Last night, while discussing the Petraeus scandal on CNN, the network played a 911 call from one of the four major figures in the scandal: Jill Kelley. The call is perfectly bizarre in which Kelley, a Florida socialite, claims “honorary diplomatic” status to get the police to stop people from walking across her lawn. The dispatcher listens patiently and appears to resist the temptation to tell her that he will be sending over some honorary police to protect their honorary diplomatic residence.
Kelley is the woman who went to a friend in the FBI to complain about threatening emails from an anonymous source — emails that led the FBI to Paula Broadwell and ultimately Gen. David Petraeus. She and the agent are a rather odd couple. He sent her shirtless pictures of himself and was eventually removed from involvement in the case. She is described as a “nice, bored, rich socialite” who volunteered with the military as a self-described “social liaison” and cultivated relationships with generals. This included a questionable relationship with Gen. John Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, involving a remarkable number of emails described by some sources as a bit raunchy and “like phone sex.”
Just when you thought the scandal could not get more weird, it did. Last night, we heard this 911 call for “diplomatic protection:”
“Thank you and you know, um, I don’t know, but by any chance because I’m an honorary council general, so I have inviolability so I should… they should not be able to (cross) this property, I don’t know if you want to get diplomatic protection involved as well.
Kelley has been described as invoking her diplomatic status previously. She was given the unpaid title of “honorary ambassador” to CENTCOM, the Department of Defense Central Command. This gives her about the same diplomatic status as the hostess at an International House of Pancakes.
What is strange is that she is protected by the non-honorary title of a citizen of Tampa from trespass. She is allowed to demand the removal of people from her property so long as it is not a public space or a private space with a form of constructive easement.
She might want to stick with the Tampa title because “Honorary ambassador” does not fit neatly into the the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961). However, if she wishes to claim to be an honorary diplomat, it would allow Tampa to declare her persona non grata but it is not clear what country she would be expelled to since she is claiming diplomatic immunity in her own country. It might be just easier to get a “No Trespass” sign at Home Depot.
Broadwell fell short of aims at Harvard
Draws scrutiny at second college
By Callum Borchers, Tracy Jan and Bryan Bender
Globe Correspondent, Globe Staff / November 14, 2012
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/2012/11/14/paula-broadwell-switched-her-phd-bid-from-harvard-british-college/u0uOkzdrm7q6x0leL2DyCM/story.html
Excerpt:
Paula Broadwell, the biographer with whom former CIA director David Petraeus had an extramarital affair, abandoned her bid for a doctorate from Harvard in 2007, failing to advance to PhD candidacy after four semesters at the Kennedy School of Government, and now faces the prospect of an ethical review at King’s College London, where she has resumed pursuit of a doctorate.
The revelations about her mixed academic record add to the portrait of a principal figure in the Petraeus scandal who has refused to respond to multiple Globe requests for comment and hasn’t spoken publicly since disclosure of her relationship with Petraeus and his resignation as CIA chief.
Broadwell left Harvard with a lesser diploma in 2008, a master of public administration, after one additional semester.
She enrolled later that year as a PhD student in the war studies department of King’s College London, where her military leadership research focused largely on Petraeus, according to Broadwell’s profile on the school website. But four years on, Broadwell remains far from earning her degree, according to the department chairman, and her relationship with the subject of her research could jeopardize her progress toward a doctorate.
“We have a very stringent ethical review process,” said Mervyn Frost, head of the war studies department. “We found nothing wrong with her original proposal, but in light of what’s happened now, I suspect we’ll revisit that process.”
One of Broadwell’s former professors at Harvard described her as a self-promoter who would routinely show up at office hours.
“It was very much, ‘I’m here and you’re going to know I’m here,’ ” said the professor, who did not want to be identified because of the sensitivity of ongoing investigations. “She was not someone you would think of as a critical thinker. I don’t remember anything about her as a student. I remember her as a personality.”
The professor said when Petraeus chose Broadwell to write his biography, there was shock among the national security faculty at Harvard because “she just didn’t have the background — the academic background, the national security background, or the writing background.”
A second Harvard faculty member who knows Broadwell and Petraeus had similar misgivings.
Modesty is very important in South Korea. Being able to control one’s emotions, rather than allowing them to control you guards against embarrassment or loss of composure. I doubt Jill Kelley’s behavior is going to be seen as a good reflection of Korean values. I suspect they’ll remove her title … politely.
Hurrah, that’s what I was searching for, what a information! present here at this weblog, thanks admin of this web page.
Not a surprise…
Kyra Phillips Speaks To David Petraeus About Affair (VIDEO)
Posted: 11/15/2012 8:40 am EST Updated: 11/15/2012 9:08 am EST
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/15/kyra-phillips-david-petraeus-
“South Korea considers Jill Kelley’s honorary consul status”
“Official says Kelley is one of 10 honorary consuls in US but that decision on whether to revoke rests with foreign ministry in Seoul”
by Ewen MacAskill in Washington
Wednesday 14 November 2012
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/14/south-korea-jill-kelley-honorary-consul
“Kelley may have tried to capitalize on military ties”
http://www2.tbo.com/news/military-news/2012/nov/14/6/official-jill-kelley-granted-unescorted-macdill-af-ar-564433/
TAMPA —
“Back in August, the South Korean Embassy granted honorary consul status to a woman from South Tampa “with a reputation and a network.”
“She wanted to make contributions to South Korea,” said Tae-jin Kim, the South Korean Embassy consul. “She had contacts with the embassy.”
The status doesn’t bring many privileges — a vanity license plate, gatherings with the 20 honorary consuls in the Tampa area. But the woman, Jill Kelley, cited her South Korean connections in trying to turn an encounter at the Republican National Convention into a multibillion-dollar project with a New York energy company, according to the company’s president.
In representing herself as a business matchmaker, Kelley also offered to open doors through her connection to CIA Director David Petraeus, said Adam Victor, president of the alternative energy company TransGas Development Systems.” … (article continues)
PAXC=PNAC
The JSOC implemented attack on Benghazi was IMHO an “October Surprise” to assure Romney’s election.
There were too many layers between Obama and the event to give reason for impeachment. He does not in any decide on security at a consulate.
There are constantly disloyal Pentagon and CIA employess.
Obama’s lastest conf. call would indicate that he will be a good moderate republican President.
As for Hudson, PAXC et al, I have already said that they are one in final goal, the one established by the 148 enterprises. They are a conglomerate with no visible ties except the employee float between them.
Then impeachment for the POTUS on grounds of incompetence. Lady Lindsey & McNasty have already started their opening attacks.
So, the honeypot distracts the CIA head and Allen with his twin grifter in the days leading up to the attack? gotcha. good plot.
from waynemadsenreports.com
“WMR has also received confirmation from sources close to the White House that President Obama, in the aftermath of the Benghazi mission attack, was made aware of a “Seven Days in May”-style plot against him by senior generals and admirals in league with officials of the Romney campaign. The sources stated that President Obama’s lackluster performance during the first debate in Denver on October 3 was due to the fact that he had just been briefed on the conspiracy launched against him by senior members of the military and the CIA. The order has now gone out from the White House for Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Secretary Panetta to purge the ranks of disloyal officials.”
Paula Broadwell Security Clearance Suspended: US Official
By LOLITA C. BALDOR 11/14/12
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/14/paula-broadwell-security-clearance_n_2132502.html
And to help dampen your jubilation over the Obama win:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/11/14
Excerpt:
Already? Obama Tells Supporters to Expect ‘Bitter Pills’
– Common Dreams staff
In a conference call with key supporters Tuesday night, President Obama urged Democratic activists to stay engaged in the coming budget negotiations concerning the so-called “fiscal cliff” but also telegraphed plainly his intent to give away much in his showdown with Republican lawmakers
As the Huffington Post, who listened in on the call, reports:
The president, speaking from a White House phone, cautioned listeners to expect disappointments during his second term. As he has in the past, Obama warned that he was prepared to swallow some bitter pills during the negotiations, including some that would agitate the base.
“As we move forward there are going to be new wrinkles and new frustrations, we can’t predict them yet,” he said. “We are going to have some triumphs and some successes, but there are going to be some tough days, starting with some of these negotiations around the fiscal cliff that you probably read about.”
Though his encouragement to his activist base may be encouraging to some, the President’s preemptive admission that he’s willing to give away bargaining chips so early in the game will surely irk those who criticized Obama for his negotiating style throughout his first term.
Wouldn’t surprise me as PNAC and the Hudson Institute are almost one and the same. Scooter Libby (Cheney’s Chief of Staff) was a signatory of PNAC’s Statement Of Principles and the infamous Rebuilding America’s Defenses document.
He’s now Senior VP at the Hudson Institute. Hudson is crawling with neocons.
http://www.publiceye.org/pnac_chart/pnac.html
Guess my instincts are right. There were other shoes to drop. And the real story isn’t about sex, except as a honey trap. I wonder how many years Paula will get for having documents. Others, with appropriate clearance, are now in jail for having documents in their homes. I await the story of the conspiracy.
Patience is also helpful as you-all found links to the other shoes.
AP,
I found this tidbit about Petraeus in an interview of Juan Cole by Amy Goodman over at Democracy Now.
” AMY GOODMAN: And you’re saying that the Project for a New American Century persisted under President Obama; he didn’t change it.
JUAN COLE: Well, I’m saying that, in some ways, the Afghanistan troop escalation or surge was one last iteration of some of that project to try to formulate Afghanistan in a way favorable to the United States before we then left.
And again, I should be clear, I don’t think that that’s what President Obama wanted. He went to the Pentagon and asked, “Give me three plans,” you know, an ambitious one, a less ambitious one and a minimal one. And they stonewalled him for nine months. And he was in a position where people in Washington were saying, “Well, what are you going to do? You’re president now. You need a plan.” And he went back to the Pentagon and said, “Well, where’s the plan?” And they said, “Well, we’ve got one for you, but the others are going to take a while.” So they kind of boxed him in to this troop surge.
AMY GOODMAN: And Petraeus’s role in that?
JUAN COLE: Petraeus was the one who boxed him in. So, Petraeus got what he wanted. But in my view, he got a failed policy.”
But my cursory search didn’t reveal a Broadwell/PNAC connection. I’ll take a deeper look tomorrow if I get a chance, but please do keep us posted if you find your source (or don’t).
BTW, keep up the good work. You are a most welcome addition around here.
bettykath,
Just for you . . .
Gene H.
I should probably retract it, until I can confirm it. I can’t recall the source, at the moment.
Squirrel!! – I thought it was “Kitten!” I get lots of cute kittens posted on my fb page that seem to offset the political ones. Different posters
“I’ve also heard that Broadwell has ties to PNAC. It may be old news by now.”
It’s news to me. If true, very interesting news indeed. PNAC is a far more dangerous outfit to American ideals and democracy than any terrorist organization.