ISRAEL – The Israeli Air Force struck some 70 targets in the Gaza Strip in the past hour, the IDF Spokesman’s Office said shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday. Among the targets, the IDF statement said, were underground medium-range rocket launching pads. The most recent blitz of air strikes brought the total number to well over 300.

Palestinians have fired over 275 rockets from Gaza into the South since the IDF launched its operation. Two rockets triggered an air raid siren in Tel Aviv, marking the first time that a real siren was sounded in Tel Aviv since the Gulf War in the early 1990s. (more)

Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) :  “They are attacking this young African-American woman…”

According to Clyburn, it’s not that she’s incompetent, irrelevent, ineffective, small-minded, incapable, unfit, inefficient, inadequate, unqualified and a lousy representative example of The United States.   According to Clyburn – It’s not that she exhibits historical patterns of dysfunctional administrative behavior….

No, it’s because she’s black that Republicans are going after her. (more…)

Today President Obama refused to rule out any unlawful activity on the part of General Petraeus.  Instead deferring to the ongoing FBI investigation.  ie “seeds of doubt“.

Then what happens “Presto”  Reuters *cough* Report –  WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters) – A computer used by Paula Broadwell, the woman whose affair with CIA director General David Petraeus led to his resignation, contained substantial classified information that should have been stored under more secure conditions, law enforcement and national security officials said on Wednesday.

The contents of the classified material and how Broadwell acquired it remain under investigation, said the officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to comment publicly.  (more)

Reminder:  The White House GOAL: 1.) Move current opinion of Gen Petraeus 2.) Use CIA Angle as cover for misleading information. 3.) Take no responsibility for the lies and falsehoods.   They must find a way to stop Petreaus from collapsing their narrative.

Think of advancing their objectives like advancing a football in the game toward the Goal line: (more…)

HatTip to Senator Lyndsey Graham who finally points out the primary problem with the White House hiding behind the CIA angle to the Benghazi story.

A recent CIA “press briefing” has led to a new, but not unexpected, evolutionary narrative explaining the insufferable incompetence and obfuscation surrounding the Benghazi slaughter.

As we pointed out the White House in general, and President Obama specifically, intentionally shifted the deflection narrative to hide behind the CIA, and secrets, with the Benghazi story. Both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times were utilized along with CNN’s Suzanne Kelly to claim the State Department was a cover story for the CIA activity on the ground. In essence the White House claimed that the CIA was in control of Benghazi operations INCLUDING THE SECURITY.

The White House and Administration used the New York Times, CNN, and The Wall Street Journal to sell their spin. But we, along with many others including Bing West, were not buying it.  As Bing West wrote: (more…)

We recommend that no Hamas operatives, whether low level or senior leaders, show their faces above ground in the days ahead.

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 14, 2012

(Via WFB) The Israeli military commenced what government officials are calling a “widespread campaign on terror sites and operatives in the Gaza Strip, chief among them Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets” after suffering nearly a week of rocket attacks on Israeli territory. (more…)

Perfect.   This announcement comes just moments before President Obama is expected to hold a press conference (around 1pm) about his Term Two agenda and possible questions about Benghazi.

Condi Rice approaches three perspectives:  1.) what was the breakdown in security leading up to the attack on 9/11.   2.)  What took place during that 8 or 9 hours when the State Dept. had a “real time” feed of activity.   3.)  Why was there a White House breakdown in communicating the reason for the attack.

Remember the White House GOAL: 1.) Move current opinion of Gen Petraeus 2.) Use CIA Angle as cover for misleading information.  3.)  Take no responsibility for the lies and falsehoods.    Think of advancing their objectives like advancing a football in the game toward the Goal line:

√20 yard line – Petraeus is a solid patriot ===> √   …. Fri
√30 yard line – Petraeus is fallible/human ====> √ …. Sat/Sun
√40 yard line – Petraeus lost his capacity for judgement ====> √…. Mon
√50 yard line – Petraeus is/was distracted ===> √  …. Tue
√40 yard line – Petraeus is compromised ===>  Wednesday Press Conference 
30 yard line – Petraeus is unstable  ===> then
20 yard line – Petraeus is not-credible ===> then
10 yard line – Petraeus is out for revenge. ====> then
Touchdown – Petraeus is a liar.

Each Administration player, including Media “special teams” (See Michael Hastings and CNN Suzanne Kelly) will have a specific goal in advancing the narrative of protection for the Administration.   Remember: “How to win the game”?  Isolate => Ridicule => Marginalize.

It is how they roll. Always.

WASHINGTON DC – President Barack Obama will take questions from the press on Wednesday, Nov.  14.  Obama has avoided the press conferences since mid-June, when he took  questions at an international conference in Mexico. (more…)

Oh yeah…. and just for sheer tentacle insanity watch for General John Allen to now get pulled into the mix…..  fyi.

As best we can understand the evolving narrative here is what it looks like:

Jill and Dr. Scott Kelley live in the Tampa / St. Pete area.  They are active in the military community with support for military families.   The Kelley’s do numerous fundraisers etc. and when Petraeus was assigned to station in Tampa the Kelley’s hosted a meet-n-greet with Holly and David Petraeus.  Mr and Mrs. Petraeus became friends with Mr. and Mrs. Kelley.

So Jill Kelley, a Petraeus family friend, began receiving odd and harrassing e-mails about her relationship with CIA director General David Petraeus:

“More like, ‘Who do you think you are? … You parade around the base … You need to take it down a notch,’” according to the source, who was until recently at the highest levels of the intelligence community and prefers not to be identified by name.

Kelley then reaches out to a family friend who is by profession in the FBI.   She asks if these unsourced e-mails reach the level of cyber-stalking. (more…)