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The Gingerbread Man
American Thinker
Clarice Feldman
11/19/2012
Excerpt:
Do you remember the tale of "The Gingerbread Man"? It's a children's story in which a gingerbread man runs away from the baker, lots of people try to catch him as he crows, "Run, run as fast as you can/ You can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man." In the version I remember a fox finally does catch the braggart and eats him piece by piece.
This week, in defending the public statements of his UN Ambassador Susan Rice, Obama said we should come after him, not her. Pugnacious remark -- just like the gingerbread man's. Last time I recall a politician making a remark like that it was Gary Hart who challenged reporters to tail him if they thought reports of his womanizing were true. As you certainly recall, the press came after him, caught him, and his political ambitions were dashed. This time, as I'll explain, in the absence of a properly functioning press corps, only a Congress ready and willing to pursue the truth -- even if it means impeaching the president -- can catch the gingerbread man.
As the stories of the participants vary so much on the issue of who was responsible for failing to mount a rescue operation in Benghazi and who lied to the Congress and public to hide the fact that this was a terrorist attack, not a spontaneous uprising by locals infuriated by a movie trailer, focus on what happened increased this week.
Did General David Petraeus dissemble in his September testimony to Congress? I think it obvious he did, and that he did it because he hoped if he played along he could keep his job even as evidence of his affair with Paula Broadwell was being made known to more and more people.
I believe that Charles Krauthammer was the first to come right out and say this, and events this week have proven his deduction to be on the mark:
Is there good reason for Congress to explore in depth the role of the FBI in digging through Petraeus' emails? I think there is.
Reportedly the Petraeus involvement with Broadwell came to government attention when Jill Kelley (nee Kharwan) received what she considered to be harassing emails about her relationship with Petraeus. It appears the FBI agent involved had some sort of close relationship with Kelley and though his supervisors ascertained there was no apparent crime involved, he continued to push for an investigation, even going directly to Eric Cantor for help. He also told Kelley the source of the emails, which seems odd, an improper release of investigative findings, I should think. The question then for the FBI, according to news accounts, was whether Petraeus had anything to do with the emails. Pardon me, but the thought of the FBI riffling through the private emails of the head of the CIA in the absence of any suggestion of criminal activity seems bizarre and improper. (While there is apparently evidence that Broadwell improperly stored classified material on her computer, she did have some security clearance and the administration has indicated there is no evidence of a security breach by Petraeus.)
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View the complete article at:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/...bread_man.html
American Thinker
Clarice Feldman
11/19/2012
Excerpt:
Do you remember the tale of "The Gingerbread Man"? It's a children's story in which a gingerbread man runs away from the baker, lots of people try to catch him as he crows, "Run, run as fast as you can/ You can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man." In the version I remember a fox finally does catch the braggart and eats him piece by piece.
This week, in defending the public statements of his UN Ambassador Susan Rice, Obama said we should come after him, not her. Pugnacious remark -- just like the gingerbread man's. Last time I recall a politician making a remark like that it was Gary Hart who challenged reporters to tail him if they thought reports of his womanizing were true. As you certainly recall, the press came after him, caught him, and his political ambitions were dashed. This time, as I'll explain, in the absence of a properly functioning press corps, only a Congress ready and willing to pursue the truth -- even if it means impeaching the president -- can catch the gingerbread man.
As the stories of the participants vary so much on the issue of who was responsible for failing to mount a rescue operation in Benghazi and who lied to the Congress and public to hide the fact that this was a terrorist attack, not a spontaneous uprising by locals infuriated by a movie trailer, focus on what happened increased this week.
Did General David Petraeus dissemble in his September testimony to Congress? I think it obvious he did, and that he did it because he hoped if he played along he could keep his job even as evidence of his affair with Paula Broadwell was being made known to more and more people.
I believe that Charles Krauthammer was the first to come right out and say this, and events this week have proven his deduction to be on the mark:
I think the really shocking news today was that General Petraeus thought and hoped he could keep his job. He thought that it might and it would be kept secret, and that he could stay in his position. I think what that tells us is really important. It meant that he understood that the FBI obviously knew what was going on. He was hoping that those administration officials would not disclose what had happened, and therefore hoping that he would keep his job. And that meant that he understood that his job, his reputation, his legacy, his whole celebrated life was in the hands of the administration, and he expected they would protect him by keeping it quiet.
And that brings us to the ultimate issue, and that is his testimony on September 13. That's the thing that connects the two scandals, and that's the only thing that makes the sex scandal relevant. Otherwise it would be an exercise in sensationalism and voyeurism and nothing else. The reason it's important is here's a man who knows the administration holds his fate in its hands, and he gives testimony completely at variance with what the Secretary of Defense had said the day before, at variance with what he'd heard from his station chief in Tripoli, and with everything that we had heard. Was he influenced by the fact that he knew his fate was held by people within the administration at that time?"
And that brings us to the ultimate issue, and that is his testimony on September 13. That's the thing that connects the two scandals, and that's the only thing that makes the sex scandal relevant. Otherwise it would be an exercise in sensationalism and voyeurism and nothing else. The reason it's important is here's a man who knows the administration holds his fate in its hands, and he gives testimony completely at variance with what the Secretary of Defense had said the day before, at variance with what he'd heard from his station chief in Tripoli, and with everything that we had heard. Was he influenced by the fact that he knew his fate was held by people within the administration at that time?"
Is there good reason for Congress to explore in depth the role of the FBI in digging through Petraeus' emails? I think there is.
Reportedly the Petraeus involvement with Broadwell came to government attention when Jill Kelley (nee Kharwan) received what she considered to be harassing emails about her relationship with Petraeus. It appears the FBI agent involved had some sort of close relationship with Kelley and though his supervisors ascertained there was no apparent crime involved, he continued to push for an investigation, even going directly to Eric Cantor for help. He also told Kelley the source of the emails, which seems odd, an improper release of investigative findings, I should think. The question then for the FBI, according to news accounts, was whether Petraeus had anything to do with the emails. Pardon me, but the thought of the FBI riffling through the private emails of the head of the CIA in the absence of any suggestion of criminal activity seems bizarre and improper. (While there is apparently evidence that Broadwell improperly stored classified material on her computer, she did have some security clearance and the administration has indicated there is no evidence of a security breach by Petraeus.)
............................................
View the complete article at:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/...bread_man.html