David Petraeus and the New Style of American Politics
If you believe David Petraeus really resigned as CIA director over an extramarital affair, you probably also believe that Muhammad filmmaker Mark Basseley Youssef is in prison because of a parole violation. It is much more likely that both Petraeus and Youssef herald the dawning of a new style in American politics – or else Barack Obama is the luckiest man alive.
It has already been widely noted that the timing of Petraeus’s resignation was perfect for Barack Obama: on the same day that the House Foreign Affairs Committee announced that it would be calling the CIA director to testify about the ever-widening Benghazi scandal, he abruptly resigned over an extramarital affair. Now Petraeus won’t be testifying, and one of the most important witnesses as to what really happened when jihadists attacked the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, and who ordered those who would have defended Ambassador Chris Stevens and his colleagues to “stand down,” has been removed from the scene. Petraeus had already said that he issued no such order, which makes it strongly likely that Obama himself did so; but now Petraeus won’t be around to say so one way or the other.
Obama was just as lucky that Mark Basseley Youssef, the apparent producer of the Muhammad video that Muslims blamed for their recent international orgy of riots and murders, turned out to be a marginal character with a criminal record. Obama, Secretary of State Clinton, and other Obama administration officials denounced the film repeatedly and vehemently, but according to Charles Woods, father of Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods, who was killed in Benghazi, Clinton went even farther, saying of the Muhammad filmmaker: “We’re going to have that person arrested and prosecuted.” But there was just one insuperable obstacle to this Sharia-compliant scenario: the First Amendment — until, lo and behold, it turned out that Youssef was on probation and that one of the conditions of his probation was that he not use the Internet. And so now he is serving a year in prison for the probation violation.
The Feds got Al Capone for tax evasion when they couldn’t make more serious charges stick, and when they couldn’t imprison Youssef for violating Sharia blasphemy laws, they got him for violating probation. Or maybe Mark Basseley Youssef really did have the bad luck to land probation officers who were unusually scrupulous. Maybe it is just a total coincidence that suddenly they decided that this probation violation was the one that they could not and would not tolerate, while untold numbers of other violators of probation still roam free today.
And maybe it was just another coincidence that Petraeus had his attack of conscience over his affair and resigned on Thursday, the very same day that Fox News reported that the Foreign Affairs Committee was planning to call him to testify. But the whole episode is reminiscent of the fate of inconvenient officials in totalitarian states who are popular or powerful but fall out of favor with the Man In Charge, who is duly shocked (shocked!) to discover a moral indiscretion on the part of the inconvenient official, necessitating his immediate removal despite his power or popularity. Of course, the U.S. is not a totalitarian state and Obama is not a totalitarian ruler, and undeniably Petraeus violated the military code of conduct; but in an age when members of the president’s party routinely sneer at such codes, and given the timing of the resignation, Obama is either supremely lucky or resorting to tactics that have not been much prevalent in the American public square before. These tactics need scrutiny, and resolve on the part of the Congress to find out what really happened and hold the president fully accountable.
General Petraeus is shaping up to be the fall guy of the Obama administration and the harbinger, along with Mark Basseley Youssef, of something entirely new in American politics: the elimination of the politically inconvenient by means of a pretext that satisfies a bored and indifferent populace and serves as a cover for goals altogether more sinister than is immediately apparent.
Or maybe Barack Obama and his administration are as honest as the day is long, and it is all just… coincidence.
Lie atop lie is put forth, regarding grave matters of national security.
And Petraeus resigned due to an affair, like this blogger is a leftist. And the Basseley/Bacile is in jail due to a minor violation, like this blogger is Queen of Sheba.
Lies, damnable lies.
But here are some truths – http://adinakutnicki.com/2012/11/13/covering-up-benghazigate-exquisite-political-timing-sacrificing-a-cia-director-to-boot-commentary-by-adina-kutnicki/
If you believe that, all evidence in agreement, Petraeus resigned due to his affair with his biographer – you are probably not a PJM reader.
If you believe that, all evidence in agreement, that Benghazi was an unprovoked attack on America by Islamic radicals – you are probably not a PJM reader.
If you believe that, all evidence in agreement, that Mitt Romney because less people supported his plan for America – you are probably not a PJM reader.
Nice to hear from a fellow idiotic PJM reader. Keep it up and you might get promoted General. Unless, of course, that affair you’re having with the president causes you to resign in disgrace.
You got it all mixed-up. If Petraeus were having an affair with the president and given the president’s support of gay marriage, where would there be a problem?
WTF are you talking about?
Something about making sure the wok is hot enough before putting the meat in.
I seem to remember from fairly recent U.S. history that there was President who was involved in an extra-marital affaire. He did not lose his job and did not resign. All too convientient: agreed.
Yes, sex is the ultimate distraction. Coincidence that our boy Bill has been working with the Obama Admin?
Heck, Andrew, Billy “BJ” Clintoon violated his intern with a cigar then smoked said cigar. Think he shared it with Shrillary?
This is the kind of set of circumstances we used to hear from those Banana Republics south of the border. Or behind the Iron Curtain. But now they are played out for our enjoyment right here at home.
How convenient for us, yes?
It’s the Chicago Way, and they’re not even trying to hide it.
If Petraeus has even an ounce of honor left, he will insist upon testifying before that House Committee and as soon as possible.
I don’t understand why he can’t be compelled to testify anyway. It isn’t as if congress has limited its past investigations to only government testamony (see Howard Hughs and steroids in baseball). So why woudln’t Petraeus still be called?
Petreaus can still be compelled to testify; all Congress needs to do is issue a subpoena. Same for our MIA Secretary of State. The real question is will the Republicans have to balls to do it? They’re pretty preoccupied with figuring out all the ways they can capitulate to the Dems on tax increases and amnesty while the compliant media is gratefully seizing on the distraction of a sex scandal. I’m old enough (barely) to remember Watergate. The liberal press relentlessly excoriated a Republican administration and Nixon’s AJ and advisers were forced to testify. You can bet that won’t happen this time, even though (as many have pointed out)this time Americans died.
Came out on TV tonight that as of October, Petraeus was not expecting to get fired even though the investigation had uncovered his affair with Broadwell. He obediently toed the party line, telling Congress that the Benghazi attack was due to anger over the video, even though this was manifestly not the case. As far as Petraeus was concerned, the fix was in. His cover would not be blown and he would stay Director of the CIA. In late October, he and Broadwell appeared at a party laughing and smiling. Life was good. Then the election happened and Obama summarily canned him (theatrics of waiting a day to accept his resignation yadda notwithstanding.) OK, so far, so good. But now that Petraeus is neither General nor Director, Obama must know that Petraeus can be subpoenaed to testify about Benghazi. Surely Petraeus’ thoughts about Obama do not run to being loyal to the man, especially now after he was double crossed. So, there must be “something else” that makes Obama confident that he still has Petraeus by the balls and he will not tell the truth. When we know what that something is, we will be closer to the heart of the matter.
Sorry but from the reporting so far, P4 lost his honor long ago.
Honor “left”?
When did he ever have any?
They probably have his family targeted. Did you forget whom were dealing with here? Communists, mobsters and demons. All murderers.
And now it looks like [General] Allen is going some version of the Petraeus route. The only think that we can trust these Obama people on is to not tell us anything remotely resembling the truth.
This whole thing is a fraud warped in 100 fabrications inside a thousand lies.
And that code of “honor” among thieves extends into the top brass of the military. These generals and admirals are politicians, not soldiers. Most never fired a weapon or were ever fired upon. I’m glad to see some of them finally being exposed.
“Most have never been fired upon,” is one thing you can’t say against Petraeus. He was a platoon commander in Vietnam and most definitely saw front-line action.
My understanding of the difference between a totalitarian state and an authoritarian is largely whether the government treats your personal thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, values, and feelings as your domain or yet another area for the government to intrude. Since Obama’s ed “reforms” for K-12 and higher ed involve collecting data on just those areas of personal privacy and then intervening to alter whatever is unapproved as too individualistic, we might better be careful about disclaiming the applicability of the T adjective.
Otherwise we have the mental and emotional intrusions with no proper words to describe until we are left with the unavoidable dismal results. Gee, why are so many of our young people behaving like zombies? Because their schooling has been and is being consciously cultivated to create a vacuous area between the ears.
Habituated to respond from emotion is precisely what was going on in Germany in the 19th Century. That turned out so well.
The House can subpoena Petraeus and make him testify IF the Republicans there had a spine. They don’t. Remember the full page ad that the anti-war folks ran against him years ago in the NYT? “David Betrayus” or something like that? Who knew it would turn out to be completely accurate, but for entirely different reasons.
If House Republicans had a spine, they would be impeaching the President.
I have some faith in Sen. Diane Feinstein. I think she is feisty and will ask tough questions. Just a hunch based on watching her affect on TV. If you are reading this, Senator, well then: GO GET ‘EM. Also Sen. Barosso of Wyoming. YOU GO GET ‘EM TOO. Your nation thanks you. It is important work you do.
Feinstein has just won her last election so she’s set for the 6 years. she looks tired and may not live out her term.
She has little to lose, one would hope but I don’t trust her interest. Her hubby has made a large fortune off her senatorial career, especially in the federal “disposal” of extremely valuable land in the SF Bay Area and in dealings with the Chinese.
That can all go away if she screws up the wrong people. I wish her well but I don’t trust her initiatives. She is so much a loyal Democrat that I think they are just distractions.
I hope I’m just too cynical and that I’m wrong. The odds are against it though.
Amen –concur on all points –i too keep up with the important senator from Wyoming, and i too am pleasantly surprised to see the senator from California taking off the gloves.
Great comments, SB
Remember at the beginning of Obama’s term #1, the directive to police to go after right wing “extremists,” identified in part by bumper stickers? Then that disappeared, and people forgot. Watch now.
Patreus deserves a lot of blame for this. In his position, TO DO WHAT HE DID, when he preached morals to his troops, and turn himself from a rook to a pawn in the political landscape is his own fault and a failure as a human being. Big fail, Patreus. You not only hurt your family. You hurt your country, BIG TIME!
Keep you enemies close, Obama made Hillary SoS and Patreus CIA Director, it all went according to plan, Patreus got played how stupid of him to make such a glaring mistake. Interesting theory from Beck…you may think he’s an idot, there are many times I disagree with him but he has been right on Libya and raises valid questions with this latest scandal.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/glenn-beck-breaks-down-petraeus-scandal-what-are-the-odds/
How could Patreus pass a background check for CIA director if he is stupid enough to use a gmail account and send messages with sexual content? While he is distracted with his personal life, our troops are being murdered by so-called friendlies and have to operate with unbelievable rules of engagement and leaders in the GOP? zzzzzzzzzz Cantor knew about the investigation and said nothing!
I don’t see why he doesn’t testify. He’s lost his job, his reputation and probably his wife. He doesn’t have much to lose at this point except for his retirement. I wonder if he declined to appear before the committee at this time so he can figure out how to cut a deal and in doing so redeem himself to whatever extent he can.
Eva, yes General Petraeus still does have something to lose.
The general still has his family.
Remember Erwin Rommel ?
Hitler made him an offer he could not refuse.
He doesn’t have much to lose? How about his life? Remember Ron Brown.
Remember William Colby?
REMEMBER THE ALAMO!!!!
(What? It has as much bearing on the topic as the previous comments.)
That reminds me of a priest who spent his life fornicating. Late in his life, Protestants began persecuting Catholics in his home, and he thought about running away, but then he realized that this was probably God’s way of giving him one last chance to do the noble thing. He allowed himself to be arrested and interrogated, and when the Protestants demanded that he deny the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, he replied, “Fornicator I always was; heretic I never was.” That day, he died a martyr.
“How about his life?” Do you think if Petraeus suddenly lost his life that that would be enough for the MSM to start asking questions? I doubt it.
re: “except for his retirement.”
What could possibly go wrong for the general if he truthfully testifies?
A general who displeases the powerful risks more than his retirement.
Will he be marginalized and ignored by his former colleagues. Will there be a whispering campaign of lies to defame him, and his defenders won’t speak in his defense because they fear unfavorable “consequences”?
Will he be denied post-retirement goodies which he and his wife likely look forward to: posh military medical and assisted living facilities which dot Washington DC?
Will his children and grandchildren have their livelihoods threatened by blackballing at work, loss of government contracts, lose a job because the employer is advised there will be “unfavorable consequences” if the general’s family member stays employed?
You are looking at the return of complete, utter, ruthless power manifestation, which is the usual state of affairs for the human race. America was an exception.
I guess that the founding father’s pledge of ‘our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor’ are just pretty words, then.
@Been There, I’ve been there too.
You’re kidding, right?
Petraeus has two children.
How right you are,Putin and the radical muslems all agree that our best Generals must be replaced.Remember hugobama’s promise to his Kremlin boss? After all, many decomposing city’s Precincts 100% agree! Whenever you feel that obama deserves the benefit of the doubt you’d be wrong.His finger will always be on the scale.
Contrary to the conventional wisdom an ex-DCIA is a much more dangerous witness then a sitting one. Just because Petreaus resigned doesn’t mean he can’t be called to testify. So now Petreaus is free to answer questions without representing the President. What are they going to do to him if he says something Obama doesn’t like? Tell his wife he had an affair?
Read Beth Martin’s reply at 6:16 – He has quite a lot more to lose – the rest of what is left of his life.
Yeah, right. I see we are now descending to the Daily Kos level of rationality. See my post below.
Ever hear of Vince Foster?
I am assuming that Patraeus “offered” his retirement so that he would not have to testify. As a military person, I think lying under oath would be unacceptable. You don’t have to lie if you are not asked the questions. But would Patraeus also want to go out of his way to testify? They probably were making it hot for him if he decided to speak the truth, so the resignation is just an easy way out for both sides. They may have more dirt on him, but likely just economic pressure (retirement, threat of law suits, ruined reputation (beyond the sex scandal) — enough to get him to disappear quietly into the sunset.
” But the whole episode is reminiscent of the fate of inconvenient officials in totalitarian states who are popular or powerful but fall out of favor… ”
Yes, we are turning into one of those states.
Would someone please explain to me how Petraeus’ resignation precludes him from testifying before Congress? There is no rule or law that prevents Congress from questioning a civilian. Besides, even if he resigns, he was the man in charge during the incident in question, which means Congress needs to show some spine and question him anyway.
Agreed. In fact, as unemployed, Petraeus no longer works for the government. He should not be bound by Executive Level “orders” (which may have been the case pre-resignation). And if some of the testimony is “in camera”, even that which is classified may be discussed (presuming the Congressional members attending have the appropriate TS/SCI).
Subpoena his ass.
Could THIS be why Petreaus resigned? To get out from under his obligations to his (former) employer?
Call me a nutter, but it looks like Bronco Billy and the clown posse are preparing to respond to the impending secession of several states with military force. They are putting Generals at the top who are not concerned with posse comitatus;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posse_Comitatus_Act
The problem with selecting generals for their reliability instead of military skills is that they lose battles. Lose enough of them and you lose the war.
It looks like “fragging” is about to re-enter the lexicon.
Seven days into the ‘New America’ and things are looking wobbly.
With Bronco Bama, you’re not connecting the dots so much as connecting the lies.
Another idiot post. The use of military force to deal with succession is not covered by posse comitatis. It falls under the insurrection act.
Petreaus is retired general so “removing” him does not put a new commander in charge of the troops. This is a Daily Kos/Democratic Underground level post. It is embarrassing to be associated with such nonsense.
Okay, you’re a nutter.
Surely, he can’t avoid testifying before congress by resigning. Can’t they supoena?
“The fact that he’s resigned and had an affair has nothing to do with whether he will be subpoenaed to Congress. I hope we don’t have to subpoena a four star general and a former CIA director. I would hope he would come voluntarily but if he won’t he will be subpoenaed. And none of what happened today is an offense to a subpoena… He’s either a witness in our case in chief or he’s gonna be a rebuttal witness if Susan Rice and others blame him for their failure of intelligence and failure of information. But there is no way we can get to the bottom of Benghazi without David Petraeus.”
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/11/rep-trey-gowdy-either-petraeus-will-come-and-testify-to-congress-or-he-will-be-subpoenaed-video/
Rep. Gowdy is one of the few with the stones in Congress to do what is right. Sidebar, I hope he challenges Sen. Graham for the 2014 Senate seat.
I hope PJM readers are calling reps / senators demanding subpoena’s for both Clinton and Petraeus and I hope he asks about gun running to Syrian “rebels”, possibly through the Muslim Brotherhood? Who knows how many threads there are to this story. We are arming our enemies but hey, O won and has a mandate says Pravada…we need separation of press and state.
I seem to recall Democrats claiming quite loudly enough to remember clearly that the political morals of the Bush administration had sunk to new lows. And before that I remember Bob Barr and Ken Star saying the same thing about the diddler in chief. I submit it is too soon the take counsel of your fears. No doubt there is some jiggery pokery going on – perhaps even high crimes and misdemeanors. But relax, one thing they can’t seem to keep in Sodom on Potomac is secrets.
While I don’t believe a word that the administration says, I’m not ready to start doing the Paula Broadwell on David Patraeus. Regardless of the facts regarding Benghazi, he DID have an extra-marital affair. While there is a lot of coincidence, it frankly doesn’t favor the good general. Why indeed did he choose now to resign? Why not on September 12th, when he knew as well as anyone that he, as the CIA director, was culpable in the deaths of those Americans. Where was David Patraeus during those six hours? Was he getting a Lewinski and couldn’t be bothered?
Paula Broadwell stinks like a soviet style sex plant that was put in place to give the administration leverage over a conservative leaning cabinet member, but that doesn’t mean that David Patraeus had to act on it. He made his own bed, so to speak, and nothing short of his truthful testimony in front of congress, that damns him, will rekindle any respect I may have had for him.
Sorry if I said cabinet member, I know the director of the CIA is not a cabinet position.
Interesting that the Obama Regime is purging some of the highest military leaders in our Armed Services. Right after the Benghazi Massacre he relieved General Ham( AfriCOM) and Admiral Gaouette( Carrier Task Froce Stennis, Mediterranean). CIA Director Petraeus is out and now we hear that General Allen is in trouble. Congress needs to call these people to testify and our sorry, incurious msm should do their job and investigate why some of these military were fired. Incidentally, Jill Kelley is Lebanese. How did she get the job in Florida and what is her background?
Yeah, the bodies are starting to pile up, and its starting to look like a good old style banana republic purge of the military.
Jill Kelley’s parents ran a restaurant in Philadelphia, where she and her sister, a lawyer were born.
Thanks Yolanda for bringing up the names of these high echelon military men. There are just too many resignations and firings going on here. All this happening just days after the election is simply way too much of a coincidence! Obama’s helpers just kept their fingers in the dike long enough for him to get elected!
I, for one, will contact my congressman and senator and find out what they know about this. Both Republicans, of course.
Yes — General Ham seems to have been forgotten already. I did not know about Gaouette. There does seem to be a purge going on of military higher ups. Someone needs to collect the dots. What about that ad signed by 500 upper-level military — pro Romney. There will be a lot of talk about this in military circles. I think Obama is attempting to undermine the military and someone needs to start letting people know about this. MSM — anyone there?
This is nothing new for the Obama/Axelrod machine, going back to his first election as state Senator and especially his election as US Senator, where GOP frontrunner Jack Ryan’s candidacy was torpedoed by the sudden appearance of salacious – and sealed – custody papers of Ryan’s divorce from his Borg ex-wife Jeri. Although the Ryans had agreed to release of divorce documents, the custody papers were still sealed when they were released. Obama hack David Axelrod is widely credited with digging them up.
And so it goes. General Petraeus can still speak out, and if he has even a remote amount of the honor and integrity people think he does, he will do so.
I am totally confused. It seems that, when Obama was elected, the country elected perpetual crooks. Is there any way out of the “Chicago-style” politics?
Well yes, but the analogous thing is to play Elliott Ness. That and hoping that in bringing a gun to what you hope is otherwise a knife fight, that the other side hasn’t got a howitzer.
And of course hoping the gun talk stays metaphorical.
Come Jan 15th and April 15th it is high time for all taxpaying citizen patriots to participate in a Federal Tax Strike. The strike is to demonstrate that it is We the People who have this secondary form of voice beyond our vote and that if Congress has the power of the purse it is We the People who put that money in the purse. The strike will demonstrate that it is We the People who do not yet recognize our government, since it may have been elected fraudulently and that a legitimate recount and investigation is to be undertaken, and that Taxation without conscious Representation, as in voting and signing into law the ACA without reading it was an abuse of their power, And that we, the laboring citizen will not become the slaves of a government intent on re-distribution. Therefore, all of of the money to be taxed is to be withheld from the Treasury of the United States of America and is to be deposited into one of your local city or town’s Bank’s or Savings and Loan. Thereby, demonstrating that all citizens choosing to join this common withholding no longer show fidelity with the current government recently and perhaps fraudulently elected and that all creditors and creditor nations holding US Debt begin to stand alone and apart from the full faith and credit of the United States of America which is ultimately made possible by the labour of the American Taxpayer.
I heard somebody say that if the Director of the CIA could not cover up a extramarital affair he shouldn’t be in the job. Of course this is all BS to cover up Obama’s mismanagement of the Benghazi episode. There must be another presidential screw up ready to come to life in Afghanistan, General Allen is on the hook right now. Keep the “useful idiots” occupied with sex scandals and they will not see what else is going on. This is Stalin type politics, and Obama is well versed in that type of politics.
Re Mr Spencer’s, “but now Petraeus won’t be around to say so one way or the other.”
I’m betting that Gen. Petraeus will indeed be around to testify on Benghazi; of course can’t say when.
Please don’t believe that all of our Congressional Committee Chairmen have been emasculated.
“That woman” is, for the moment, a convenient Red Herring to distract the Obama-voters from Benghazi. I’ve posted elsewhere that a lot of Americans who voted for Obama probably think that Ben Ghazi is some neo-celebrity out of Hollywood who’s wrecked his green painted Bugatti…..try asking them to find Benghazi on a map.
….catching myself…I should’ve said, Mister Petraeus…..
Convenient timing for Petraeus’ resignation to add gaiety to the nation?
As in “an offer he couldn’t refuse”? Consistent with the Obama Family Business in government. Eric Holder Obama’s Consigliere?
Robert Mugabe and Zimbabwe anyone? Erstwhile Head with Libya of UN Human Rignts Council?
Welcome to Amerika – banana republic on steroids
Why couldn’t Patraeus testify anyway???
“…it turned out that Youssef was on probation and that one of the conditions of his probation was that he not use the Internet. And so now he is serving a year in prison for the probation violation.”
Despite the feds admitting they don’t know if he or someone else uploaded the video.
I’ve been wondering about Mark Basseley Youssef: “Obama was just as lucky that Mark Basseley Youssef, the apparent producer of the Muhammad video that Muslims blamed for their recent international orgy of riots and murders, turned out to be a marginal character with a criminal record.”
The thought has occurred to me — or is it just too far-fetched? — that this guy may have been put up to this thing long before it happened? I’d love to know if there’s a silver lining to Mark Basseley Youssef’s being arrested and kept in jail for his lousy video that, apparently, caused thousands to riot, pillage, and murder in the ME: say, a Swiss bank account when he gets out of jail? How convenient that he was kept in jail without a hearing for over a month, until just after the election.
So many smoking guns just out of reach before this election. After the election, these smoking guns are even further out of reach because of the Obamanation’s untrammeled power. He’s brazen. He cares nothing for the law or the Constitution. Mr. Narcissist-in-Chief discards people like tobacco chewers discard tobacco juice.
The United States of America has entered a new era: Government by out-and-out Chicago-style thugs, enforcers, and gangsters. Anything’s possible because the rule of law isn’t honoured by by the Commander-in-Chief. Pure I-won bravado is the order of the day. Up against Obama’s brazen disregard of constitutional legalities, I would hope that David Petraeus would damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead and tell the truth about Benghazi. But, as others have ponted out, given the ruthlessness of this POTUS and his sycophants and courtiers, who knows what the cost of telling the truth will be to Petraeus and his family?
For those of you wondering why Patraeus could not testify anyway, he can. However, what you are not taking into account is that he no longer has access to any documentation or the resources of the CIA. He will only be able to testify as to his own knowledge, and will not be able to testify as to the CIA’s role. Any testimony he makes cannot be backed up by documentation, while any rebuttal will almost certainly have documentation. In other words, if he testifies against the administration, it is his word against 1984′s ministry of truth.
Apparently Mr Spencer lacks knowledge of regional politics, because
…”something entirely new in American politics: the elimination of the politically inconvenient by means of a pretext that satisfies a bored and indifferent populace and serves as a cover for goals altogether more sinister than is immediately apparent.”
..what he considers new in American politics has been known as business as usual in Chicago for decades. Same stuff, bigger stage.
”In the light of the King’s countenance is life, and His delight is like a cloud of the late rain” (Prov. 16:15). The one to God, shows a bright countenance (Numbers 6:24-27) – it is life to him. Therefore, a person must straighten his way before Him (Rashi).
“For in the light of Your Face, You have given us the Torah (Instruction) of Life,” with which (and through which) to carry out His will” (Amidah).
Recommended reading: General Petreaus & Us: It’s no wonder Judaism forbids a man from being alone with a woman who is not his wife by Lori Palatnik
http://www.aish.com/ci/s/General-Petreaus–Us.html
Spot on article.
Doesn’t Little Lenin have a lot of luck? He’s almost as lucky as Joseph Stalin.
And hey, has anybody noticed whose name is being bandied about as the next Secretary of Defense. John Kerry. Maybe they will start calling it Secretary of Surrender and Slander.
Health Care. Check.
Credit rating. Check.
Capitalism. Check.
Calamitous Debt. Check.
Free elections. Check.
National Security. Check.
National Defense. Check.
National Sovereignity. Next up.
That should about wrap it up.
Thank you Republican Ruling Class. You have done yoemans’s work.
Ask: What level of clout could authorize secretly reading the private, personal emails of the CIA DIRECTOR?!
You forgot to add we are not a totalitarian state “YET.”
Petraeus can testify, and he may well. At least in the House. The cynical way to read his departure is as an effort by the administration to damage his credibility, if he should end up testifying.
An answer to commentor #25 as to a tax protest. Every year we fill out a W-2 form to claim dependents. This is occurring now in your place of employment.
If everyone who wishes to protests puts in 8 dependents then no witholding tax will be taken out of our paychecks. This would stop the feeding of the Federal beaucracy for the year. All that is required is that you pay the tax due on 4/15/2014. So, I suggest you place your anticipated tax into an interest bearing account each pay period and you will have the money necessary when 4/15 arrives. Imagine 30+ million taxpayers doing the same. All legal with no libality. It could strangle the beast. And is completely legal per the IRS tax code. If you want to protest, this is the way.
Seems like a lot of work when I’m sure what’s his name could’ve tied Benghazi around Petraeus’ neck before he threw him overboard and be reasonably assured Pravda would cover. Makes me wonder if something much bigger is being lost in the “fog of war”
But then I think, like any good opportunist would, he’s got a twofer with the apparent military purge.
Getting all his ducks in a row?
SCOTUS is next.
Getting to old for this sh’ite.
Thank you, Mr. Spencer, for your excellent article. You are a true gift. An incisive thinker. A truth teller. A brave warrior. God bless you.
This whole thing just stinks of Obama and his administration. A diversion to keep everyone off the real problem there and at home.
Clearly they’re forcing the military to ‘heel’ –but why? What for?
When your every move is toward a goal that you must keep secret, the clue that you will be unable to hide is the lies you will tell when the truth would normally be automatic.
You can deny they’re lies, and for a long time, or under no existential pressure, that’ll keep everyone standing on one leg and thus harmless. But if you plan to do something with, or to, the issue of security, national or domestic, that is so extraordinary it can’t be hidden, maybe you need to have your own people controlling the military beforehand.
i have said it on another article on this site, anyone who serves this corrupt man is deserving of the consequences.
anyone in this administration is not serving America.
GTH!