Petraeus Will Appear at an Event Featuring the ACORN ‘Pimp’

[DonViejo]

Ben Jacobs

America’s most famous retired general is appearing at a most unusual event next week—one that features climate change deniers and infamous conservative videographer James O’Keefe.

Retired four star general and former CIA Director David Petraeus is scheduled to appear at an event in New York City next week with a pro-fracking advocate and a conservative activist best known for dressing up as a pimp. It’s a rare brush with partisan political issues for the retired general, who has resisted calls to associate himself with both parties and who left the Obama Administration in 2012 after it was he was having an affair with his biographer.

The May 6 event, which also features former UN Ambassador John Bolton and former CIA director James Woolsey, is sponsored by the Gatestone Institute, a hawkish non-profit led by Bolton. According to the Gatestone Institute, Bolton “will convene a symposium discussion with some of the nation’s top national security experts to explore the creation of a new energy policy that would spark economic growth and job creation in America.”

Apparently, one of these experts is the conservative activist and videographer James O’Keefe. And that makes the event a particularly odd choice for Petraeus, a former Obama Administration official. O’Keefe became instantly famous for his videos targeting the community organizing group ACORN in 2009. (O’Keefe dressed up like a pimp in the videos, and asked ACORN for help in getting funds for his brothel.) While the initial uproar caused ACORN to fold after losing all federal funding, the videos, which seemed to feature employees of ACORN helping O’Keefe and an associate plan criminal activities, were later found to be selectively edited. Since then, O’Keefe has been arrested while attempting to bug the offices of Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu in 2010 and tried to lure a CNN correspondent on “a boat filled with sexually explicit props.” And his videos have forced the ouster of any number of elected officials -- most recently, Wisconsin State Senate President Mike Ellis.

-snip-

In a statement to The Daily Beast, Petraeus confirmed his attendance but said “I’m not on a panel with anyone else at that gathering; rather, I’ll be speaking on my ‘Coming North American Decades’ thesis —on which I teach a seminar at CUNY’s Honors College.” The retired general went on to note that “For what it’s worth, I speak at fora that span the spectrum. Yesterday, e.g., I was interviewed on leadership and global crises during the annual ‘Out on Wall Street’ gathering. Similarly, I provide my analyses to those of either political party, regardless of whether I share the views of the individual seeking my thoughts.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/02/petraeus-will-appear-at-an-event-featuring-the-acorn-pimp.html

[randys1]

1. Disgusting human garbage, all of them

Is there a more politically correct way to refer to people who hate the human race, who hate minorities, who hate everything that is good?

[Downwinder]

2. Who is sponsoring this convention of pickpockets and con-men?

[DonViejo]

3. From the 2d paragraph, above...

The May 6 event, which also features former UN Ambassador John Bolton and former CIA director James Woolsey, is sponsored by the Gatestone Institute, a hawkish non-profit led by Bolton. According to the Gatestone Institute, Bolton “will convene a symposium discussion with some of the nation’s top national security experts to explore the creation of a new energy policy that would spark economic growth and job creation in America.”

[Downwinder]

4. So it is Bolton sponsoring Bolton.

Gatestone trying to garner publicity. They haven't made the media since last year.

[DonViejo]

6. Bolton will undoubtedly pay himself handsomely...

for coordinating the event and speaking at it. Nice racket!

[jmowreader]

5. I know a cheaper way for them to do the same thing

Buy two reams of paper, a 1000-count box of envelopes, a box of laser printer labels, six rolls of stamps and a bottle of 30-year-old scotch.

Go to the nearest computer.

Open a text editor.

Type the words "Drill Baby Drill" into it.

Set it to 72-point size and whatever the boldest typeface the computer has loaded.

Press command-P. Ask for 553 copies.

Mail one to each Member of Congress, the president, the vice president and each Cabinet member.

Then crack the bottle and drink to your hard labor.

It'll get them to EXACTLY the same place without having to deal with felons like O'Keefe.

[kairos12]

7. I find the whole event rebolton.