David Petraeus resigns

[John Simkin]

CIA Director David Petraeus resigned abruptly following reports of an extra-marital affair with a journalist. In a letter to the CIA, Petraeus acknowledged poor judgement in carrying on the affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell while in Afghanistan. He admitted it was unacceptable behaviour.

For the director of the CIA, being engaged in an extramarital affair is considered a serious breach of security and a counterintelligence threat. If a foreign government had learned of the affair, the reasoning goes, Petraeus or Broadwell could have been blackmailed or otherwise compromised. Military justice considers conduct such as an extramarital affair to be possible grounds for court-martial.

Failure to resign also could create the perception for the rank and file that such behavior is acceptable. At FBI headquarters, spokesman Paul Bresson declined to comment on the information that the affair had been discovered in the course of an investigation by the bureau.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/paula-broadwell-the-woman-behind-cia-director-david-petraeuss-exit/304909-2.html

[Ron Ecker]

The CIA director can't have affairs? The FBI investigates the CIA? Allen Dulles must be turning over in his grave.

Edited November 10, 2012 by Ron Ecker

[Len Colby]

The CIA director can't have affairs? The FBI investigates the CIA? Allen Dulles must be turning over in his grave.

Supposedly it began as an investigation over the possibility he had used a compromised computer. Coincidentally or not it was just announced Gen. Carter Ham, commander of US forces in Africa, will be replaced by his 2nd in command. Supposedly this has nothing to do with the events on Benghazi.

[Steven Gaal]

When Former CIA Chief David Petraeus Enraged the Israel Lobby

By Ali Abunimah

Global Research, November 12, 2012

Electronic Intifada

There has been fulsome praise for General David Petraeus since he resigned yesterday as head of the CIA after the FBI discovered he was having an extramarital affair.

President Barack Obama lauded Petraeus’s decades of “extraordinary service,” which includes his time as general in charge of US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and as head of the CIA, where Petraeus would have been in charge of Obama’s “secret” drone program which kills children and other civilians in several countries with no oversight or control from anyone.

Some have lamented, via social media, that wars, occupations, assassinations are not reasons to lose one’s job in the United States government. Indeed, such service gets you praised and promoted, while an extramarital affair will kill your career.

But what also struck me was the total absence in the extensive media coverage of another way Petraeus made a little history: by publicly criticizing Israel and enraging the Israel lobby.

Israel, a liability to the US?

In March 2010, when Petraeus was still head of the US Central Command, he gave testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee which included this observation about one of the “challenges to security and stability” faced by the United States:

The enduring hostilities between Israel and some of its neighbors present distinct challenges to our ability to advance our interests in the AOR [Area of Operations]. Israeli-Palestinian tensions often flare into violence and large-scale armed confrontations. The conflict foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of U.S. favoritism for Israel. Arab anger over the Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of U.S. partnerships with governments and peoples in the AOR and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the Arab world. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda and other militant groups exploit that anger to mobilize support. The conflict also gives Iran influence in the Arab world through its clients, Lebanese Hizballah and Hamas.

Abe Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, one of the leading American Zionist lobby groups, was so alarmed he issued a statement condemning Petraeus’ testimony, asserting in part of it:

Gen. Petraeus has simply erred in linking the challenges faced by the U.S. and coalition forces in the region to a solution of the Israeli-Arab conflict, and blaming extremist activities on the absence of peace and the perceived U.S. favoritism for Israel. This linkage is dangerous and counterproductive.

What Foxman and other Israel lobbyists understood correctly was that Petraeus was articulating a view that is increasingly common within the US establishment, but is an absolute taboo when it comes to stating it publicly: that US “interests” and Israeli “interests” are not identical, and that Israel might be a strategic burden, rather than an asset to the United States.

But while Foxman fulminated, Petraeus’ view struck a chord with at least some in Israel. A few months after Petraeus spoke to the Senate, Israel’s Mossad chief Meir Dagan, told a Knesset committee that, “Israel is gradually turning from an asset to the United States to a burden.”

Of course Obama appointed Petraeus as CIA director after he made his Senate statement about Israel. And that too might have been a count against Obama in the false Republican and ultra-Zionist narrative that Obama threw Israel under the bus.

Petraeus was not speaking from any love of the Palestinians, nor any position of principle or concern for justice – no one should make that mistake. He was speaking from the same cold calculation of how to maintain and advance US imperial domination that allowed him to oversee – on behalf of the president – wars, occupations and murders of children and teenagers and other civilians all over the world using drones. That is precisely what scared the Israel lobby.

Ali Abunimah, Co-founder of The Electronic Intifada, and author of One Country: A Bold-Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse.

###########################

see http://www.veteransnewsnow.com/2012/11/13/jane-harman-being-considered-to-head-cia-despite-connection-to-israel-aipac-spy-scandal/

Edited November 13, 2012 by Steven Gaal

[Len Colby]

When Former CIA Chief David Petraeus Enraged the Israel Lobby

[...]

That’s right the evil Joooz eer Zionists set their sights on Patraeus, from that moment on. For reasons that are not yet clear they did nothing to prevent his UNANIMOUS confirmation by the Senate (with several…uuuh Zionist members) as CIA director, some powerful Jo, eer Zionist Senators even praised him. And for reasons yet to be explained they waited till now to set him up. They set it all up, the affair, the mistress’s e-mails to her perceived rival and the latter’s bringing them to the attention of the FBI.

The facts don't even support the title, a more accurate one would have been, "When Former CIA Chief David Petraeus Enraged Annoyed the Israel Lobby Abe Foxman". Not to defend that blovating windbag but there is no evidence Foxman was "enraged" his criticism was mild and Foxman is seen as increasingly irrelevant by many Jews, even ones who support Israel.

http://www.lobelog.com/foxman-takes-a-swing-at-petraeus/

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/14/magazine/14foxman.t.html?pagewanted=all

http://heebmagazine.com/abe-foxman-saves-the-jewish-people-from-a-joan-rivers-joke/37865

[Steven Gaal]

Wow, Check Out the Background of the Twin's Ex-Husband

http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2012/11/wow-check-out-background-of-twins-ex.html

Ok, I really think we now have enough for a full blown spook movie. As a reminder, Jill Kelley is the gal from Tampa who was born a Maronite Christian in Lebanon and who started the entire Petraeus Affair by contacting the shirtless FBI agent about harassing emails that turned out came from Paula Broadwell, who was the lover of General Petraeus.

Lurking in the background of the story, has been Kelley's twin sister, Natalie Khawam. You will recall that as a result of a bitter child custody dispute, General Petraeus and General Allen wrote glowing character references for Khawam. The ex-husband of Khawan, Grayson Wolfe, has been described in the press as an "investment banker," but he isn't just an ordinary IB. And this is where new developments in the story take us. As one anonymous EPJ commenter put it about Wolfe, "Noticing how the twins seem to orbit around trouble, I'm wondering how long before somebody really starts picking at the scab that's the ex-husband of Natalie Khawam: Grayson Wolfe. I gotta believe there's some pus under that one."

And thus we have this fascinating profile of Wolfe from his firm's web page:

Grayson Wolfe is a Partner at Akkadian. He previously served as Director of Broader Middle East Initiatives and Iraqi Reconstruction and Special Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer at the Export-Import Bank of the United States. He was appointed to the bank by President Bush in June 2002. Between January and August 2004, Wolfe served as Manager of the Private Sector Development Office of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, Iraq. In this capacity he was directly responsible for implementing a wide range of initiatives to attract foreign direct investment and provide financing to Iraqi companies. During this time, Wolfe worked extensively on the ground with senior Iraqi and Kurdish officials, and with the Ministries of Finance, Trade and Oil.

From 2001 to 2002 Wolfe worked as an attorney for the law firm of

Fleischman and Walsh, LLP

, where he represented clients engaged in Homeland Security, Telecommunications and Intellectual Property matters. He served as a member of a seven-person team that worked with the North American Railroads and Chlorine Chemical Industries to develop a National Homeland Security Risk Analysis and Management Plan. This plan was adopted by the Class I Freight Railroad CEOs on Dec 6, 2001. Wolfe served as Legislative Director and Counsel for members of Congress from 1999-2002. He has also served in numerous positions in presidential, federal and state political campaigns. Before this, he worked for Citicorp in Poland focusing on emerging markets and franchise development opportunities in Central and Eastern European countries.

Curiouser and curiouser it gets.