General Petraeus.....

[Rerun]

He said.... she said....  What is the truth?   Was this scandal saved for after the election?  Did he leek secrets in the heights of passion.  Should he still testify on the Libya murders? 

The spin STOPS here....  Fair and Balanced on IHD....     

[Joe]

I just hope he thinks it was worth it, though I doubt it...

[KarenInWA]

I think he should testify, because even though he is not in his position any longer, he was in that position during the time. Why should his current status matter?

[Rerun]

Haven't we all been there..... watching an office affair..... everyone wants to throw up watching the 2 love birds who are oblivious to the outside world.  Tickles and giggles.  Disappearances for hours.....

People knew long before the confession.

                 

[jbeany]

My personal theory is that all men in power positions are secretly jealous of Henry VIII.  He could behead his women when he tired of them so they wouldn't be a problem later on....

[Rerun]

Yeah, but these days it takes 2.  She was a power monger herself. 

Now the other other woman is having an affair with the General John Allen in Afghanistan?  What is going on?

Uggh!

[Bill Peckham]

The real scandal is that this whole affair is proof of "a surveillance state run amok":
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/13/petraeus-surveillance-state-fbi

"So all based on a handful of rather unremarkable emails sent to a woman fortunate enough to have a friend at the FBI, the FBI traced all of Broadwell's physical locations, learned of all the accounts she uses, ended up reading all of her emails, investigated the identity of her anonymous lover (who turned out to be Petraeus), and then possibly read his emails as well. They dug around in all of this without any evidence of any real crime - at most, they had a case of "cyber-harassment" more benign than what regularly appears in my email inbox and that of countless of other people - and, in large part, without the need for any warrant from a court."

How is it that a military groupie in Tampa can get the FBI to launch a far reaching investigation, spanning the country because of a few catty emails? That's the disgrace, this nation's disgrace.

[Rerun]

Are you kidding?      You would rather they not be caught. and Her get pissed off and maybe breach security?

There is a guy here in Spokane sitting in jail because he was looking (looking) at child pornography.  Good I say!
Oh and he worked for Child Services....   

This is not a normal email it is the head of the CIA !  The real scandal is it wasn't brought out until AFTER the election.  WOW  What a discrace.  We all know it was know about in October!

This isn't a sex scandal anymore this is treason.

If all this gets swept under the rug I'll not be a bit surprised.

[Bill Peckham]

Are you kidding?      You would rather they not be caught. and Her get pissed off and maybe breach security?

There is a guy here in Spokane sitting in jail because he was looking (looking) at child pornography.  Good I say!
Oh and he worked for Child Services....   

This is not a normal email it is the head of the CIA !  The real scandal is it wasn't brought out until AFTER the election.  WOW  What a discrace.  We all know it was know about in October!

This isn't a sex scandal anymore this is treason.

If all this gets swept under the rug I'll not be a bit surprised.

The ends do not justify the means. When the FBI launched their investigation they did not know the general was involved.

And why would anyone change their vote if Petraeus had been revealed as an adulterer prior to the election? The general was not an Obama surrogate. He isn't even a Democrat. In what way does this reflect badly on the President? Are you really shocked that powerful men canoodle? And as for Allen - exchanging emails does not an affair make, the General deserves the benefit of the doubt rather than quickly jumping to your preferred conclusion.

[Joe]

This isn't a sex scandal anymore this is treason.

In everything I've seen about this sordid story, I've missed anything that would sniff of treason. What makes you think that line has been crossed?  Bad judgement, yes, treason, not quite.

[jbeany]

It's called fruit of the poisonous tree in the legal field.  Get it properly or it doesn't exist in court. 

And while I do think he's an idiot to be sending anything incriminating back and forth on emails - no, men in power having affairs neither shocks me or makes me think they are incapable of doing a job. 

[Hober Mallow]

The real scandal is it wasn't brought out until AFTER the election.  WOW  What a discrace.

What exactly did it have to do with the election?

I guess if you want to know why we didn't know about it until after the election, you'll have to ask Republican Congressman Eric Cantor. He knew about it before the election.

[Hemodoc]

The real scandal is it wasn't brought out until AFTER the election.  WOW  What a discrace.

What exactly did it have to do with the election?

I guess if you want to know why we didn't know about it until after the election, you'll have to ask Republican Congressman Eric Cantor. He knew about it before the election.

Good grief, the FBI head knew about this months, the Attorney General knew about the investigation for months and they were both supposed to report this to congress and the president. I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you if you truly believe that Obama found out the night of the election.

To place this on Cantor with an unsubstantiated whistle blower a little more than a week before the election is ludicrous. Cantor did the correct thing in seeking confirmation before going public. Cantor is not at issue in this unfolding scandal. One more scandal to add to all those that came before the election and are sure to surface now that the great one has been reelected. Obama is very good at getting elected but not very good at all running this nation once he won. Scandal after scandal already just after the election such a short time ago. Cantor is not at issue at all in this investigation but only a weird side story. The other players are at the heart of the issue. Perhaps they should take responsibility for their own actions, it is not Bush's fault nor is it Cantor's.

[Bill Peckham]

The real scandal is it wasn't brought out until AFTER the election.  WOW  What a discrace.

What exactly did it have to do with the election?

I guess if you want to know why we didn't know about it until after the election, you'll have to ask Republican Congressman Eric Cantor. He knew about it before the election.

Good grief, the FBI head knew about this months, the Attorney General knew about the investigation for months and they were both supposed to report this to congress and the president. I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you if you truly believe that Obama found out the night of the election.

To place this on Cantor with an unsubstantiated whistle blower a little more than a week before the election is ludicrous. Cantor did the correct thing in seeking confirmation before going public. Cantor is not at issue in this unfolding scandal. One more scandal to add to all those that came before the election and are sure to surface now that the great one has been reelected. Obama is very good at getting elected but not very good at all running this nation once he won. Scandal after scandal already just after the election such a short time ago. Cantor is not at issue at all in this investigation but only a weird side story. The other players are at the heart of the issue. Perhaps they should take responsibility for their own actions, it is not Bush's fault nor is it Cantor's.

Are you suggesting the President is responsible for his general's private lives or are you suggesting that the affair is a national security matter? That Petraeus has been derelict in his duties. Do you think Petraeus did a good job as CIA chief?

Do you find it acceptable that a friend of an FBI agent can launch an investigation with a phone call?

EDITED TO ADD: Here is a Tic Tock on the whole sordid affair. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, Peter.

[Hemodoc]

The real scandal is it wasn't brought out until AFTER the election.  WOW  What a discrace.

What exactly did it have to do with the election?

I guess if you want to know why we didn't know about it until after the election, you'll have to ask Republican Congressman Eric Cantor. He knew about it before the election.

Good grief, the FBI head knew about this months, the Attorney General knew about the investigation for months and they were both supposed to report this to congress and the president. I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you if you truly believe that Obama found out the night of the election.

To place this on Cantor with an unsubstantiated whistle blower a little more than a week before the election is ludicrous. Cantor did the correct thing in seeking confirmation before going public. Cantor is not at issue in this unfolding scandal. One more scandal to add to all those that came before the election and are sure to surface now that the great one has been reelected. Obama is very good at getting elected but not very good at all running this nation once he won. Scandal after scandal already just after the election such a short time ago. Cantor is not at issue at all in this investigation but only a weird side story. The other players are at the heart of the issue. Perhaps they should take responsibility for their own actions, it is not Bush's fault nor is it Cantor's.

Are you suggesting the President is responsible for his general's private lives or are you suggesting that the affair is a national security matter? That Petraeus has been derelict in his duties. Do you think Petraeus did a good job as CIA chief?

Do you find it acceptable that a friend of an FBI agent can launch an investigation with a phone call?

EDITED TO ADD: Here is a Tic Tock on the whole sordid affair. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, Peter.

Bill, as a prior Army officer promoted to the rank of Major, what Petraeus did is a big deal. He claims no affair occurred while on active duty. Had he stated the affair occurred during his military days, he could potentially still be prosecuted for adultery, a seldom enforced element of the uniform code of military justice, but one that has and continues to be a big deal when it occurs. The biggest issue is when it occurs within the chain of command.

Not sure what the rules are for the CIA, but it is indeed a national security issue where the director opens himself to potential blackmail. That may or may not be an issue in the current scandal. Not enough information at present. When it comes to military and security forces, adultery is a big deal especially when it occurs with those at the top of the chain of command. That betrays a very poor judgement that is surprising at his level.

There may also be an issue of classified information directly from Petraeus. If that is proven, then it is a big deal indeed and it also would expand the Benghazi scandal as well.

If Obama truly did not know of the FBI investigation until the night of the election, that defies credulity. I don't believe that, but that is his cover story at the minimum.

Time will tell what comes of this. Not a good day for America and there is more to come.

[Bill Peckham]

If the details of the case were different it might be a big deal, I'll give you that. The worst part of this whole thing isn't the idea that the FBI would launch an investigation based on a friend's complaint, the worse part is that in the process of finding out who sent the emails they would read all her emails and then seek the identity of an anonymous correspondent - what is the rationale for allowing the FBI the ability to cast this sort of net?

Before there is any national political intrigue involved the FBI is nosing around people's email accounts for shits and giggles. Is it now the law of the land that if you are under FBI investigation for any reason or if someone who you email is under FBI investigation, your emails are completely public? If Kent Thiry takes a dislike to your blog and has a well placed friend, is it alright for the FBI to read through your emails? To study your computer habits? Check into the identity of your correspondents?

[Hemodoc]

If the details of the case were different it might be a big deal, I'll give you that. The worst part of this whole thing isn't the idea that the FBI would launch an investigation based on a friend's complaint, the worse part is that in the process of finding out who sent the emails they would read all her emails and then seek the identity of an anonymous correspondent - what is the rationale for allowing the FBI the ability to cast this sort of net?

Before there is any national political intrigue involved the FBI is nosing around people's email accounts for shits and giggles. Is it now the law of the land that if you are under FBI investigation for any reason or if someone who you email is under FBI investigation, your emails are completely public? If Kent Thiry takes a dislike to your blog and has a well placed friend, is it alright for the FBI to read through your emails? To study your computer habits? Check into the identity of your correspondents?

Not sure what you are trying to imply with your comments, but anything you say on the telephone is subject to surveillance as well as emails through computer protocols. In this case, they are using laws on cyber-harassment whatever that is to justify looking into private emails:

However, Fox News confirmed Monday from multiple law enforcement sources that the emails came from multiple dummy accounts, which were traced back to Broadwell. The reason the FBI had jurisdiction is because cyber-harassment is a federal crime, and once the FBI got to Broadwell they uncovered the affair.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/11/13/top-us-commander-in-afghanistan-gen-john-allen-under-investigation-for-alleged/#ixzz2CB4XDsZp

Apparently, under Obama, this electronic eaves dropping has "surged."

Warrantless Electronic Surveillance Surges Under Obama Justice Department

NEW YORK -- The Obama administration has overseen a sharp increase in the number of people subjected to warrantless electronic surveillance of their telephone, email and Facebook accounts by federal law enforcement agencies, new documents released by the American Civil Liberties Union on Friday revealed.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/28/warrantless-electronic-surveillance-obama_n_1924508.html

[Rerun]

Geez will you two let me have a shot!   

Here in Spokane a young girl was getting anonmyous nasty texts threatening to rape her.  Her Dad called the FBI.... so they must be in the phone book.... not hard.  The FBI went to the school and by lunch time found the 2 bad boys and hauled them in and scared them "straight".  I say Good!  I heard this and said  "this is good".  Maybe her dad was a friend of an FBI agent?

The guy sitting in jail for child pornography was doing it through his computer and it alerted the FBI.... it is illegal.  So, they then offered to buy some pictures and he sold them.  Bingo!  Bango!  He is getting 5 years hard time.

I guess if the FBI got me on anti Obama material on this site then that would violate my Freedom of speech.  But, I'm not a head of a Security Bureau either.

That Paula woman is on camera telling a group of people (could be journalists) that 'They probably didn't know this but in the Libya compound they were holding some insurgents and that might have been the reason for the raid.'
We weren't supposed to be holding insurgents.... breach of security.  I mean go ahead and hold the b'tards but I don't think she was supposed to tell anyone.  What else does she know?  What if she comes up with he WAS on duty when they were screwing around and has pictures to prove it. 

Where this thing got started is Jill the socialite, called the FBI agent because she was getting threatening emails.  I think I could call the FBI and tell them I was getting threatening emails and they would investigate it. 

[Hemodoc]

Looks like this case has broken wide open with classified documents found in his mistresses home. If he is the source of those documents, this will become VERY ugly indeed. Not good for anyone, not good for America.

[MooseMom]

Looks like this case has broken wide open with classified documents found in his mistresses home. If he is the source of those documents, this will become VERY ugly indeed. Not good for anyone, not good for America.

I have not heard this.  Are you sure?  Why were these documents classified?  Did they have anything to do with national security?  I'm home sick in bed, and I've been watching the news all day, and I've heard nothing about this case being "broken wide open".  In fact, it just gets weirder and weirder.

[Hemodoc]

Looks like this case has broken wide open with classified documents found in his mistresses home. If he is the source of those documents, this will become VERY ugly indeed. Not good for anyone, not good for America.

I have not heard this.  Are you sure?  Why were these documents classified?  Did they have anything to do with national security?  I'm home sick in bed, and I've been watching the news all day, and I've heard nothing about this case being "broken wide open".  In fact, it just gets weirder and weirder.

http://www.examiner.com/article/petraeus-girlfriend-stored-classified-material-at-home

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/fbi-seizes-classified-documents-broadwell-home-article-1.1202043

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/14/us-usa-generals-idUSBRE8AD0GT20121114

[MooseMom]

Oh, OK.  Well, according to the Reuter's article, Broadwell was authorized to have access to these classified documents, but the accusation is that she should have stored them more securely.  She had security clearance to those documents, according to Reuter's. 

I'm sure the FBI will do its job and will investigate fully, although I hope that Tampa FBI agent won't be involved in the case!  LOL!

[Hemodoc]

Oh, OK.  Well, according to the Reuter's article, Broadwell was authorized to have access to these classified documents, but the accusation is that she should have stored them more securely.  She had security clearance to those documents, according to Reuter's. 

I'm sure the FBI will do its job and will investigate fully, although I hope that Tampa FBI agent won't be involved in the case!  LOL!

Dear Moosemom,

NO ONE with any security clearance is allowed to have classified documents in an unsecure area. That is the issue at hand from what we know, not whether she had clearance to review those documents. Very different issue than you are putting forth.

[MooseMom]

Hemodoc, I agree with you.  I think you must have misunderstood my post.  My understanding of the Reuters article was that she had security clearance to those documents but she had them stored insecurely, all as you have said.  I'm not sure why you think this is a "very different than am putting forth."

[jbeany]

Hmph...having worked as an intern for the federal prosecutor, let me say that every piece of paperwork they have ever produced is considered classified - even if it's nothing more than a list of speakers invited to come to a public meeting.  So I can't say I'm too impressed with them saying the documents were classified.