Honorary Grifter Kelley sought $80M bribe at RNC.

[HooptieWagon]

Its further down the linked article. Kelley met the CEO of TransGas at the RNC. She told him she was an Honorary Counsel for S Korea, name-dropped Petraeus, and offered to help him set up a coal-gasification plant in S Korea. She asked for $80M, he walked away thinking she was an amateur and not serious.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/military/macdill/article1261619.ece

[BeyondGeography]

1. People like her grow on trees; they are so dumb and boring

It's punishment just to be around them.

[Estevan]

2. social climbers

both her and Broadwell.

[Buns_of_Fire]

3. At least Paula Broadwell has some credentials behind her.

Apparently, Jill Kelley has no achievements other than marrying well and throwing parties.

[BlueToTheBone]

4. Remember the party crashers at the Obama formal affair

a few years ago? They are all in the same club of wannabes and posers. I'll bet they all hate each other.

[Mike Daniels]

5. The Salahis - This is the 2012 edition of that escapade

[Berlum]

15. Coinkydink: Jill Kelley's father was the owner of Saraha restaurants.

Aha - Salahi - Saraha. Aha.

This must be causing RepuliBrains to 'splode an stuff.

Those in the no will no.

[HooptieWagon]

6. As I recall, that couple was doing it as a lark.

It appears Kelley was trying to parlay her social connections into cash.

[BlueToTheBone]

17. Advancement in the game.

The Salahis may have thought that something grand would come of their party crashing and Jill definitely thought that party giving would entitle her.

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. It's hard to believe that this world even exists

Military "liaisons" throwing parties, hugging and kissing generals, carrying on. Wives of generals telling wives of other military "liaisons" about the emails, "Friends" programs, and other nonsense. People $4 million in debt driving around in new $80,000 Mercedes Benzes with "Honorary Counsel" plates, starting cancer charities that do nothing but throw parties.

It's fucking unbelievable.

Maybe we're all just the dumb schmoes who get up every morning, get our kids' breakfast, rush out the door and go to work. Pinch pennies this month to get some cheap Ikea shelves.

These people are lucky I'll never be in charge. There would be a fucking reckoning, I assure you.

[HooptieWagon]

10. Tampa has always had a close relationship with military.

Origin of Tampa was Ft Brooke, established as a post for the Seminole Wars. Tampa also was a departation point for Cuba Invasion during the Spanish-American War... Tampa being as far south as railroads ran back then. Tampa also was location of several airbases during WW2, for training, and anti-submarine patrols. MacDill still exists as an AFB, another evolved into Tampa International Airport, and a seaplane basin near downtown evolved into a non-commercial airport (Peter O'Knight Airport) and a yacht basin.

MacDill personell always been warmly welcomed into community, nothing really unusual about being a part of Tampa social and recreational scene. The Kelley's lavish parties are somewhat unusual, though. Tampa's "old money" is more discreet and subtle, party guests don't arrive in 28-car motorcades. Kelleys appear to be "new money", seeking attention and publicity with conspicuous spending.

[Chan790]

12. I'd agree with most all of that...except that I have to defend my profession somewhat.

starting cancer charities that do nothing but throw parties.

Actually, depending on who you're looking to raise money from and for, gala/event fundraising of this sort can be incredibly rewarding financially for an NPO when done with an experienced and skilled development professional. (I've done gala fundraising before...its less fun and more work than it looks like.)

That said, I have my doubts that Mrs. Kelley is a professional anything and I'd wager that she's not employing any either. Just another socialite dilettante thinking she can live as a party-girl and pass off her partying as social-responsibility.

[HooptieWagon]

14. The source of the donation is unknown.

But the expenditures list lavish paties, travel, automobiles, utility bills, $12,000 in "office equipment". Not one expenditure went towards cancer research or treatment, the stated purpose of the charity. It appears the Kelleys used the charity funds to maintain their lavish lifestyle.

[Chan790]

18. I hadn't read the article.

That's horrible. It confirms what I had expected though...a dilettante passing off her party-lifestyle as social responsibility.

I hate people like that...they make it harder for those of us trying to actually do good. Not only do they take money away from legitimate charities, they make people more skeptical of legitimate fundraising and gala-events.

[ieoeja]

16. Military academies are in the Ivy League. Think about that.

"The Forgotten War" about Korea has a ton of this stuff. The retired General who wrote it said no true history of American military actions could be accurate without providing these connections as who-married-whose-sister is how decisions are often reached.

National Security "expert" on the morning news today was astounded by all of this, then went on to reference the usual genius and competence of our national security as evidenced by the movie "Argo".

Expert thinks movie is reality?

The CIA told President GHW Bush the Soviet Union had 20 years left in it. At the same time Western businesses and lawyers were pouring into the former Soviet states to setup shop. A Ukrainian born, American lawyer was already writing the Ukraine's Declaration of Independance which spelled the official end of the Soviet Union. American lawyers had already been hired by various Soviet states to write laws for interacting in the global marketplace. It's not like one day these countries just said, "okay, we're open for business." It took a lot of planning and coordination.

And the CIA completely ignored this massive undertaking.

I tend to equate "National Security expert" with "clueless moron".

[reformist2]

8. "Ask, Believe, Receive"?

[Historic NY]

9. This is a genuine Bimbo Explosion X2.

[Phentex]

11. You mean she wanted

"stuff"?

[Sheldon Cooper]

13. 'Honorary Grifter'!