, don't know what happened in either the 'affair' or the Stevens FUBAR and I'm not sure we'll ever know the latter fully. Frankly Gen. Petraeus looks like a dupe in the Libya fiasco and I'm not sure how he allowed himself that place.
Even in this writing you stand in no man's land and I appreciate your solidarity with a warrior and your willingness to be counted! Be safe.
For what it is worth, I always had misgivings about his becoming DCI, not because I thought him unqualified for the job, but rather because I thought that a man of Petraeus's capabilities and personal integrity would always do better in the military, where character and integrity are more likely to be rewarded, rather than in the snake pit of an administration and DC politics where men of integrity and character are few and far between. One doesn't get to be a general officer without understanding how politics is played, but there are men and women who get there by playing that game very well, and others who get there on sheer ability and character. My sense is that Petraeus is the latter rather than the former. But that is just my opinion, and it's worth exactly what it cost me to write it.
Petraeus's leadership would be a blessing to any corporation or charity, but there is really only one job in Washington DC that he is really made for, and that is POTUS—not working in a POTUS administration. A president like Obama, a classic narcissist totally lacking in personal integrity, would feel threatened by a man of Petraeus's caliber, and even if this particular debacle had not occurred, it would have been a matter of time before he would have resigned in frustration anyway. I could be wrong about that, but that's what comes to mind.
Paula has been characterized as a prototypical high-achiever.
Another way to look at this is that Paula gets what Paula wants.
I feel such sympathy for Mrs. Petraeus, and for the poor guy who is married to Paula Broadwell.
For Petraeus....wel l, I hope that the poontang was worth it. This could be the most expensive piece of ass in the recent history of mankind.
Well part of me wants to say it kind of takes 2 to tango and I would want to give Petraeus some credit that it would take more than just attractive "pootang" for him to put his marriage and his career at stake? Inasmuch as I feel Petraeus has served this nation above and beyond, that his accomplishments and contributions should outweigh this mistake and it is not for any of us to judge a person's moral compass, I sadly think this is going to be what the general public remembers: that he cheated on his wife with a younger, attractive woman.
I think Tiger Woods holds the record for that.
But not having forgot everything the Green Machine taught me about laying in the weeds, this stinks to high heaven.
And if you're going back in-country, check six.
We will NEVER know the honest truth about this and I for one will always remember him as one of the best warriors and leaders our Army has ever seen.
I have learned to wait until the dust settles and long-term history puts all into perspective.
One day, during the Revolutionary War, General George Washington stepped out of his tent. It was extremely cold, and the wind was blowing. The demands of leading an army were weighing heavy on him, so he decided to go for a walk around the camp. In his long coat, and with his collar turned up no one could recognize him as the commander of the Continental Army.
Washington came across a group of soldiers under the command of a corporal who was out to show he was in charge. They were building a tall rampart of logs and the corporal kept barking orders, “Up with it! Push harder! What’s your problem?” Trying with all their might to push the final log in place up top, they couldn’t do it. Every time the last log would come crashing down. The corporal would shout out again, “Up with it! Push harder! What’s your problem?” Once more they would heave hoe only to have the log fall again.
Washington finally ran up and pushed with all of his might and finally the log fell into place. Before the soldiers could thank him, Washington said to the corporal, “Why didn’t you help your men with the heavy lifting?” He said, “Don’t you see? I’m a corporal!”
Washington replied, “I see.” He then opened up his coat and revealed his uniform, and he said, “I’m the Commander-in Chief. The next time you have a log too heavy for your men to lift, send for me!”
In life there are some things that just don’t change. We should pray, read our Bibles, worship with other believers, grow spiritually. To that list we should also add serving. It doesn’t matter how highly you are ranked, or how highly you get “promoted.” It doesn’t matter how much responsibility you shoulder in your place of work. Your IQ score, your popularity, the number of friends you have on Facebook, the amount of text messages you send and receive, the size of your family, the size of your 401K, or the size of your salary. None of that changes the believer’s call to serve.
Washington was a great leader because he wasn’t afraid to get in there and do some heavy lifting. In reality the best leaders are great servants. If you don’t serve well you’ll never lead well. The example of Washington reminds us of an even greater leader and greater servant – Jesus. He humbled himself and served us graciously by dying for us on a cross, washing our sins by his grace when we were unable to wash ourselves.
Notice Galatians 5:13 – For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
link:
http://arlie3.wordpress.com/2009/06/18/george-washington-on-serving/
Elizabeth , you are welcome.
Paula is a w#@€£, and there is no way around that. Gen. Petraeus is weak. And in the end it's Mrs. Petraeus left alone and suffering because of these two. That is what is sad.
She cant possibly believe women are capable, if she felt that strongly about it the affair would of never happened. jmho..how could you stand next to a man in combat if your sleeping with him? it doesnt make sense to me.
Better yet - How could he/she stand next to someone in combat that is intimately involved with your jealous squad-mate?
Bob, I do wish life were so simple. However, if your point was correct, why would anyone care if our Secret Service guys were diddling around in Columbia or if Clinton was doing it in the WH? Like Hack said above, why give your enemies ammo to use against you? Absolute integrity is absolutely necessary in Petraeus' position.
bathwater. I was the first wife of a
womanizer who has now married for the
fourth time. There is no end to this
since the beginning of creation. I
would hope that David would ask for
forgiveness and it would be received
with loving restoration. Holly (his
wife) should not take this personally.
They have the best years ahead of
them to make up for lost time. I
hope this ends well.
Given. But the timing of this thing stinks to high heaven. And because of that, Rudy, you will never know the truth of this fiasco. But keep up with your bias. I am sure it serves you....
Vulnerability to blackmail is an anathema to the Intelligence Community security system.
At the end of the day, General Petraeus had no choice but to eliminate a weak link which was unfortunately himself.
I have watched these "alpha" females at work for many years. Many unfortunately are nothing short of professional prostitutes who will use whatever means necessary at their disposal to "get ahead"! If you have spent anytime in any big organization, corporate or military, you know "who" I am referring too!
I watched one of them who was training her daughter to be like her, divorce her husband of ten years and marry her boss who was old enough to be her father (maybe even her grandfather), whom she was openly having an affair in the company while she was still married and was still married. (No big Scandal there) You see grandpa could giver her the Mercedes and the life of luxury to which she felt she deserved above all else!
How do I know this? She unabashedly told me so in so many words after having a conversation wherein I subtly asked why she came to work in a dead end secretary job looking like she was going out for a night trolling!
I have watched in dismay as my own boss dumped his wife of 25 years for a 19 year old gold digger who was the same age as his youngest daughter. In fact his daughter and the girl he married dated the same guys in high school
So when it comes to power of the vagina, nothing surprises me anymore
And that is why this whole "scandal" affair is so ridiculous, because this goes on almost every where anytime men and women are working together in close proximity, if there is any "positive" chemistry between the two parties, they are going to be naturaly attracted at some point,
Unless willpower prevails, sparks will fly
Also, it looks like he lied about what he knew to the Intel committee.
He did some good things in Iraq. But he was clearly out of his depth as the head of the CIA. And that lacuna of competence got him into trouble and might have gotten people killed.
It seems like moral judgements are being injected into what should be a black and white issue; who is the best man to lead the CIA? If it's still Petraeus, none of this soap opera bullshit should have any weight at all.
Paula Broadwell may be an intelligent woman with a classy veneer, but she is what she is – a high-profile adulteress who has profited financially from her (ahem) “access.” I wonder how many other partners there have been – on both sides of the equation. After all, a man who would cheat on his wife would cheat on his mistress. And I wonder who else has gotten access to secret information in this manner.
The blackmail vulnerably is certainly very real. With that in mind, shouldn't we also be demanding:
1) On what day at what time and in what context was Director Petraeus notified that Obama/jarrett knew of this alleged affair? What are the dates and event benchmarks of this timeline relative to the apparent murder-by-negle ct of Ambassador Stevens?
2) Did the O-J know prior to notification of the FBI field investigation or learn independently from the FBI field office discovery of the affair? If so, how, and how much earlier?
3) Did the O-J WH engage in clandestine spying on its agency heads (or focused on particular agency heads) in the ordinary course of its activities? Does the O-J use resources (lawfully or not) to preemptively troll for evidence of scandalous behavior among agency heads to build political inventory to exploit same should such leverage for immediate dismissal or effect a form of blackmail to serve the political agenda, timing and interests of the O-J?
While some worry Director Petraeus could have been blackmailed, there are also some of us who wonder that he actually was.
We need to know when.
We need to know if Petraeus or AFRICOM was alerted so they would be prepared and poised for action on behalf of the President's personal envoy Stevens how was clandestinely meeting, apparently at the direction of the POTUS, with the personal envoy of the President of Turkey; and, that they would do so under unstable and potentially volatile conditions at the remote and isolated Benghazi compound... on 9/11.
We need to know who was told this meeting was to occur. We need to know if critical elements of the command were blindsided by the cries for interdiction because they were never informed by O-J that such an unusual and sensitive meeting of presidential envoys was to take place on 9/11 in Benghazi.
We need to know when AFRICOM was advised this meeting would be occurring.
We need to know the timelines and parties involved in the Cross Border Authority authorization requests that must have been triggered by the unfolding crisis.
Am I the only one who felt the behavior of Petraeus in this unfolding Benghazi scandal was as uncharacteristi c as it was strange?
Let us not betray the good in the name of the perfect, lest we reward and further unleash the very worst among us.
Didn't he say something like "the CIA did NOT deny any requests for security enforcement in the weeks leading up to the attack"- this being a direct fingering of the WH Dept of State as being the sole decision maker in that melee?
The next we heard from, and of, Petraeus was this fall from grace, weeks later.
Seems very suspicious.
300 died from 'gunwalked' weapons in Mexico.
4 heroes died in Benghazi.
Gen Petraeus saved 100s or 1000s of US and allied lives and won in Iraq.
Then Petraeus was jerked out of Afghanistan as he pushed for victory there.
Discuss.
It seems that Petraeus was not liked by the CIA insiders. His rather direct military approach to problem solving was not appreciated by the spooks in the shadows community. Further, Petraeus was conducting his own investigation into the Benghazi debacle with a view, one suspects, of finding why the CIA got the situation there so wrong. I am aware that the security issue was not a CIA concern, but the overall intelligence analysis was.
Information about Petraeus' affair came to light when the FBI investigated a complaint from a woman who complained that she was being harassed by Broadwell via emails. The investigation revealed the compromising emails between Petraeus and Broadwell. This, of course, raised the spectre of national interest being potentially compromised.
How convenient can this be for someone in the CIA who might have some explaining to do about Benghazi.
I am not a conspiracy theorist but somehow this just seems too convenient in the internecine knife-fight that is politics. I suspect that Petraeus may be relieved to be out of that battlefield that makes Iraq or Afghanistan seem a kiddies playground by comparison.
I respect your insight and perspective as one that knows General Petraeus and carries the utmost respect for him. The disappointment and frustration we feel when someone of his integrity and accomplishment makes such an egregious and foolish mistake is evident by your writing and the postings here. I pray that he has not done anything criminal, chargeable, or detrimental to the National Security of the Nation he so dutifully and honorably has served. I hope that he and his wife work things out, he seeks repentance and forgiveness from his wife and it is granted.
Aside from misogynist dinosaurs like "Sun Tzu" and the strange diatribe by "mermaid michele", I also compliment you on your readership. It is testimony to your reasonableness if your own audience isn't impossibly polarized (no one escapes a few trolls). I'll therefore be back to read more.
Robin can you elaborate on this, possibly posting a link to a news article. You obviously feel strongly about it but many of us have simply not seen this reported previously, or we missed it.
As I get older, I realize just how serious an oath can be. At the end of this life the only thing you have is your honor. He violated his oath, his wife, and his word. He is no longer deserving of trust nor honor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Petraeus
It details his career, and lists his awards. You can click on each award to see what it's for. Allow me to use this opportunity to apologize, once again, for saying that the majority of his awards were earned by the effort and sacrifice of others. I was wrong. Most people see medals and assume they are for bravery in combat. Why medals are given for administrative achievements, and why the State Department gives out medals, instead of certificates, I just don't know. Far above the common people and common soldiers, who do all the work and all the fighting, is a strata of people who congratulate each other for jobs well done by their subordinates. They are as incomprehensibl e - and disinteresting - to 'commoners' as cowboys are to cattle. Officers are not taught to lead, but to direct. Despite all the high sounding phrases about service and patriotism, what they are taught to do is herd cattle towards the enemy. Like cowboys congratulating themselves on their mastery of cattle and horses, military tacticians laud themselves for their mastery of tactics and maneuvers while it is the men on the ground that actually accomplish the victories, and suffer the losses. Anyone seen or read, 'Blackhawk Down'? All the Peter Principles in their command centers and aircraft stumbling over themselves while the men on the ground paid for their incompetence. Incompetence by commanders is responsible for more soldiers dying than the enemy. While their photos and names are posted where we have to see them, I can assure you that the higher-ups are as much non-entities to the common soldier as the cowboys are to the cattle. We don't fight for them, we fight for the man next to us. All the generals, politicians and corporate ceo's preen about THEIR accomplishments , when it is the Soldiers, Voters and Workers that are their foundation.
http://soldiercitizen.wordpress.com/2012/11/13/petraeus-broadwell-and-female-prowlers-in-the-military/
What would possess him to work for Obama in the first place is beyond me. They wanted to keep him under wraps so he wouldn't run for president. Now they got him by the short hairs to shut him up about Benghazi. What was Paula promised?
Does it matter anyway? This country is done for. Socialism has won and our freedoms are lost.
What can you expect when a nation legally aborts 50 million of its own most defenseless citizens.
November 13, 2012
THE GENERALS AND THE WOMEN: A GUIDE FOR THE PERPLEXED
"What’s the old saying? If you made this stuff up, nobody would believe it."
Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2012/11/the-generals-and-the-women-a-guide-for-the-perplexed.html#ixzz2C9ZtrI00
Previously:
November 13, 2012
THE PETRAEUS ILLUSION
Posted by Jon Lee Anderson
Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment#ixzz2C9cp6AOE
and
November 11, 2012
A PETRAEUS PUZZLE: WERE POLITICS INVOLVED?
Posted by Jane Mayer
Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2.html#ixzz2C9e6tMWH
Some have slammed Paula...others Petraeus and I think that is unfair. They are both leaders they did not get "led'. People are complicated, they are not one dimensional, they are not their name or rank. I do not condone the action of either one-they both will pay a high price for their actions, but I learned a long time ago that people vote with their feet, where they are is where they wanted to be.
What I find stunning is that in this age of social media, where everything is traceable. and high profile people are under a microscope that either one were so careless ... as a friend said to me who tends not mice words.. "If you're in the game and you don't know who the mark is … you're the mark.”
i heard on Blaze radio thst the Gen was transitioning without his normal miitary environs and colleagues. Broadwell simply filled in as his jogging partner 3 etc. and progressed from there
a man walks in a bar and sits down, orders a beer and somewhat agitated looks at the bartender and says, I have built a hundred houses, do they call me a housebuilder? no.
I have built 50 bridges, do they call me a bridge builder? No.
I have built 10 skyscrapers, do they call me an architect? No.
but you suck one dick.....
or is he just a community organizer in over his head? I so enjoy the pain his reelection has caused you mooks that I hope your party keeps looking into this small matter.
Did you consider this faithful personal envoy of the President was closer friend to Obama than you will likely ever be? Can't you face what Obama did to him by denying Cross Border Authority to his desperately willing professional military with rescuers standing at the ready?
Christopher Stevens was murdered in a depravity of calculated silence by Cross Border Authority withheld.
In this age of Obama, we are all Christopher Stevens. You and all whom you love, they too are Christopher Stevens.
You were once called lower or middle income. They see you only as lower or middle class; i.e., not upper; not royal; not elite. You and I are now of the "Lesser Classes." This how the syndicate insiders of the beltway ivy league, unionized media, unionized government and Chicago/Wall Street syndicate insiders have come to see the rest of American. In their eyes, we cannot be trusted. This is why it is only they who must rule.
Prepare to be a mere subject. You shall be promised Equality to replace individual Liberty. You shall be ruled by experts who are better than you because; either by credentialed conditioning in a post modern ivy league university; by blood relation to party elites, or by party identify status and station.
Your daily living and life choices will be increasingly subject to peer review, delimited as determined by duly credentialed experts sponsored by syndicate insiders. They will propound endless Hegelian scientisms which determine and then modulate your correctly attributed value and station in society. Your property will be deemed preemptively owned by the greater good,which must also be administered and policed by the trustees of the greater good.
And they will enjoy the right of selective, depraved inaction with full indemnity. Obamacare threatens to kill millions more than Benghazi, as did Fast & Furious and many other "acceptable casualties" of the Obama world.... no different from the serial mass murder of children on the streets of Chicago awash with billions in federal grants, paid union police, paid union school security, paid union teachers and the highest paid school administrators in the nation... all laundering the mass murder of Chicago youth into a flood of incoming federal grant money that depends upon perpetuating the culture that exposes the genocide of Chicago youth as instead a Democide that ultimately serves to profit the cartelized institutional elite bilking billions from the federal coffers.
The unfolding fatal conceit demonstrated by the Obama Cartel is more malignantly Hegelian than the presidencies of TR, Wilson and FDR combined.
In the Obama Era, we are all Christopher Stevens.
It's not just a sad day for the US, it's a sad day for his wife.
That said, I respect that he pulled the plug and left with what remains of his dignity intact. When was the last time someone in a scandal like this resigned?
It is a shame that all his past accomplishments will be tarnished by this affair, but that's the nature of sin.
Men and women serving together in the military will always suffer from this.
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