memeorandum: Petraeus ghostwriter ‘clueless’ to affair (Vernon Loeb/Washington Post)

10:10 AM ET, November 13, 2012

Top Items:

FBI Agent in Petraeus Case Under Scrutiny — WASHINGTON—A federal agent who launched the investigation that ultimately led to the resignation of Central Intelligence Agency chief David Petraeus was barred from taking part in the case over the summer due to superiors' concerns …

Craig Whitlock / Washington Post:

Scandal probe ensnares commander of U.S., NATO troops in Afghanistan — ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT — The FBI probe into the sex scandal that led to the resignation of CIA director David Petraeus has expanded to ensnare Gen. John R. Allen, the commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced early Tuesday.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, The Daily Caller, Wired, Business Insider, Gawker, Washington Examiner, Mother Jones and Politico

Michael Daly / The Daily Beast:

PAULA'S EMAILS REVEALED — Broadwell's notes to Jill Kelley were full of ‘cat fight stuff,’ a source tells Michael Daly—but there were no overt threats, and Petraeus was barely mentioned. So why did the FBI jump in? — AFP / Getty Images (inset) Barbara Sax — DID BROADWELL LEAK SECRETS?

Discussion: Daily Mail, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Betsy's Page, Gawker, New York Magazine, Taylor Marsh, American Power, Hit & Run, Mediaite, No More Mister Nice Blog, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, NY Daily News, Business Insider, Via Meadia, Wired and New York Times

Mike Allen / Politico:

Gen. John Allen ensnared in Petraeus scandal — Marine Gen. John R. Allen, the four-star U.S. commander of the war in Afghanistan, exchanged thousands of “potentially inappropriate” emails with Jill Kelley, the Tampa woman who claimed to have been harassed by the ex-mistress …

Discussion: CNN, Reuters, Guardian, The Hinterland Gazette, Taegan Goddard's …, Business Insider and Atlas Shrugs

defense.gov:

IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Statement by the Secretary of Defense on General John Allen — On Sunday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation referred to the Department of Defense a matter involving General John Allen, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.

Discussion: Daily Mail, Weekly Standard, Hot Air, TIME, The Gateway Pundit and Business Insider

Washington Post:

Petraeus hoped affair would stay secret and he could keep his job as CIA director — FBI agents searched the home of the woman at the center of the scandal involving former CIA director David H. Petraeus on Monday evening, carrying away boxes and bags of material and taking photographs inside her home in Charlotte.

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Belmont Club, Tim Blair and emptywheel

New York Times:

Motives Questioned in F.B.I. Inquiry of Petraeus E-Mails — WASHINGTON — Is a string of angry e-mails really enough, in an age of boisterous online exchanges, to persuade the F.B.I. to open a cyberstalking investigation? — Sometimes the answer is yes, law enforcement officials …

Discussion: Wonkette, emptywheel, TBogg, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, No More Mister Nice Blog, ABCNEWS, The Verge, Gawker and The Raw Story

Open Channel:

Emails on ‘coming and goings’ of Petraeus, other military officials escalated FBI concerns — The FBI discovered that emails received by Jill Kelley, a close friend of the Petraeus family, were sent by Paula Broadwell. And as they dug deeper, the affair between Broadwell and Petraeus came to light.

Discussion: Business Insider, Tampa Bay Times and National Updates

Elisabeth Bumiller / New York Times:
Top U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Is Linked to Petraeus Scandal

Discussion: Connecting.the.Dots and Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog

Vernon Loeb / Washington Post:
Petraeus ghostwriter ‘clueless’ to affair

Discussion: FishbowlDC, Gretawire, Poynter, The Huffington Post and Conservatives4Palin, more at Mediagazer »

Martha Raddatz / ABCNEWS:
Why FBI Kept Petraeus Affair From White House

Discussion: Reuters, Politico, ABCNEWS, The Daily Caller, CNN, The Lonely Conservative, The Hinterland Gazette, Hot Air and Klein Online

Blake Hounshell / FP Passport:
The FBI has some explaining to do

Discussion: Poynter, Wired, TIME, The Daily Beast and National Review

Sorourke / nation.foxnews.com:
WATCH: Paula Broadwell's Awkward Interview With Don Imus in January

Discussion: Associated Press

AP Member Choice Limited / Associated Press:
Petraeus shocked at girlfriend's emails to friend

Discussion: ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Fox News, The Volokh Conspiracy, Washington Examiner, The Daily Beast and Crooks and Liars

James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:
Broadwell and Benghazi — A sex scandal raises intriguing new foreign-policy questions.

Discussion: NO QUARTER USA NET, Wired, Doug Ross, Power Line, emptywheel and BREITBART.COM

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:

Paul Ryan: I Didn't Lose Because Of The Issues, I Lost Because Of The ‘Urban’ Vote — In his first interview since losing the election, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) wouldn't admit that voters rejected his economic vision and instead chalked up President Obama's victory to a large turnout of the “urban vote.”

WISC-TV:
Paul Ryan reflects on presidential campaign

Discussion: The Hill and The Raw Story

Bill Glauber / JSOnline:
After trying campaign, Paul Ryan says losing race ‘a foreign experience’

Discussion: msnbc.com, Washington Wire and New York Magazine

Alison Bauter / Journal Times:
‘Bittersweet’ homecoming for Paul Ryan - Former VP candidate reflects, looks ahead

Discussion: CNN

Jonathan Martin / Politico:

Jindal: End ‘dumbed-down conservatism’ — Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Monday called on Republicans to “stop being the stupid party” and make a concerted effort to reach a broader swath of voters with an inclusive economic message that pre-empts efforts to caricature the GOP as the party of the rich.

Discussion: GOP 12, Weekly Standard, Election 2012, Washington Examiner, Business Insider and First Read

Joseph Curl / Washington Times:
Time for a new Republican Party

Discussion: Bloomberg, Hot Air, Wall Street Journal, Patterico's Pontifications and RedState

Washington Post:

Obama considering John Kerry for job of defense secretary — President Obama is considering asking Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) to serve as his next defense secretary, part of an extensive rearrangement of his national security team that will include a permanent replacement for former CIA director David H. Petraeus.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Wonkette, BuzzFeed, The Fix, The Heritage Foundation, Capital New York, News/Talk 790 KFYO, Taylor Marsh, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit and The Other McCain

Mark Landler / New York Times:
Top Candidates for State Dept. Are Both Facing Possible Hurdles

Discussion: New York Magazine and The Moderate Voice

Deborah Stocks / ABC15 Arizona:

Gilbert PD: Daniel Solomon run over by wife, Holly Solomon, for not voting — GILBERT, AZ - A Mesa woman was arrested Saturday after she allegedly chased her husband around a Gilbert parking lot in an SUV during an argument over the presidential election. — The woman finally ran over her husband, leaving him with critical injuries.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, iOwnTheWorld.com, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Outside the Beltway and New York Magazine

Neetzan Zimmerman / Gawker:
Woman Blames Husband for Obama's Reelection, Runs Him Over with Her Jeep

Discussion: Valley Fever, The Hinterland Gazette and Wonkette

NationalJournal.com:

Wishful Thinking — The roots of Romney's defeat reach much deeper into the Republican Party than many would like to admit. — Last week's election is open to so many interpretations, many seemingly contradictory, that it offers something for almost anyone of any ideological or partisan stripe.

Discussion: Questions and Observations

Russell Berman / The Hill:

Norquist pledge takes election hit — Republicans might have held the House, but Grover Norquist's majority in Congress is all but gone. — Fewer incoming members of the House and Senate have signed the pledge against tax increases run by Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform …

Discussion: ThinkProgress and Prairie Weather