WATER COOLER
The Water Cooler is written by Washington Times staffers.
Latest Blog Entries
PICKET: Boehner breaks with Senate GOP colleagues on forming select committee probing Benghazi attack
Senator John McCain, Arizona Republican, along with Senator Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, and Senator Kelly Ayotte, New Hampshire Republican, called for creating a Watergate-style panel to investigate the Benghazi attack that took the lives of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.
GREEN: Petraeus WILL testify
Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director David H. Petraeus will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Nov. 15. After resigning from the CIA last week over revelations of an extramarital affair, Petraeus deputy Mike Morell had been slated to testify in Gen. Petraeus's place. The timing of Gen. Petraeus's resignation -- after the election and before his scheduled testimony on the Benghazi attacks -- ignited speculation that the Obama administration was seeking to silence the director. Gen. Petraeus was one of the Obama administration officials who said after the attacks that they were spontaneous and over a YouTube video.
PICKET:Broadwell's Denver remarks delivered same day as Petraeus statement on Libya and one day after Panetta denial
Despite the CIA’s denial that the agency was holding militant Libyans prisoners at their annex in Benghazi and the deadly attack on the diplomatic mission nearby was a motivated effort to release these individuals, evidence to the contrary shows otherwise.
PICKET: Agent investigating Petraeus allegedly sent shirtless photos of himself to woman involved in case
The story surrounding the former CIA Director David Petraeus's resignation continues to become more bizarre.
PICKET: (VIDEO) Petraeus mistress - CIA- held Libyan prisoners cause of Benghazi attack
Paula Broadwell, the woman revealed to be now-former CIA Director David Petraeus's mistress, may have revealed that the CIA believes the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi happened as an effort from terrorists to release Libyan militia members being held prisoner in the CIA annex in Benghazi.
GREEN: Military justice: Petraeus knew 'Adultery is clearly unacceptable conduct'
Gen. David Petraeus knew what standard of conduct he was expected to uphold after a 37-year career in the Army. Adultery is an offense under military law, explicitly listed in the Manual for Courts-Martial, the vehicle for administrating the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
PICKET:(VIDEO) Petraeus's resignation won't stop Congress from subpoenaing him to testify
Congressman Trey Gowdy, South Carolina Republican, spoke with Fox News Channel's Greta Van Susteren on Friday and declared that it does not matter that General David Petraeus, now former CIA Director, resigned before testifying prior the hearings Congress has called regarding the investigation into the government's failure to protect four American lives during the attacks of the diplomatic mission in Benghazi.
PICKET: Companies plan massive layoffs as Obamacare becomes reality
Freedom Works has put together a list of companies that will be laying off employees as a result of President Barack Obama's health care law.
PICKET: Romney camp's incompetent ground game
I thought the Romney ground game was bad because the campaign refused to create strong coalitions outside their one issue economy message. I was wrong. It was much worse. Jacksonville, Florida web designer and developer John Ekdahl wrote about the failure of the Romney campaign's get out the vote effort through Project ORCA, a GOTV internet tool of the campaign.
PICKET: Romney's one issue campaign dies slow death
The Romney campaign made it clear to its supporters that the economy would be the only issue Governor Romney would run on and any other issues of concern to the Republican base would be buried in the pages of the Mitt Romney for President website or sidelined completely.
GREEN: Election violence: Riots over Romney never ruled out
The peaceful transfer of power in United States' elections has always been a point of national pride. This year that benefit wasn't guaranteed. Threats of violence and rioting if President Obama lost his reelection bid have been made across multiple platforms even as votes were being counted and the polls were still open in western states.
PICKET: OH GOP volunteer says voter threw coffee at his face, will press charges
Ohio Summit County Republican Party volunteer Wayne Darlington was passing out GOP slate cards at his Coventry precinct at 9AM on Tuesday before the busy Akron polling location.
PICKET: GOP - Poll watcher in Detroit threatened with gun, 911 call rejected
Tensions are high all over the country at the polls today. The Michigan Republican Party is alleging that a poll watcher in Detroit on Tuesday morning was threatened with a gun. According to the Michigan GOP the poll watcher's 911 call was rejected.
PICKET: Cuyahoga GOP - D's only reached 55% of absentee and early voting in heavy blue county compared to '08
Early voting in Cuyahoga County ended as of 2pm on Monday and turnout numbers have already been sent to county parties throughout the state. Although Cuyahoga County will go the president's way, just by pure party registrations, early and absentee voting numbers coming from the Cuyahoga County Republican Party should cause Democrats state wide and nationally to be concerned in terms of GOP enthusiasm in Democratic strongholds.
PICKET: Obama halted EPA regs for political split second to plan massive 2013 environmental regs
Congressman Cliff Stearns, Florida Republican, called it in September of 2011. One year ago, President Barack Obama claimed that during economic recovery, it was necessary to lessen regulatory uncertainty so he asked Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson to withdraw the draft Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
