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Rule No. 1: It is Poor Judgement to Talk About Fight Club
What counts as poor judgement or lack of discretion these days such that Federal employment is no longer suitable? It is a good question, because the State Department is proposing to fire me in part for my “poor judgement” as shown, they say, by these two blog posts, about Hillary Clinton laughing at someone’s death and about Michelle Bachmann being, well, insane. Meanwhile, a State Department VIP apparently has had sex on an Embassy roof, captured on video, not that that matters.
Now of course both the White House and Embassy Kabul on Twitter chortled over the deaths of other people, so we know that laughing about others’ deaths is not “poor judgement.” Point noted.
We have learned that having posed for Playboy doesn’t count as poor judgement for a Foreign Service Officer. Point noted.
And we can show that as the US Ambassador to Iraq dressing as JFK’s unsuccessful Secret Service bodyguard for a Halloween party as Baghdad burned around you apparently isn’t poor judgement. Even after photos are posted on a popular photo sharing spot. Point noted.
We also know that drunken parties in Islamic war zones like Baghdad, or Afghanistan, are not considered poor judgement (and yes, two of three people dressed as women in the photo are not women). Point noted.
And we know that being photographed partying in Colombia while the news is dominated by illicit Secret Service partying isn’t bad judgement, even if the media call attention to the issue with headlines like “Swillary” and “Is Hillary Clinton becoming an embarrassment as Secretary of State?” Given that I am a source of her stress, I guess I should be more charitable when Hillary needs a drink. Seriously, though, while “humanizing” Clinton to her fan base in the US, I wonder if the foreigners it is her job to influence see it as a positive image.
So that leaves us with a final case to decide whether or not poor judgement is afoot.
What if a video existed that showed a prominent State Department VIP on the roof of the Republican Palace in Baghdad receiving, um, pleasure of an oral nature from another State Department officer not his wife, or even his journalist mistress of the time? What if that video has been passed around among Marine Security Guards at the Embassy to the point where it is considered “viral” with many copies made? What if the Deputy Chief of Mission, hand in hand with the Diplomatic Security chief (RSO) at the time, decided that the whole thing needed to be swept under the rug and made to go away, at least until some blogger got a hold of it.
Would that count as poor judgement? What if it was published during his oft-delayed Congressional hearings? Funny that State aggressively punishes some extramarital fooling around while ignoring other, er, well-documented cases.
Or would the State Department once again excuse the act itself and instead punish the person who made the act public, claiming THAT was the example of poor judgement, the crime of not hiding State’s dirty laundry at a sensitive time?
Remember Rule No. 1 of Fight Club at State: It is poor judgement to talk about Fight Club.
(And before everyone gets all wound up over the photos posted, would you please first consider the point here, that judgement as contained in the acts pictured is the issue, not harvesting them from around the Internet where they already exist and reposting them here. For those too self-righteous to get it (oh, they’re colleagues ya’all!), the other point is that the State Department excuses all sorts of behavior when it wants to for people it likes or who are connected, and then hauls out the bully-bat of “poor judgement” when it is trying to stretch to justify firing someone they don’t like because of a blog. Thank you.)Also, Secret Service Agents abroad: always remember to pay your prostitutes to avoid undue hassle. Generous tips are encouraged; after all, they had to f*ck losers like you.
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teri schooley said...
1Yeah. So what offends more? That the Secret Service and assorted armed forces guys bought prostitutes, or that the pros actually expected to be paid? (We’re Americans – we don’t have to pay for this.) Funny how the only reason the incident came to light was because some cheap-ass SOB didn’t want to pay for services rendered. People at State can apparently murder someone without losing their jobs and our brave boys in Okinawa regularly rape the local girls with nary a Congressional hearing held. Torture at various rendition sites and overseas prisons? That was just a few bad apples.
Seems to me the lesson Congress is teaching our various foreign services is that wanton rape, murder and pillaging is fine by them, but the paying for sex thing – that is clean out of the question. Priorities, people.
04/18/12 2:05 PM | Comment Link
State’s Secret Baghdad BJ | Washington Free Beacon said...
2[…] Van Buren posted a blog entitled: “Rule No. 1: It’s Poor Judgment to Talk about Fight Club.” […]
04/18/12 3:32 PM | Comment Link
Meloveconsullongtime said...
3The VIP sounds to me like Brett McGurk, but I have no firsthand knowledge of the VIP’s identity (if any) nor of any of his private or public whores.
04/18/12 3:38 PM | Comment Link
Peter Van Buren Says “Blowjob” to Hillary Clinton | emptywheel said...
4[…] he didn’t say blowjob. He said this, in a post pointing out the State Department’s rather inconsistent evaluation of what does and does not […]
04/18/12 3:41 PM | Comment Link
Administrator said...
5You can read my post about Hillary here https://wemeantwell.com/blog/2011/10/21/hillary-clinton-disgraces-america/ and judge for yourself whether it is “poor judgment” like the State Dept says or something else.
Then, decide among all of the instances I have discussed who should be fired, because the State Dept is seeking to fire only me.
My point is the State Dept has standards that rise and fall as needed to reach a pre-determined outcome.
04/18/12 4:00 PM | Comment Link
john brown said...
6Peter, FYI: “The Secretly Serviced and Pubic (no typo) Diplomacy”
http://johnbrownnotesandessays.blogspot.com/2012/04/on-secretly-serviced-daily-news-phrase.html
04/18/12 5:42 PM | Comment Link
Ralph said...
7Peter,
Amb. Hill isn’t dressed as a Secret Service guy, he was dressed that Halloween as his security detail lead, Derek DelaCruz.
Ralph
04/18/12 5:57 PM | Comment Link
lorita said...
8fantastic…keep ’em coming…(no pun intended). the system is corrupt…THAT is poor judgement.
04/18/12 6:18 PM | Comment Link
Pete said...
9I needed a good laugh and you provided it. I know what you mean since I am a civil servant USG employee. SES and all sorts of senior officers get away with breaking laws, inappropriate behavior, etc . . . while the lower ranking officers, get crucified for small offenses if they are not the chosen anointed and privileged ones.
04/18/12 6:54 PM | Comment Link
More Scandal? Foreign Service Officer Claims High-Ranking State Dept. Official Engaged In Sex Acts Atop Iraqi Palace | Being 1732 said...
10[…] “Meanwhile, a State Department VIP apparently has had sex on an Embassy roof, captured on video, not that that matters,” Van Buren wrote in a post titled, “Rule No. 1: It is Poor Judgement to Talk About Fight Club.” […]
04/18/12 7:11 PM | Comment Link
jhoover said...
11There is more to come and uncover about Secret Service prostitution
04/18/12 7:12 PM | Comment Link
jhoover said...
1204/18/12 7:19 PM | Comment Link
CIA Broomcloset said...
13You forgot to mention the analysts at State who “fell off the roof” before the We Meant Well Iraq Invasion.
We meant well. haha
04/18/12 7:19 PM | Comment Link
Roger Keller said...
14There should be a male stripper with this Hillary B-tch that’s for sure.
04/18/12 7:33 PM | Comment Link
What is Poor Judgement? | We Meant Well – Peter Van Buren | BLOG vip said...
15[…] Go here to read the rest: What is Poor Judgement? | We Meant Well – Peter Van Buren […]
04/18/12 8:55 PM | Comment Link
Maude said...
16I rarely comment on SoS Clinton because I despise her. She is, to put it politely, gauche.
I always wonder what persona will be on view in each situation.
The beer drinking is crass. I hope someone higher up spoke to her about this.
She drank neat bourbon on the campaign plane in 2008. A reporter wrote that she had a couple of cases of her favorite brand of bourbon on the plane. Sigh.
We can wait and see what stupid thing she does next.
To quote Jimmy Carter, a fish rots at the head.
04/18/12 8:56 PM | Comment Link
Foreign Service Officer Claims High-Ranking State Dept. Official Engaged In Sex Acts Atop Iraqi Palace | Being 1732 said...
17[…] “Meanwhile, a State Department VIP apparently has had sex on an Embassy roof, captured on video, not that that matters,” Van Buren wrote in a post titled, “Rule No. 1: It is Poor Judgement to Talk About Fight Club.” […]
04/18/12 9:22 PM | Comment Link
» If this is “into the light” - Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion said...
18[…] Dept official allegedly, allegedly, got something on the roof of the Baghdad embassy, and there are […]
04/18/12 9:45 PM | Comment Link
Geronimo551 said...
19Excellent ! Expose the numb-nuts. Get some more !
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Verb: Gather Numb-nut(s) through politics and war.
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04/18/12 10:14 PM | Comment Link
So Be It said...
20Meh. Put up or shut up. Post the video or zip it.
And BTW, Hillary was in Colombia, the country. There are two “O”s in Colombia, no pun intended. Columbia with a “u” is a crappy college in New York. A FSO should know the difference.
04/18/12 10:26 PM | Comment Link
Administrator said...
21Never went to an east coast school, so forgive me my misspelling. Didn’t know you Columbia people were so sensitive.
04/19/12 2:51 AM | Comment Link
Iraq snapshot (C.I.) | thecommonillsbackup said...
22[…] State Dept Foreign Service Officer — has posted about alleged sexual misconduct in Iraq. At his website, Van Buren asks: What if a video existed that showed a prominent State Department VIP on the roof of the […]
04/19/12 12:26 AM | Comment Link
JeanLouise said...
23What did you expect, Pete? In what line of work can you post criticism of your boss online and not expect to be fired? Take responsibility, dude.
04/19/12 2:20 AM | Comment Link
Administrator said...
24Hard to say how much more responsibility I can assume since I am placing my name on my opinions, speaking truth to power and doing it all at risk of my job. That sounds like a hell of a lot more responsibility than placing semi-anonymous comments here and there.
04/19/12 2:50 AM | Comment Link
What is Poor Judgement? | We Meant Well – Peter Van Buren | Vip blog said...
25[…] More here: What is Poor Judgement? | We Meant Well – Peter Van Buren […]
04/19/12 6:56 AM | Comment Link
Vip blog » Blog Archive » What is Poor Judgement? | We Meant Well – Peter Van Buren said...
26[…] See the rest here: What is Poor Judgement? | We Meant Well – Peter Van Buren […]
04/19/12 7:07 AM | Comment Link
What is Poor Judgement? | We Meant Well – Peter Van Buren < vip blog said...
27[…] the original post: What is Poor Judgement? | We Meant Well – Peter Van Buren Post a comment | Trackback […]
04/19/12 7:56 AM | Comment Link
Big plans for re-election! (Cedric) | thecommonillsbackup said...
28[…] State Dept Foreign Service Officer — has posted about alleged sexual misconduct in Iraq. At his website, Van Buren asks: What if a video existed that showed a prominent State Department VIP on the roof of the […]
04/19/12 11:03 AM | Comment Link
revenge is back (Rebecca) | thecommonillsbackup said...
29[…] State Dept Foreign Service Officer — has posted about alleged sexual misconduct in Iraq. At his website, Van Buren asks: What if a video existed that showed a prominent State Department VIP on the roof of the […]
04/19/12 11:06 AM | Comment Link
BLBeamer said...
30I thought Columbia was a big river in the Pacific NW.
04/19/12 4:57 PM | Comment Link
Vip blog » Blog Archive » What is Poor Judgement? | We Meant Well – Peter Van Buren said...
31[…] Read the original: What is Poor Judgement? | We Meant Well – Peter Van Buren […]
04/19/12 8:49 PM | Comment Link
البابلي said...
32نعلة الله عليكم
04/21/12 1:49 PM | Comment Link
Lisa said...
33BLBeamer,
Good show! There’s a job in the government for you 🙂 Or perhaps as a prostituta, which is to say the same thing. As the Latin lasses said, “We know nothing”, or words to that effect.
Oh, and “Show me the MO-NEY!”
04/22/12 2:18 AM | Comment Link
jhoover said...
34Babili,
بـابــلي
You trying writing in Arabic to hid yourself looks we got another one would like to be a prostituta…
04/22/12 7:31 AM | Comment Link
عربي شبعان قهر said...
35ارجو اهداء المقال والكتاب والصور الى المرجعيات المعفنة في السراديب واعني جميع من يدعي انه مرجع اسلامي لاي مذهب يوالي المحتل
واهداء لمن رقص ليوم الاحتلال واعتبره تحرير وهوبحقيقنه تحرير بعض العراقيين من الاخلاق الكريمة الى اخلاق الرذيلة
04/22/12 1:10 PM | Comment Link
Lisa said...
36PVB,
So sorry, when I implied government worker = piruja; I meant, of course, present company excepted. (How gauche of me.)
I meant the meanies, of course 😉
04/23/12 4:20 AM | Comment Link
TFR#(f%s said...
37Why all the fuss about a video going around the internet when there isn’t really one at all. I can’t believe how many people are out there claiming that a video exists. And if it did, perhaps it is classified due to the location and anyone in possession or involved with its distribution should be arrested. Peter I agree with you on most issues but Iraq was justified and much needed. I understand that you have an issue with your treatment at State but must everything be wrong or a problem? All of the other things such as drunken parties in Islamic war zones are acceptable. These people were on their own time and Muslims in such places must accept (by Diplomatic agreement)that we will allow our people to have such parties as long as they are kept to the confines of Embassy grounds….you know that Peter so what is the issue? If there is one thing that disgusts me about State it is the fact that they even let liberals through the hiring process. Maybe when we get a conservative Secretary and President all of those mouthy anti Iraq War liberals, GLBTers, and Peace Corps rejects will suddenly go quiet or just go away.
04/25/12 1:00 AM | Comment Link
Lisa said...
38TFR#(f%s (If, indeed, that is your REAL name),
I’m not sure if you’re teasing about the GLBT’ers … they make for one heckuva party, and that IS what you’re justifying here, right?
I agree on the Peace Coprs REJECTS … one must actually do a tour in order to have something fascinating and scabrous to share.
In general, I don’t think you have a handle at all on what it takes for good shindig.
04/25/12 3:56 AM | Comment Link
afghan songs said...
39America, like every other nation, speaks peace and makes war. In its role as policeman for the world – a role performed spottily, with many arbitrary choices about when to fight – this country cherishes a reputation for peace-keeping. This is why the U.S is in Afghanistan.
05/8/12 9:46 PM | Comment Link
Leaked Emails Endanger Obama Nominee | Washington Free Beacon said...
40[…] is rumored to be the senior U.S. official caught on video receiving fellatio on the rooftop of Saddam […]
06/7/12 4:59 PM | Comment Link
Cheri Speak said...
41[…] April 18, 2012 Foreign Services veteran and Author, Peter Van Buren posted a story on his Blog We meant Well. Let’s look at this intriguing little snippet, allegedly about McGurk back in […]
06/8/12 9:25 PM | Comment Link
The Amateur’s Nominee | RedState said...
42[…] Marine security in Iraq observing someone getting a blow job on the roof of a building in Baghdad. In the same reports, neither his wife nor mistress were implicated in the same […]
06/12/12 1:52 PM | Comment Link
فضيحة فوق سطح القصر الجمهوري في بغداد - مركز الحدث الأخبارى said...
43[…] او مساعدات لها اثناء زيارتها الى كولومبيا مؤخرا.(كل هذا هنا) * تعليق: يبدو ان اسطح السفارات الأمريكية لا تصلح للهرب […]
06/15/12 4:50 PM | Comment Link
Iraq blowjob | Fairenterprisi said...
44[…] What is Poor Judgement? | We Meant Well – Peter Van BurenApr 18, 2012 … And we can show that as the US Ambassador to Iraq dressing as JFK’s …. Peter Van Buren Says “Blowjob” to Hillary Clinton | emptywheel said. […]
11/13/12 3:47 AM | Comment Link