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So where are we with General Petraeus?
What on earth is happening when an American who has been trusted as much as General Petraeus has his little love affair exposed (which doesn’t seem to have effected his CIA leadership at all) and feels the need to resign?
This article is from Truthdig… I’m putting it all here:
How the David Petraeus-Paula Broadwell Affair Was Uncovered
AP/Cliff Owen Former CIA Director David Petraeus. Modern technology apparently cost ex-CIA Director David Petraeus his job. The retired general’s affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell was discovered by the FBI while it was investigating harassing emails she sent to Jill Kelley, a 37-year-old woman who serves as an unpaid social liaison to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. A former associate of Petraeus says he and Kelley are just friends.
After news of the FBI investigation that uncovered the affair, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper stepped in and asked Petraeus to resign.
Clapper was told by the Justice Department of the Petraeus investigation at about 5 p.m. on Election Day, and then called Petraeus and urged him to resign, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.
…Concerned that the emails he exchanged with Broadwell raised the possibility of a security breach, the FBI brought the matter up with Petraeus directly, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.
Petraeus decided to quit, though he was breaking no laws by having an affair, officials said.
In the wake of Petraeus’ resignation, members of Congress are asking for more information about the investigation, including why they weren’t alerted sooner and whether the probe had any impact on national security.
Now here are my thoughts. Given the world situation, why in hell are we letting a man with this amount of military and foreign policy and management experience leave this job over a little penis stimulation? You can’t tell me that the Congressfolk who would sit over his situation if he hadn’t resigned haven’t been involved in the same kind of stuff.
If I were Obama, I would have, at least temporarily, refused Petraeus’ resignation and let him go ahead with his testimony about Libya (which he should do anyway, whether he has resigned or not.)
If we really let him go we are more stupid than I already think.
Related articles
- Congress wants answers on Petraeus affair (cnsnews.com)
- Woman connected to Petraeus scandal seeks privacy (cnsnews.com)
- Friend: Petraeus began affair after taking CIA job – Boston.com (boston.com)
- Info emerges about 2nd woman in David Petraeus affair (bostonherald.com)
- Identity of second woman emerges in Petraeus’ downfall (sfluxe.com)
- Woman who sparked Petraeus probe ID’d by U.S. army official (cbc.ca)
- L’affaire Petraeus: second woman identified, and Gmail location data outed Broadwell and Petraeus (boingboing.net)
- David Petraeus Resigns From The CIA Over An Affair. (stirringtrouble.wordpress.com)
What is it about Republicans and Rape?
Tom Smith is running for Senate against Democratic Sen. Bob Casey in Pennsylvania. When the Akin/Ryan/Rape business came up he was interviewed by Mark Scolforo of the Associated Press. Catch this:
SCOLFORO: How would you tell a daughter or a granddaughter who, God forbid, would be the victim
of a rape, to keep the child against her own will? Do you have a way to explain that?
SMITH: I lived something similar to that with my own family. She chose life, and I commend her for that. She knew my views. But, fortunately for me, I didn’t have to.. she chose the way I thought. No don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t rape.
SCOLFORO: Similar how?
SMITH: Uh, having a baby out of wedlock.
SCOLFORO: That’s similar to rape?
SMITH: No, no, no, but… put yourself in a father’s situation, yes. It is similar. But, back to the original, I’m pro-life, period.
Perhaps Republicans have no real idea what Rape is… a violent and immoral crime. For the state to have control of a woman’s decisions related to the use of her body is equally as violent, whether psychologically or physically, and just as criminally immoral.
At least we know now that birth out of wedlock is “similar” to rape.
I hope you Pennsylvania folks keep a very good Senator that you are lucky to have… Bob Casey.
(Special thanks to Wonkette for the transcript.)
Related articles
- Pennsylvania Senate Candidate: Out Of Wedlock Pregnancy “Similar” To Rape (outsidethebeltway.com)
- Paul Ryan: Rape Just Another Method Of Conception (outsidethebeltway.com)
- Don\’t Worry, You Won\’t Get Pregnant From Rape (formingthethread.wordpress.com)
- Todd Akin’s Immoral Ethics About Women (bigthink.com)
- Ryan on abortion exceptions: Rape is just another ‘method of conception’ (rawstory.com)
- Do You Get It? (talkingpointsmemo.com)
The announcement is out… Romney has picked Ryan
It’s official. Mitt Romney‘s choice for vice president will be Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan. It was announced this morning that Ryan, a more conservative Republican then Mitt, will be the candidate for vice president on the Romney ticket.
Ryan is considered to be much more conservative than Romney. Known for several new budget proposals and changes in Medicare, Ryan is probably the candidate that the Democrats are most happy to have running with Mitt. The fact that Mitt is not nearly as conservative as Ryan will be The cause of potential changes in his campaign.
The choice is interesting since Romney has not actually been nominated yet. This will all occur during the Republican convention. It does, however, make Romney appear more Republican then he has in the last few weeks. He appears to be doing this because it will make the members of his party be more supportive than they have been.
I am looking forward to traveling to Wisconsin for my son Buddy’s wedding In Milwaukee next week, and I’m looking forward to hearing what Wisconsinites have to say about their congressman being on the Republican ticket. I’ll be reporting that information here on Under The LobsterScope.
Related articles
- Quick Thoughts on Romney Veep Announcement (themoderatevoice.com)
- AP Source: Romney Picks Ryan for Running Mate (usnews.com)
- Source: Mitt Romney to select Paul Ryan as running mate (fox6now.com)
- Romney has picked Paul Ryan as running mate, Republican source tells the AP (foxnews.com)
- Romney “picks” Paul Ryan for VP in a DELUSIONAL fit to pretend like he has the GOP nomination. (jeenyuscorner.com)
- Republican official confirms to @AP: Romney will choose Paul Ryan for running mate (ksl.com)
Comedy Writer and Saturday Night Live Alum Tom Davis has Died
From the L.A. Times:
Franken & Davis on SNL
Davis died Thursday at his home in Hudson, N.Y., his wife, Mimi Raleigh, told the Associated Press. He had throat and neck cancer.
Classmates while growing up in Minneapolis, Davis and Franken developed stand-up routines in Minnesota and Los Angeles before landing the gig on “Saturday Night Live.” They wrote and performed on the show, creating the Coneheads characters and skits featuring Bill Murray‘s Nick the Lounge Singer.
As performers, Davis was the quiet one, overshadowed by the flashier Franken, who is now a Democratic senator from Minnesota. Davis told the AP in 2009: “If we were Sonny and Cher, he would be Cher.” The two had a falling out in 1990 but later reconciled.
Davis stayed with “SNL” from its first season until 1980, then returned for another run from 1985 to 1994 and again in 2002-03. He was among the “SNL” writers who shared Emmy Awards in 1976, ’77 and ’89. He won another writing Emmy in 1978 for a Paul Simon variety show.
Related articles
- Al Franken’s ‘SNL’ partner, Tom Davis, dies in NY (news.yahoo.com)
- Tom Davis, Al Franken’s ‘SNL’ Partner, Dies… – ABC News (abcnews.go.com)
- Tom Davis Dies at 59; ‘S.N.L.’ Writer and Comedy Partner to a Future Senator (nytimes.com)
- Al Franken’s ‘SNL’ partner, Tom Davis, dies in US (thejakartapost.com)
- R.I.P. Tom Davis (deadline.com)
- Tom Davis dies: SNL writer, Al Franken partner dead at 59 (examiner.com)
- Celebrated ‘SNL’ Writer Dies At 59 (huffingtonpost.com)
Two Quotes: What do Republicans think of Romney’s tax release stance?
“There is no whining in politics. Stop demanding an apology, release your tax returns.”
– GOP strategist John Weaver, calling on Mitt Romney to disclose his tax returns.
“If you have things to hide, then maybe you’re doing things wrong. I think you ought to be willing to release everything to the American people.”
– Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R), calling on Mitt Romney to release his tax returns.
Hey, Mitt… how about the returns for 2000, 2001 and 2002? Do they show your income from Bain Capital?
(Thanks to Taegan Goddard.)
Related articles
- Alabama’s GOP Governor Calls On Romney To Release More Tax Returns: ‘Release Everything To The American People’ (thinkprogress.org)
- GOP governor calls on Romney to release more tax returns (news.yahoo.com)
- Mitt Romney Says He’s Unlikely To Release More Than Two Tax Returns (lindaluke.newsvine.com)
- Romney says he’ll only release 2 tax returns (newsday.com)
- More GOP Calls for Romney to Release Tax Returns; Take a Look at His $77K Dancing Horse Tax Deduction (pamshouseblend.firedoglake.com)
- Romney says he’ll only release 2 tax returns (newsobserver.com)
- Romney: I had nothing to do with running Bain. I just owned it. Oh, and no more tax returns! (dailykos.com)
- MITT ROMNEY: I’m NOT Releasing Any More Tax Returns (investmentwatchblog.com)
The story behind the image: Napalm girl at age 49…
Took this article from The Guardian. Read the whole thing HERE.
A clip:
She will always be naked after blobs of sticky napalm melted through her clothes and layers of skin like jellied lava.
She will always be a victim without a name.
It only took a second for Associated Press photographer Huynh Cong “Nick” Ut to snap the iconic black-and-white image 40 years ago. It communicated the horrors of the Vietnam War in a way words could never describe, helping to end one of the most divisive wars in American history.
But beneath the photo lies a lesser-known story. It’s the tale of a dying child brought together by chance with a young photographer. A moment captured in the chaos of war that would be both her savior and her curse on a journey to understand life’s plan for her.
“I really wanted to escape from that little girl,” says Kim Phuc, now 49. “But it seems to me that the picture didn’t let me go.”
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The whole story is a long and revealing one, and quite worth reading. We are all familiar with the Pulitzer Prize winning photograph, but the story of what came after is an important human one. Go HERE.
Quote of the Day – Obama at the Center… Where did the Republicans go?
“I think it’s important to remember that the positions I’m taking now on the budget and a host of other issues, if we had been having this discussion 20 years ago, or even 15 years ago, would have been considered squarely centrist positions. What’s changed is the center of the Republican Party.”
The President spoke at an Associated Press luncheon yesterday and reminded campaign journalists about the false-equivalence fallacy:
“I think that there is often times the impulse to suggest that if the two parties are disagreeing, then they’re equally at fault and the truth lies somewhere in the middle, and an equivalence is presented — which reinforces I think people’s cynicism about Washington generally.”
Note that Obama changed his position on the mandate policy, but remember that the mandate was a conservative idea, embraced by Republican policymakers for years.
Obama went from supporting a single-payer plan during the 2008 campaign to supporting a plan designed by Mitt Romney in Massachusetts and backed by moderate Republicans throughout the ’90s.
Does this strike you as Obama moving to the left? As the Republicans look to tear down the plan they had previously recommended, who is really moving away from the center?
The end seems near in Libya:
Gadhafi
This from McClatchy News Service:
Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi’s regime appeared near collapse Sunday with the reported capture of his son and the surrender of his personal guard to rebel forces, Libyan officials and NATO said.
With NATO bombings paving the way, rebel forces swiftly closed in on Tripoli and by late Sunday were in control of large swaths of the capital. Live television footage showed crowds of opposition fighters in Tripoli unfurling the rebel tricolor flag and smashing Gadhafi portraits. Young men stomped on a large tapestry of the leader as they flashed victory signs.
Gadhafi made a brief audio statement on Libyan TV, sounding desperate as he called on individual tribes and cities to rise up and defend Tripoli. He pleaded with Libyans to “take weapons” and prevent the destruction of “beautiful Tripoli.”
Related articles
- Libyan rebels move close to center of Tripoli (thenewstribune.com)
- Libyan Rebels Enter Tripoli; Gaddafi’s Son Captured [Libya] (gawker.com)
- Libyan rebels move close to center of Tripoli (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Gadhafi’s days numbered says White House as Libyan rebels free prisoners in Tripoli (vanguardngr.com)
OK…Harold Camping got it wrong… but he has a new date for the Rapture…
I guess he didn’t raise enough to add to his blessed $72 million bucks. better get in line with him now and send in your money) so you make it up to heaven when it really happens. But do it before October 21st.
Here are his comments:
Got it? Now get back to work.
Related articles
- Harold Camping’s Family Radio Completely Redesigns Website With No Mention Of Rapture (businessinsider.com)
- Harold Camping Predicts Rapture Will Now Be Oct. 21 (kaystreet.wordpress.com)
- The Rapture Has Been Pushed Until Oct. 21st. (thenationalbugle.com)
- Harold Camping Moves Goalpost: October 21 is the New Rapture (towleroad.com)
- Rapture Rescheduled for October 21, Says Harold Camping (sfist.com)
- The first reaction from Rapture predictor Harold Camping (invisiblechildren.com)
- Follow Up of the Day: Harold Camping Revises Rapture Date [UPDATED] (thedailywh.at)
Saw this on HuffPo this morning – will this effect Haley Barbour’s campaign possibilities?
Haley Barbour
As people gear up to enter the Republican Presidential Primary, all kinds of past facts start coming forward. One example is Haley Barbour‘s career as a lobbyist.
I’ll give you a clip here, but there are plenty of details in the article:
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Related Articles
- Miss. Gov. Haley Barbour Addresses Lobbying Past (politics.blogs.foxnews.com)
- Haley Barbour’s 2012 Ambitions Could Be Complicated By Lobbying Past (huffingtonpost.com)
- Haley Barbour’s Wife Is “Horrified” At The Thought Of A Presidential Run (outsidethebeltway.com)
- Barbour explains Trump’s poll numbers (via CNN Political Ticker) (richardemanuel.wordpress.com)
Last Friday the Press Sued Scott Walker to Release E-Mails Which He Claims Support his Actions…
… and, in violation of “Wisconsin Open Records Law and Wis. Stat. § 19.37(1) by withholding the requested email messages and delaying granting access to the email messages,” the Governor has, so far, refused.
This from The Isthmus’ Daily Page:
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So now we wait to see what comes next. Can this criminal Governor do anything to justify his refusal to preserve the negotiating rights of his working citizens? Will the people in Wisconsin further stimulate the workers of the whole country to take a stand against the rich bankers and Wall Street robbers who have made billions while the average Joe has lost job, home and future?
Have a nice Monday.
Related Articles
- Scott Walker and Transparency? Like Oil And Water. (crooksandliars.com)
- Wisconsin Update: Thousands Rally Again as Talks Between Parties Stall (news.firedoglake.com)
- Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker Issues Layoff Warning Notices (huffingtonpost.com)
- Keeping an eye on Scott Walker (queerlandia.com)
- Tackled Wisc. lawmaker: ‘I put all the blame on Scott Walker’ (crooksandliars.com)
- Scott Walker Seen Through the Prism of Abba’s Way – Associated Content from Yahoo! – associatedcontent.com (stephencrose.wordpress.com)
On the 1,515th Valentine’s Day we are looking at a lot less love for working classes…
On the 1,515th Valentine’s Day we are looking at a lot less love for working classes…Obama is getting ready to put in his budget cut proposals and it looks like the folks who are going to be asked to hold their breaths and take the biggest cuts are those of us on the bottom.
This from the Associated Press:
Less than two months after signing tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans into law, President Barack Obama proposed a spending plan to Congress that cuts funding to programs that assist the working poor, help the needy heat their homes, and expand access to graduate-level education, undermining the kind of community-based organizations that helped Obama launch his political career in Chicago.
Now here is what I want to know…since the Tax Cut deal Obama supported and got through is going to give us a $1.6 Trillion deficit, and 
our Federal Revenues will be greatly reduced because of the cut, what will keep us functioning? Part of the budget proposal swings more responsibility to the States:
“To help employers keep workers on the job, the Budget will encourage States to expand use of short-time compensation… Also known as work-sharing, this voluntary employer program helps firms retain workers by reducing employees’ weekly hours instead of laying them off. Workers with reduced hours receive a partial unemployment check to supplement their reduced paycheck.”
From what I understand, however, the States don’t have a big income source either. I look at West Virginia especially. We are one of 45 States who are not going to make our State Budget this year. Very few of the funds from the Recovery Act are available after August 2011.
I have an idea… let’s bring back some of the taxes on the top 2% of our citizens and write of this problem once and for all. I’m not opposed to taking my cut here as long as those rich types get their incomes cut, too.
More Than 1,000 Dead Birds Fall From The Sky
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Wow…it’s like an old Twilight Zone Episode.
Any thoughts?
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- Thousands of dead birds picked up in Ark. town (hosted.ap.org)
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- No poison found in birds that fell on Ark. town (msnbc.msn.com)
- 100,000 Fish And 5,000 Birds Die In Arkansas On New Years Day Mystery [Video] (realestateradiousa.com)
- Quesion of the day: What killed all the birds? (capitolhillblue.com)
- Shower of dead birds: apocalypse or accident? (newscientist.com)
I am more and more depressed with the idea of Republicans taking over the House…
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What IS it about dogs that cheers up the gloomiest thoughts? I notice that Chevrolet is selling trucks with a TV commercial called “A Chevy and a Dog”, with retrievers being the lure to get buyers into the showroom.
Related Articles
- Dog in Germany gives birth to 17 puppies (boston.com)
- Rhodesian Ridgeback in Germany gives birth to 17 puppies (chron.com)
- Dog in Germany gives birth to 17 puppies; all survive (timesunion.com)
Color-Coded Terror Alerts To Be Dropped By Department Of Homeland Security
There’s more to this AP article at HuffPo:
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Related Articles
- “Homeland Security wants to end color-coded terror alerts” and related posts (securitylawbrief.com)
- You: Terror alert system is on its way out (latimes.com)
- Homeland Security Drops Color-Coded Terror Alerts (news.slashdot.org)
Why you didn’t see Christine O’Donnell on the Sunday Talking heads…
This clip from Talking Points Memo:
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Related Articles
- Karl Rove Says Christine O’Donnell Needs to Explain Witchcraft ‘Dabbling’ to Voters (politicsdaily.com)
- Karl Rove: Christine O’Donnell Needs To Explain Her ‘Witchcraft’ Remarks (mediaite.com)
- Christine O’Donnell Was A Witch! (perezhilton.com)
