The "Black Swanning" Of Paula Broadwell

Been talking/reading about the Petraeus/Broadwell thing all day -- and I'm sure only a fraction has come out on this scandal than what we will know by next week. But one person who immediately reminded me of Paula Broadwell is:

"Diaper Astronaut" Lisa Nowak. Like Nowak, high-achiever and accomplished Broadwell was apparently more or less stalking her (ex?)lover, and threatening the other women in his life. From The Washington Post:

"The recipient of the e-mails was so frightened that she went to the FBI for protection and help tracking down the sender, according to the officials. The FBI investigation traced the threats to Paula Broadwell, a former military officer and a Petraeus biographer, and uncovered explicit e-mails between Broadwell and Petraeus, the officials said."

According to some reports, Broadwell also possibly tried to hack the Gmail account of Petraeus. Since Petraeus is/was THE HEAD OF THE FRICKING CIA, this is really messed-up, crazy shit -- the type of shit people can go to prison for.

Take a look at Broadwell's resume -- as well as the fact that she had a seemingly idyllic married family life (as did Nowak) -- and it seems insane why she would risk throwing it all away by doing such risky business. Affairs with powerful men are one thing -- some women strategically use them to move up the ladder of power. But Broadwell was no starry-eyed Washington intern. She had to know that hacking the Petraeus account was dangerous, and that harassing his associates doubly so.

This is why I believe Broadwell might have been, like Nowak, a little unhinged. Why do these seemingly successful women with bright futures "lose it"? This brings to mind a certain film:

Reading her resume and academic background, it seems possible that a young Broadwell was "targeted" at an earlier age to be the very high achiever -- and useful media/political asset -- that she eventually became. As one story goes, Petraeus had his eye on her since she was in graduate school -- and he eventually became her "mentor" -- she, in turn becoming his fawning biographer and de facto PR person.

But I think it might have started earlier than that -- in high-school or undergrad -- not by Petraeus but by others. She was seemingly "tracked" for success throughout her life; told that she was destined for great things, doors magically opening up for her. And -- I know this is just a bit of pure crazy speculation -- she also might have knowingly or unknowingly been purposely put in the position to get close to Petraeus (or people of his high status) by others.

Whatever the case, there is a bit of pressure involved in being that person, on that "track." Much as the character Nina in "Black Swan" is under incredible pressure to be "perfect." Or how Astronaut Nowak probably was as well.

Now let me explain further what I mean by being placed on a "track." I've been in "special programs" for "talented students" for most of my youth. We would get a number of strange visitors from various organizations & such  -- "talent scouts," if you will. In college, I was in a special scholarship program funded by a very big corporation. While I am very grateful for the financial assistance they gave me, I also got the impression that we were being "groomed," especially the female "prodigies" (who were often "teamed" with charismatic male mentors).

Groomed for what? Certainly, the usual -- grants, prestigious graduate school programs, jobs in high levels of everything. But, perhaps, a bit more as well (that's a whole separate post or two or twenty). I never got as far as a Broadwell. I dumped the whole thing (which started to majorly weird me out) for a job in the comic book industry first chance I got. But I was certainly "tracked" academically for very high-profile things -- my life's course seemingly drawn up for me, leading into the decades, by others.

I've seen young women fall apart under the pressure of these "mentors" and their "tracks" -- following their mentors/gurus to other universities, even leaving their families (husbands and children) behind for them. And always -- always -- these mentors look for a new "prodigy" to groom. As what happened to Nina in "Black Swan," and what most assuredly happened to Broadwell.

Petraeus was on the board for Broadwell's dissertation, and held an important mentoring role in both her education and career. It was no wonder she was so attached. Then she finds out that he's "mentoring" other, perhaps younger, women.

And thus Broadwell -- after tirelessly providing positive PR for Petraeus through a high-profile biography, numerous speaking tours, news articles and opinion pieces, and even an interview on "The Daily Show" -- snaps.

BUT BUT BUT, you might say, this might all be "sham news" -- a smokescreen to get Petraeus out of the way so he couldn't testify at those Benghazi hearings the following week. Certainly, the timing of the CIA Director's resignation smells a bit fishy.

A bit of levity from one of New York's humor papers

However, what I think we have here is a possible aggregation of a number of factors:

1. Broadwell might have been, as I have postulated, an obsessed lover (like Nowak).
2. The Powers That Be found out the info on Broadwell a while ago, but held it in their pocket for the "right time" -- perhaps they have many of such "cards" held against those who might be needed to be removed from the scene at a certain time.
3. Petraeus might not have been the only high-level person Broadwell was associating with...

And this is the answer to the question being bandied about so indignantly around the Internet comment sections this morning: "Why should we care about what a man does in his private life, something between two consensual adults?"

Because you can get blackmailed, stupid.

Of course, maybe this all goes a bit deeper -- most certainly it will go a bit weirder. Will Petraeus ever testify about what happened in Benghazi?

And what does the future hold for Paula Broadwell?

(Please bear in mind that I am not excusing the actions of Broadwell or any other woman in her position. Just making you aware of the machine from which she was most certainly spawned from)