The Slut Paula Broadwell

Posted on | November 10, 2012 | 110 Comments

Let’s just go ahead and get this out of the way, eh? Aren’t feminists who embrace the “slut” label (e.g., “Slutwalk“) all about empowerment and liberation? And if you are an empowered liberated woman, what difference does it make if you’re married or your partner is married? All those silly vows — “Forsaking all others” and so forth — are just oppressive tools by which the patriarchy subjugates women, and anyone who buys into moral ideals of marital permanence and lifelong fidelity has succumbed to what the Marxists would call “false consciousness.”

Stipulate that adultery has occurred and continues to occur even in the most traditionalist societies, as for example the infamous Beecher-Tilton scandal. We can’t blame feminism for everything.

Still, doesn’t it just make sense that the cheating husband will have more opportunities to cheat in a culture where rhetoric about the sexual empowerment of women is so widely accepted that anyone who dares question it is condemned as a misogynist or a puritanial religious fanatic? In the case of Gen. David Petraeus and his affair with biographer Paula Broadwell, is there no one who can defend the marital rights of Holly Petraeus, the general’s wife of 37 years, without being accused of hypocrisy, prudery or sexism? And what about the husband — father of her two sons — whom the slut Paula Broadwell betrayed?

Taylor Berman at Gawker examines the evidence that Scott Broadwell suspected his wife was cheating with Petraeus and wrote a letter to New York Times advice columnist Chuck Klosterman and received a published answer informed by political correctness and moral relativism:

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. . . . This is between you and your spouse.

Right: Adultery is only a scandal if it involves hypocrisy, and only Republican “family-values” spokesmen are capable of hypocrisy, so the adultery of an important Obama administration official should be viewed as strictly a private matter. If it weren’t for double standards, liberals would have no standards at all.

According to her Wikipedia page, Broadwell remained an Army reserve officer while she was knocking boots with the CIA director and was only recently elevated to the rank of lieutenant colonel, a promotion she never would have gotten had her illicit affair been exposed earlier. And it appears the slut was very cunning in her seduction:

Paula Broadwell, 39, has said she often conducted interviews with Petraeus while jogging. The pair met in 2006, when she was attending the Kennedy Center for Public Leadership at Harvard.

Ah, yes — the elite institution, and the ambitious West Point graduate using her sexuality to gain advantageous access to the Alpha Male, who had conveniently tucked his wife into a political sinecure with the Obama administration’s pet bureaucracy:

His wife, Holly, the daughter of a West Point superintendent, heads the office for service-member affairs in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency created by the 2010 financial-regulation law.

Give the Missus a do-gooder job to keep her busy while you’re keeping busy with other things, eh, General?

Of course, the feminists will cry foul that I am interpreting this tawdry human drama ideologically, even while they themselves view it through the lens of their own narrow ideology. My point is not that feminism causes adultery, but rather that the feminist rhetoric of “empowerment” provides a convenient rationalization for such behavior, and that feminism privileges the interests of a relatively small cadre of women (elite careerist strivers like Paula Broadwell) over the interests of others.

The inherent selfishness of feminism — its meaning as the expression of the power-oriented ambitions of a self-interested elite — is what needs to be examined. As is so often true in radical politics, the demand for “equality” is a precursor to the demand for hegemonic superiority.

UPDATE: More details emerge. It seems that David Petraeus may have had more than one extra-marital sweetie, and that his affair was discovered when the FBI began investigating e-mail threats that Paula Broadwell had sent to the general’s other side-piece:

The identity of the woman who received the e-mails was not disclosed, and the nature of her relationship with Petraeus is unknown. The officials said the woman did not work at the CIA and was not Petraeus’s wife, Holly. The law enforcement officials said the e-mails indicated that Broadwell perceived the other woman as a threat to her relationship with Petraeus.

John Hinderaker notes that the general’s e-mail correspondence with his lover included thousands of messages, which suggests that the CIA director was spending way too much time dealing with his irregular personal life. One argument for monogamy: It’s less time-consuming.

Category: Feminism, Military, Scandal, Sex

Comments

110 Responses to “The Slut Paula Broadwell”

Garym
November 10th, 2012 @ 9:18 pm

You need to read more of The Other McCain to get more context.
Shawny Lee
November 10th, 2012 @ 9:20 pm

She likely thinks none of this could possibly apply to her. No telling what her husband is doing. No man I know would have lived with it as long as he apparently has without seeking some professional help or a lawyer. On the other hand, that wasn’t just any dude she was sleeping with so along with exhaustion and demoralization might have been some actual fear.
RightKlik
November 10th, 2012 @ 9:28 pm

Monogamy and fidelity and honesty are too old-fashioned. It’s unrealistic to expect any kind of integrity from anybody. Poo upon all the prudes.
Vuse
November 10th, 2012 @ 9:50 pm

A diversion is my guess, but from what? Benghazi, voter fraud, or something even worse? You’d think he’d be worried about possible impeachment, but I’ve noticed the mention of that dying down in the comments and stories lately. What I find interesting is how quick Obama and the media was in trying to turn the table on the voter fraud issue. Maybe there is something there we’ve yet to learn that is worse than we imagined. Fraud was expected judging by the comment boards well before the election-flashbacks of 2008 and the Black Panther incident. Anything is possible when liars and traitors rule.The very fact most everyone is in a perpetual state of hypervigiliance wondering whats up or whats coming next, sadly shows how traumatized and broken the nation is-for now. I’ve sure been praying a heap-keeps me from becoming to overwhelmed. I decided not to read Drudge today for that reason. Good news for Florida and Allen West though.
Shawny Lee
November 10th, 2012 @ 10:08 pm

That’s what’s so scary about this administration and why so many are hyper vigilant, read, I can’t remember the last time in 4 years I got a good nights rest and I’m not alone. What we have learned is that no matter how outrageous or criminal or traitorous or fraudulent are the things being reported, that they are usually mere shiny objects hung up to distract us while the other hand is busy carrying out the real destruction which going unreported. And if you’re not fearful about that you’re not paying attention.
JeffS
November 10th, 2012 @ 10:52 pm

No doubt, especially with Stacy’s update.

But the dogpile on Broadwell is well deserved. Petraeus gets his due soon enough.
JeffS
November 10th, 2012 @ 11:11 pm

As a reservist, she’s not explicitly subject to UCMJ unless on orders for active duty. I suppose a case might be made if her crimes directly impacted her unit, or the armed forces, but discharging any soldier (including reservists) without a general court martial is not possible.

(Not unless the UCMJ is rewritten under Obama, but that hasn’t happened. Yet.)

So unless she banged Petraeus when both of them were on active duty, it ain’t gonna happen. I’m not familiar with the timeline, so I can’t say that’s impossible.

But if the affair took place before Petraeus retired, then he could be recalled to active duty, and court martialed. That’s happened before. In which case, Broadwell could be placed on active duty, punished, and required to testify against Petraeus. The current court martial of Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair is an example of that.

So maybe Petraeus has other problems waiting for him.
JeffS
November 10th, 2012 @ 11:23 pm

A few points here, mainly reinforcing what others have said:

1. Petraeus, as the senior officer and/or official, is the major offender in this case. I’ve known of few flag officers who didn’t have nookie available to him/her on demand, so I find this unsurprising, but quite depressing (my professional cynicism is wearing me down….). The update noting the existence of a competitor to Broadwell is strong evidence that Petraeus was not a noobie when it comes to extra-marital affairs.

2. Broadwell is doubtless a manipulative slut, but that story hinges more on the morals of our current society (and probably a classic example of our downfall). and not an indictment in terms of the corruption of the Obama Administration.

3. Both are married adults who are equally guilty of betraying the trust of their spouses (although Broadwell’s significant other needs a backbone transplant, even if he is an idiot). I hope the children and Mrs. Petraeus get through this OK.

4. I’m more suspicious of the timing of this, as noted at Powerline. The Benghazi massacre hearings in a few days is why.

Still, this is an excellent write up, Stacy; I recommend a complimentary article about a respected field commander who betrayed his wife and his country.
joseph colors
November 10th, 2012 @ 11:52 pm

Very soon a younger, blonder, and thinner woman will heal the wound that Slut Paula inflicted upon her husband and children. Karma.
Vuse
November 11th, 2012 @ 12:05 am

My husband has ADHD- had it since early childhood, it was so bad he was hospitalized for it. Back then it was rare. I learned about it the hard way. To make a very long and exhausting story short-I survived with my sanity intact, or at least I like to think its is, but my health took a hit. I have 3 beautiful children who are kind, compassionate, and can communicate well, and are all good looking to boot Oppression is a dreadful thing to endure. We separated for over a year-best thing I ever did for myself. Learned much about myself and my limits and others through it all. Know whats important in life. Surprisingly, after about age 50, males with ADHD become asymptomatic-they fall with in the recognized norms for males in their age group in almost all areas-figures.
Wombat_socho
November 11th, 2012 @ 12:05 am

I expect to see those links in my Rule 5 mailbox tomorrow. 😉
Jon Sellers
November 11th, 2012 @ 12:07 am

A poignant look at the Petraeus affair his biographer, Paula Broadwell.

http://theothermccain.com/2012/11/10/the-slut-paula-broadwell/
Wombat_socho
November 11th, 2012 @ 12:08 am

They’d probably write him up for a cluster on his Legion of Merit, these days.
Wombat_socho
November 11th, 2012 @ 12:09 am

Hope you meant “complementary”. Be pretty hard to write nice things about a guy who went Benedict Arnold for some strange nookie.
Vuse
November 11th, 2012 @ 12:25 am

I’ll take fear for $500 Alex.
Bob Belvedere
November 11th, 2012 @ 1:06 am

Instead what we have is a clusterf–k.
Vuse
November 11th, 2012 @ 1:23 am

Exactly, a non- stop bait and switch, distract, and divert -offer a little something when the roaring gets too loud. Thinking its not long before the corrupt one heavily defunds the military, and speeds up the process of replacing it with his promised civilian national security force brown shirts-gleaned, in part, from the 47%. He knows the military’s loyalty lies with the constitution and the flag. My memory is nowhere near as short as the MSM news cycle, but I remember this. “We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.”
JeffS
November 11th, 2012 @ 1:25 am

Yeah, I did. Thanks for the proof reading.
Shawny Lee
November 11th, 2012 @ 1:26 am

LOL…..what is intimidation Alex?
http://theintelhub.com/2012/11/11/david-petraeus-resigns-as-cia-director-cia-holds-angelina-jolie-photo-op-at-headquarters/
Shawny Lee
November 11th, 2012 @ 1:36 am

lol….I sure hope you’re getting overtime for monitoring all the comments on this article. Should we make you a tip jar too?
Shawny Lee
November 11th, 2012 @ 2:31 am

The human soul is a lot more resilient than we give it credit for. Sounds like you did well.
Evi L. Bloggerlady
November 11th, 2012 @ 3:13 am

Never miss a Rule 5 opportunity!
178rgh
November 11th, 2012 @ 10:54 am

This post is so pathetic. Sure, Feminism and Obama are to blame for this, of course, not some old white guy who couldn’t keep it in his pants. She wasn’t the only one who cheated. I hope you feel better calling her a slut since that is apparently so effective in your view.
sdf
November 11th, 2012 @ 11:07 am

paula broadwell’s husband won the jackpot. 50% cut in salary, damage to
reputation, and if he’s lucky he’ll see his kids every other weekend.
assuming the kids are even his
JeffS
November 11th, 2012 @ 11:21 am

Hmmmmmm……I forgot to mention one point.

I expect that LTC Broadwell, USAR, will never become COL Broadwell, USAR. It won’t be in her official records, of course, but at that level of rank, it need not be. Competition for promotions to O6 is fierce, even in the reserves, and ESPECIALLY if she’s assigned to a reserve unit, where the slots are really limited.

A letter of reprimand, one marginal OER, or a whispered word when the promotion board meets, is all it takes.
JeffS
November 11th, 2012 @ 11:22 am

Might want to read the comments before hitting that post button, me bucko.
JeffS
November 11th, 2012 @ 11:33 am

HA HA!

This nails both of them perfectly.
Bud
November 11th, 2012 @ 1:20 pm

Do you think they were doing the nasty while he was directing troop in the war? If yes, that would be very sad.
JeffS
November 11th, 2012 @ 4:15 pm

This WaPo article adds some interesting points to the “Cloak and Shag Her” timeline.

Was Petraeus banging Broadwell while in uniform? (So to speak, IYKWIMAITTYD.) If so, he could be brought back to active duty, and punished.

Will that happen? 5 years ago, I would have said “Yes”. Now, we’ll have to wait and see.
Hear Me Meow
November 11th, 2012 @ 4:39 pm

Egad. Director of CIA and a lieutenant colonel cannot conspire to encrypt their lovemail. Massive fail. A lesson to us all. I hope CIA trains people better than that going forward.
Bob Belvedere
November 11th, 2012 @ 5:42 pm

Evi’s learned from the best [me].
Dean Plassaras
November 11th, 2012 @ 5:42 pm

I think Petraeus is the one that is Effed up!
SDN
November 11th, 2012 @ 7:26 pm

Depends on his Benghazi testimony, doesn’t it.
SDN
November 11th, 2012 @ 7:29 pm

Vuse, as long as there are 34 Democrats in the Senate, impeachment will only be used to punish those who don’t cover for them. More people are beginning to realize that civil war is the only check that may be left.
Ending your career with a thud « THE FIRST STREET JOURNAL.
November 11th, 2012 @ 9:53 pm

[…] The slut Paula Broadwell […]
Bonzo
November 11th, 2012 @ 11:03 pm

The interesting issue in this case is neither the adultery nor Broadwell’s threats, nor even the other woman’s identity. It’s the fact that Petraeus *must* have both delayed his resignation and lied about the reasons why at the President’s request, so as not to have to tell the public that he is really leaving because he disagreed with the President’s order not to send help into Benghazi. The President doesn’t want the public to hear that.

If I’m right, neither Petraeus nor Broadwell will ever face any charges, no matter what else they may have done — because if they do, this will all come out.
RichFader
November 11th, 2012 @ 11:33 pm

So I saw an article whose title alluded to Broadwell getting her claws into Petraeus. And my first thought was, of course…she has claws down there?
Chris
November 12th, 2012 @ 4:27 pm

and look, all the minions line up for more misogynist indoctrination… not really all that surprising.
gina
November 12th, 2012 @ 4:37 pm

Petraeus says this happened after he left the Army which means the military cannot prosecute him, but if Broadwell was still in the active reserve, it seems they could prosecute her. Her last promotion was August 2012. But even more serious than the dishonorable behavior of adultery is the Broadwell access to clasified military information. Would somebody please take this seriously ? We lost Seal Team 6 due to a leak in military information. I think we owe those patriotic men to hold their commanders accountable.
jc Ju
November 12th, 2012 @ 6:04 pm

what comes around, goes around! she thinks she is all that…what an embarrassment to her family(and Patraeus, to his)I bet she always thought she was better than everyone else also. Her father should keep his mouth shut also.”.EXCEPTIONAL”???? She is a conniving slut. THERE IS NOTHING EXCEPTIONAL about a married woman seducing a married man!
Wombat_socho
November 12th, 2012 @ 6:22 pm

I’ll have a post on that very topic tomorrow, I think…this has been a VERY long day.
Merlin_obsession
November 12th, 2012 @ 6:36 pm

So the general gets no blame? Adultery takes two people, not just one
trangbang68
November 12th, 2012 @ 8:06 pm

At least her bowling score.
trangbang68
November 12th, 2012 @ 8:15 pm

I believe it bro. I worked a poll in Tucson where over half the people who showed up weren’t on the register and voted provisionally creating chaos. The phones weren’t working either. I think this kind of planned chaos was intended to obscure the real fraud which was random algorithms changing votes in electronic voting machines.
Rebecca Lane
November 13th, 2012 @ 2:22 am

This entire affair is run-of-the-mill middle school stuff, with big important people being incredibly stupid. Feminism is hardly the lens through which to view this, and given that your approach is one of contempt and sexism, STFU.
CynthiaSpeaks
November 13th, 2012 @ 10:27 am

Thank you for calling Ms. Broadwell exactly what she is-a slut, and a bit of a psychotic slut at that. Society has become so denigrated & politically correct that one hesitates so say anything that is not glowing, especially about women. Nevertheless, Broadwell is a slut, an adulteress, a harlot, take your pick. And Petraeus, sadly, has been reduced to a unscrupulous generic man who can’t keep his fly buttoned. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The David Petraeus scandal, explained | MoCS
November 13th, 2012 @ 11:13 am

[…] her claws into him,” conservative blogger Robert Stacy McCain has called her “The Slut Paula Broadwell,” and even the Washington Post made hay of Broadwell’s supposed “tight shirts and […]
The Worst David Petraeus Commentary Quiz - Indecision Forever | Political Humor and Satire Blog | 2012 Election
November 13th, 2012 @ 1:11 pm

[…] Finally, someone stands up for Mrs. Petraeus: "In the case of Gen. David Petraeus and his affair with […]
Vuse
November 14th, 2012 @ 1:34 am

Who is Petraeus!

Mr. & Mrs. Smith hiding in plain site.
Vuse
November 14th, 2012 @ 2:06 am

Who is Petraeus!
Mr. & Mrs. Smith hiding in plain site.