The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Apropos Nothing

Posted on | November 13, 2012 | 5 Comments

by Smitty

From a random exchange with a guy Down Undah:

Aussie, eh?
I was through Melbourne in 1998, I guess it was, on the way home from the Persian Gulf. A young girl had committed an act of Hooverism on the President, so we had to shoot Tomahawk missiles into Afghanistan. Subsequently, the world went mad.

Category: humor

If You Were Saying to Yourself, ‘This Petraeus Scandal Isn’t Crazy Enough …’

Posted on | November 13, 2012 | 34 Comments

You’re going to love this news: Jill Kelley — whose report of threatening e-mails led to revelations of Gen. David Petraeus’s affair with Paula Broadwell — has a “psychologically unstable” twin sister. And when the sister needed a reference in her child custody case, Petraeus provided it:

The four-star general’s letter to the court — written in the past two months — supported a motion to overturn a ruling made nearly a year earlier by a judge who resoundingly denied custody to Kelley’s sister, Natalie Khawam, because of serious reservations about her honesty and mental stability, court records show.
Petraeus wrote his letter amid a bitter divorce and custody battle between Khawam and Grayson Wolfe, a partner in a DC-based private venture firm.
The letter was filed in DC Superior Court, where the father of Khawam’s 4-year-old son filed for divorce three years ago, two sources said . . .
A judge in November 2011 gave Wolfe sole custody of the couple’s son after finding that Khawam, a lawyer, repeatedly lied under oath and filed bogus domestic-violence and child-abuse claims against her husband after their one-year marriage began crumbling in 2009.
That judge also found that Khawam routinely defied court orders to let the child see his dad and sent harassing e-mails to Wolfe’s friends and business partners that “excoriated Mr. Wolfe for being a horrible father and husband.”
The judge blasted Khawam for giving false evidence, and noted that a court-ordered shrink had found her domestic-violence allegations to be “part of an ever-expanding set of sensational accusations . . . that are so numerous, so extraordinary and [so] distorted that they defy any common-sense view of reality.”
The judge also noted that she “is a psychologically unstable person.”

Let’s pause here, dear reader.

Petraeus is one of the nation’s most decorated military officers. He commanded U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq and was recently made director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Yet here he is, immersing himself in a swirling cesspool of raw craziness:

  • An affair with his worshipful biographer.
  • Using a trick to hide e-mails to his mistress.
  • His “family friend” Jill Kelley exchanging thousands of potentially inappropriate e-mails with his successor in command in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. John Allen.
  • Vouching for the good character of Jill’s crazy sister.

This looks a lot like a belated mid-life crisis, or else maybe Petraeus’s reputation as a responsible adult was more image than substance. Were there other affairs before Paula Broadwell? Are we supposed to believe that the general, having resisted temptation for more than three decades of married life, suddenly found himself confronted by the one woman no CIA director could possibly resist? Color me skeptical.

Mark Steyn called this the “missing piece of the puzzle,” and that was before we learned that Gen. Allen had also intervened on behalf of Jill Kelley’s crazy twin sister — you know, the divorceé who made up “an ever-expanding set of sensational accusations” against her ex.

Because that’s what four-star Marine generals do, y’know: Vouch for mental cases in custody battles. It’s right there between the “halls of Montezuma” and the “shores of Tripoli.” Tim Stanley of the London Daily Telegraph writes:

How does this comedy relate to the horror of Benghazi, when four American citizens were killed at the tail end of what increasingly looks like an intelligence operation gone bad? It testifies to the extraordinary incompetence at all levels of the federal security state.

What is really interesting, however, is that this lurid and tawdry soap opera may have accidentally turned up the best explanation for why the Obama administration lied through its teeth about the Benghazi attack, as Townhall’s Katie Pavlich observes:

It isn’t the affair itself that gives us more information, but the affair bringing attention to words spoken by Broadwell in Denver on October 26. She said the CIA was holding prisoners at the annex in Benghazi and Fox News has confirmed with another source this was the case.
This explains two things. The U.S. consulate in Benghazi was being repeatedly attacked because prisoners were being held and because President Obama signed an executive order in 2009 banning secret CIA prisons, they had to find an alternative story to cover-up what really happened, hence the YouTube video.

Wow. So if Broadwell was right — and obviously, she was in a position to know — then either (a) the Obama administration was secretly violating its own announced policy, or (b) some in the CIA had gone “rogue,” and the deliberate obfuscation of what happened in Benghazi was a cover-up of this secret violation of the president’s executive order.

If so, then it bears a resemblance to the Iran-Contra scandal, and if it turns out that things went wrong in Benghazi because the folks in charge were too busy chasing poontang to do their actual jobs, then this story is a long way from being over.

Fausta’s right: Focus, focus focus.

Category: Libya, Military, Scandal, Sex

Capitalization and Heteronormativity?

Posted on | November 13, 2012 | 22 Comments

There’s probably no connection. On the other hand, maybe my insistence on proper spelling, punctuation and grammar — even in such informal contexts as Twitter and text-messaging — is evidence of a traditionalist predisposition. And then there is the transgressive stance:

While it would be politically incorrect to be judgmental about some things, I do not accept bad grammar as an “alternative lifestyle.”

Category: Celebrities

Gadsden Phoenix Rises. Detractors Can Kiss Her Ashes.

Posted on | November 13, 2012 | 47 Comments

by Smitty

Instapundit liked the tweet last night:


 

There was some admission of the suckage of the situation, and discussion that we need to get over the fact that (to paraphrase) BHO delivered on his promise to change the culture fundamentally. For my money, time, and effort, this means that the Tea Parties need to veer even more toward the Libertarian disinterest in the traditional SoCon turf. That is a losing battle which, joined, will ensure a dearth of Conservative victories going down the road.

Most of the discussion was state-internal, and thus of precious little interest outside the Commonwealth. The VA GOP will have a convention to pick candidates for next fall’s off-year gubernatorial election. This means that there won’t be godless Commies and lurkers helping pick a squish to run for office on the GOP ticket. This is a good thing.

There was also a great deal of discussion of the need for unity. The gradual pushing out of senior GOP deadwood must continue, as Tea Partiers continue to infiltrate their local GOP committees. Elections require increased participation. The NOVA Tea Party put in massive amounts of effort, across the spectrum, and didn’t get the results.

Various areas to improve participation were identified, in particular, serving as Election Officers. Recovering the Republic will not be a spectator sport, folks. We can sit here, bickering and arguing over ‘oo shived ‘oo, or we can make adjustments, refine our efforts, grow our numbers, reach out to the young and not of European extraction. An economic horror story is set to unfold with ObamaCare. Clutching the woobie and whining about a shredded Constitution is not going to improve it.

American history isn’t grinding to a halt; our inalienable rights are out of the Left’s reach. Let’s get working to un-frack it, folks.

 

Category: Culture, Tea Party

Rule 5 Sun- er, Tuesday

Posted on | November 13, 2012 | 14 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


Ah, what a wretched week this has been. From ecstasy to agony in 24 hours with Romney and Ryan, followed by the landlord telling me it’s time to move on from my burrow. Well, at least we have two things to be grateful for: we’re not living on Staten Island, and we have internet access to enjoy the Consolation of the Boobs. Don’t follow the links when & where you shouldn’t ought to.


Laughing Conservative kicks off this week’s parade of pulchritude with Xiao Wen Ju, followed by Randy’s Roundtable with Karen Elson and Danica Patrick. Grumpy Old Man has some hot chicks with guitars, Blessed Blasphemy has Page 3 Girl Alice Goodwin, some anonymous contributor submitted a pic of Victoria’s Secret’s Newest Model, which Zilla also noted. Brian Noggle also worshiped at the altar of Danica this week, though I think it’s more of a dig at Troglopundit, who posted about Ms. Patrick but failed to observe Rule 5 while doing so. First Street Journal goes above and beyond with Rule 5: Silver Star Edition.


EBL (aside from encouraging Zilla) contributed some Paula Broadwell Rule 5 as well as Mila Kunis, it being the 237th birthday of the Marine Corps.  Proof Positive’s Friday Night Babe was Brandi Alexis, his vintage babe was Barbara Bach, while Heidi Klum covers the Sex In Advertising beat. Dustbury verges on lese majeste with Sarah Shahi and also spotlights Niki Karimi.


A View From The Beach marks this unhappy week with Natasha Henstridge, dead Egyptian princesses, hot chicks and zombies to commemorate the 1 millionth hit (Congrats!) , the obligatory cave girl post, Little Surfer Girls, a wake up call from Wylie Wilson, Turn Down Your Audio, and Midnight Music.


Soylent Green’s Monday Motivationer asks: got wood? The Tuesday Titillation exhorts us to Vote American, then it’s Humpday Hawt Britany Nola, Overnighty Natasha, three fingers of top shelf, Commenter #20,000, Alexa Vega in “Machete II”, Corsetcare: Four More Years, Overnighty Holly Randall, Getting Medieval, and Evening Awesome Bryci.


The Daley Gator’s DaleyBabes this week included Evangeline Lilly, Momoka Komachi, some ebony beauties, Sakura Sato, Ana Brenda Contreras, Leangela Davis, and Kayla Fitz.


Thanks to everyone for their links! Submissions for next week’s Rule 5 roundup are due in the Rule 5 Wombat mailbox by Saturday, November 17.

Category: Rule 5

Mary-Kate Olsen’s French Boyfriend

Posted on | November 13, 2012 | 16 Comments

Say hello to Olivier Sarkozy, half-brother of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy and managing director of the Carlyle Group’s global financial services division. He’s 42 and Mary-Kate is 26, so they’re both adults but . . .

Well, there’s just something very wrong with this picture, isn’t there?

This photo of the two lovebirds publicly cudding at a New York Knicks basketball game was No. 6 on Buzzfeed’s list of “Top 7 Creepiest Pictures Of Mary-Kate And Her Boyfriend” and No. 1 is extra-creepy, but perhaps not quite as creepy as the photo People magazine published of Mary-Kate strolling with Sarkozy and his daughter.

It has been reported that the couple are “head over heels” in love and Mary-Kate — who, with her twin sister Ashley, has a $1.5 billion fashion empire — told the Wall Street Journal about their relationship: “Everyone has an  opinion. . . . I find it’s better to focus on what’s in front of you  and to keep putting one foot in front of the other.”

“Grotesque” is the word Sarkozy’s ex-wife Charlotte used. Why didn’t the Doug Hutchison-Courtney Stodden marriage creep me out this bad?

 

Category: Celebrities

Apparently, Everybody Involved in the Petraeus Scandal Is a Swinging Sex Freak

Posted on | November 13, 2012 | 53 Comments

The CIA chief, his West Point-educated girlfriend, an FBI agent, the “social liaison” at McDill AFB, the top general in Afghanistan — they’re all as freewheeling and frisky as college juniors on Spring Break in Cabo. Gabriel Malor at AOSHQ summarizes the sordid mess:

Jill Kelley, the woman who was (allegedly) threatened by Gen. Petraeus’s squeeze Paula Broadwell and who (apparently) started the FBI investigation that led to Petraeus’ ouster, who went to the FBI for help after the threats and then (allegedly) had a relationship with the FBI agent in charge of her own case, who (allegedly) sent her shirtless pics of himself, also (apparently, allegedly) had “compromising” communications with Gen. John Allen, the Big Damn Commander of our war effort in Afghanistan. . . .
It’s not a love triangle. It’s a love Pentagon.

Good grief. America’s national security has been entrusted to the pledge committee at Delta Tau Chi. This is shocking beyond description:

Marine Gen. John R. Allen, the four-star U.S. commander of the war in Afghanistan, exchanged thousands of “potentially inappropriate” emails with Jill Kelley, the Tampa woman who claimed to have been harassed by the ex-mistress of former CIA Director David Petraeus . . .
The FBI notified the Defense Department on Sunday of “potentially inappropriate communications” between Allen and Kelley, and turned over to Pentagon lawyers 20,000 to 30,000 pages of emails exchanged by the two from 2010 to 2012.

Who the hell sends “20,000 to 30,000 pages of emails” to anybody? That’s somewhere between 7,000 and 10,000 pages a year. Jilly Kelley is a civilian, a married mother of three, so why is the four-star Marine general in charge of the Afghanistan war sending her all this e-mail? When did he ever find time to, y’know, fight the war? But the FBI hasn’t covered itself in glory, either:

After Kelley alerted the FBI, agents began pursuing it as a possible case of cyber harassment or stalking. “The thought was she was being followed,” the source said.
The anonymous emails continued — sent from multiple alias accounts — and some later ones in the sequence contained references to Petraeus, though not by name, the source said.
What most alarmed Kelley and the FBI, the source said, were references to “the comings and goings” of high-level generals from the U.S. Central Command, which is based at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, and the U.S. Southern Command, as well as Petraeus — including events that were not on any public schedule. This raised the question as to whether somebody had access to sensitive — and classified — information. . . .
Meanwhile, it has come to light that the FBI agent contacted by Kelley about the emails she received from Broadwell was removed from the case. According to officials, the agent’s supervisors said he had become infatuated with Kelley and had sent her shirtless photos of himself.

What the hell? Is our entire government staffed with people who have nothing better to do with their time than to chase poontang? Are our taxpayer dollars being used to pay for this stuff?

Hey, we’ve got a trillion-dollar deficit and we’re in hock to the ChiComs, but don’t you worry, America — we’re getting our money’s worth out of these dedicated public servants who occasionally do some actual work in between their cybersex sessions.

 

Category: Military, Scandal, Sex

LIVE AT FIVE: 11.13.12

Posted on | November 13, 2012 | 5 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Petraeus Scandal Rolls On As Focus Turns To Senate Inquiry

Petraeus and Broadwell

Broadwell’s home searched by FBI, Senate Intel Committee opens probe into FBI investigation


Obama Considering John Kerry As New SecDef
Did you know he served in Vietnam?


Windows Head Steven Sinofsky Leaving Microsoft
Sources say he wasn’t a team player



POLITICS
Thousands Of Long Islanders Still Without Power

Crews replace a power pole in Belle Harbor, NY

Government-run utility failing hard at restoring power


Not One Romney Vote In 59 Philly Wards?

Idaho Inmates Sue CCA

Bears, Budgets And Farmers Top Congress’ To-Do List

Turbo Tax Timmy Staying At Treasury Through Inauguration

States Petition To Secede From Union

Red Cross Runs Out Of Supplies Early, Further Frustrating Sandy Victims



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Oil Continues To Slide As European FMs Postpone Release Of Greece’s Next Payment; NYMEX $85.01, Brent $108.46
Largarde, EU Clash Over Greek Debt Levels
US, Greek Worries Weigh On Asian Shares & Commodities
With Jefferies Deal, “Baby Berkshire” Deviates From Buffett
Black Friday Creeps Into Thanksgiving
Hostess To Close Three Plants After Union Strikes
Environmentalists Claim Many Coal-Fired Power Plants “Ripe For Retirement”
Corn & Soybean Production Estimates Increased
JC Penney Stock Drops To Lowest In Three Years Amid Pricing Plan Worries
Google To Refund Some Pre-Price Drop Nexus 7 Buyers
Google Unveils $199 Acer Chromebook
“HALO 4” Launch Day Sales Break $220 Million
Google Reportedly Facing FTC Ultimatum Over Antitrust Suit
Six Intriguing Features In Blackberry 10
Why We Shoot: “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” And “HALO 4”



SPORTS
Bryce Harper, Mike Trout Named Rookies Of The Year

Mike Trout, AL Rookie of the Year

Trout youngest and Harper second-youngest winners of the award

Steelers Tip Chiefs In OT, 16-13; Roethlisberger Injured

LeBron James Scores 38 To Rally Heat Past Rockets, 113-110

Jeff Gordon Fined 100K, Docked Points, Placed On Probation For Wreck

Oates Tackles Learning Curve In AHL

Rondo Barely Misses Triple Double As Celtics Beat Bulls 101-95

Agreement On BCS Playoff Structure Reached

Massive Crowd Greets Aggies After Alabama Upset

Giants Sign Affeldt For Three Years, $18 Million

Carl Crawford Expected To Be Ready For Opening Day

Scott Boras Says Indians Ownership Doesn’t Care About Winning

Hockey Hall of Fame Reunites Sundin, Sakic

Thoughts, Observations And Leftovers On The Nationals



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Lindsay Lohan’s Snub Of Baba Wawa For Leno “A Slap In The Face”

Old & Burnt/New Hot Mess


Veteran interviewer whines about starlet’s evasion


Related: Nicki Minaj Rips Walters Over Rumored Feud With Mariah Carey


Voice Of Elmo: I Did Not Have Sex With That Underaged Boy

Anne Hathaway Joins “Robocalypse”

50 Shades Of Divorce

E! Network’s “Married To Jonas” Renewed For Second Season

Facebook Couples Pages Make Brit Journalist Want To Barf

 James Wan In Talks To Direct “MacGyver” Movie



FOREIGNERS
New Syrian Opposition Group Recognized By Gulf Council
Syrian Jet Bombs Town Near Turkish Border
Dalai Lama Wants Thorough Probe Into Tibetan Deaths
Corruption Scandals Pushing PRC Leaders To Open Books
BBC Execs Could Face Discipinary Action Over “Newsnight” Error
Clegg Says Government “Absolutely Determined” To Deport Abu Qatada
$2 Billion In Zimbabwe Diamonds Plundered By Mugabe Cronies



BLOGS & STUFF
American Power: Red America Forced To Reconcile The Emerging Democrat-Secular Majority
Jawa Report: FBI Agent In Petraeus Case Under Scutiny For Sending Shirtless Pix Of Himself
Via Meadia: Is Philandering A Security Concern?
Wired: Petraeus Scandal Engulfs ISAF Commander, General Jones
Tim Blair: No Jokes Spring Immediately To Mind
Legal Insurrection: Will We Ever Again Hear The Whole Truth About Anything?
Lonely Conservative: So, What’s With This Secret Prison In Benghazi?
James Taranto: Broadwell And Benghazi
AZCentral: Democrats Take Two More Arizona Seats; Sinema, Kirkpatrick Win
NewsBusters: CBS’ Nancy Giles Says Whites Oppose Abortion “To Build Up The Race”
Patterico: Joseph Curl On What To Do Now
NRO Corner: Romney Political Director Claims “The Ground Game Worked Just Fine”

Category: Live at Five
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