Politico gets stuck on stupid

John Allen could face court-martial - Philip Ewing - POLITICO.com:

After admitting that there is no evidence that Gen. John Allen, presently commanding ISAF in Afghanistan, conducted any sexual relationship with "socialite" Jill Kelley, even though he did exchange untold numbers of "inappropriate emails" with her, the site goes on to exclaim, "John Allen could face court-martial" (!) if he did commit adultery.

What a crock this is, and demonstrates fully why Politico is a joke.

Let me list some of the other things Gen. Allen could be court martialed for:

• Shoplifting at the PX - there's no evidence he ever did, but if he did, hoo boy, he could face trial!
• Burglary of enlisted Marines' quarters - there's no evidence he ever did, but if he did, hoo boy, he could face trial!
• Assault and battery of a dining hall cook - there's no evidence he ever did, but if he did, hoo boy, he could face trial!

You get the idea. Politico is so blind it doesn't even realize its own writer could face professional sanction for plagiarizing his article from another source. (There's no evidence of it, but if he did . . .)

And why are some media stuck on stupid with the notion that if David Petraeus' affair with Paula Broadwell began before he retired from the Army, he could be recalled to active duty to face trial? First, ABC News and now RT.com.

I slapped down this silly notion here.

Update: Business Insider joins the stupid-stuck group.

Allen insists he has done nothing wrong, but he would be subject to prosecution if the Defense Department finds that he was sexually involved with Kelley—since adultery is formally barred under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)—or finds that the public disclosure of "potentially inappropriate” emails constitutes “conduct unbecoming an officer.”

In my entire career, I never even heard of an officer of any rank being tried solely for "conduct unbecoming." Yes, it is a punitive article of the UCMJ, but it's really just a catch-all charge that gets added to a charge and specification list that is already being pressed against an officer. It's fairly ill-defined.

Allen's career could well be over now because of the scandal, but there is no chance at all that he will stand trial because of the emails.