Billy Long deletes @Auctnr1 tweets that slammed Panetta and disclosed embargoed information

This post deals with screen captures of various twitter accounts. Click on the images for a larger view.

Both the Huffington Post and Politico have picked up on Billy Long's tweets from yesterday..... the ones he didn't delete that is.

From The Huffington Post:

So as Navy SEALs hunted down one of the greatest threats to America's security in a highly dangerous undercover operation, what was Leon Panetta thinking about? "On Monday, Panetta fielded questions from 25 congressional freshmen during a long-planned and, as it turned out, well-timed tour of CIA headquarters. Rep. Billy Long tweeted from the tour, "Panetta 'watching it unfold live I thought- this is like watching a Harrison Ford Movie' when asked who should play him- he said 'Al Pacino.''" Robert Gates' uncanny resemblance to Ruby Dee really is an asset right now. [Politico's Karin Tanabe]

From Politico:

Movies will certainly be made about the death of Osama bin Laden and the CIA-led operation that killed him.

When that happens, CIA Director Leon Panetta suggests that Al Pacino play him.

On Monday, Panetta fielded questions from 25 congressional freshmen during a long-planned and, as it turned out, well-timed tour of CIA headquarters.

Rep. Billy Long tweeted from the tour,

Long tweeted that the tour was arranged “some time ago,” adding “what a day to tour CIA Headquarters and have a Q & A with Director Leon Panetta- incredible- riveting recap of events.”

The Missouri congressman said the details of “how everything unfolded” were “incredible” and “remarkable.”

“What planning, preparation and execution,” he tweeted.

At 9:40 PM, May 1, JamesMNHarris retweeted a tweet from a BenjaminHackett, which Billy Long, tweeting under the pseudonym of "Auctnr1" retweeted: RT JamesMNHarris RT @benjaminHackett House Intelligence committee aide confirms that #Osama Bin Laden is DEAD. US has the body.(click on image for larger view.)

Twenty minutes later, at 10:00 PM, Auctnr1 made the following tweet (referencing the previously scheduled tour of CIA headquarters for twenty-five freshman reps):

We're scheduled to tour the CIA tomorrow and hear remarks from Leon Panetta. Wonder if plans will change or we'll hear Panetta's the best ever!

Several members of new media in Southwest Missouri picked up on that tweet. Randy Turner was the first one to notice it. He was also the first to notice that Long had deleted the tweet

Seventh District Congressman Billy Long rapidly deleted a sarcastic tweet about he expected to hear tomorrow about how great CIA director and soon-to-be Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is.

The tweet, of course, was made before the news that a CIA-led operation resulted in the death of terrorist Osama bin Laden.

Long must have realized that his tweet was in poor taste, even for him and deleted it.

Fortunately for those who are not into revisionist history, Long's tweets and re-tweets were captured through an iPhone app. This was not Billy's first rodeo.Billy Long in Neosho with his ever-ready iPhone

The next morning, Long tweets about his tour of CIA Headquarters in Langley with quite a different attitude from the previous night:These are the tweets the DC new media picked up on:

Timing is everything--what a day to tour CIA Headquarters and have a Q & A with Director Leon Panetta- incredible- riveting recap of events.

Then this one (I almost wish Long was have used the phrase "Penatta's the best ever" in this tweet):

Director Panetta was rightfully proud of our incredible Men & Women in the Military& Intel Communities.

And finally this one:

“Panetta 'watching it unfold live I thought- this is like watching a Harrison Ford Movie' when asked who should play him- he said 'Al Pacino.’”

Ok, picture this: CIA HQ on the day after the President announced to the US and the world (ok so Billy announced it first on Twitter)that Osama Bin Laden had been killed in daring raid on his compound in Abbottabad.

I can just imagine Director Panetta describing the events that lead up to the raid, the intelligence gathering, the planning, the discussions with the President, the final go-ahead and, when the mission was underway, the atmosphere in the White House Situation Room.*
Perhaps sensing that he was losing some of the members of the tour with the details, I can imagine Director Panetta saying, to describe the night in a framework that even Billy could understand, that it was 'watching it unfold live I thought- this is like watching a Harrison Ford Movie'.
Then I can imagine Panetta opening up the floor for questions. Questions all of us would have wanted to ask: How long was this planned? How did you find where Bin Laden was living? What happened to his body? All questions pertaining to the mission.

Then, a member of the tour asks, "Who will play you in the movie?"

I just hope it wasn't Ozark Billy who asked that question.

But then again, I maybe hope it was so the rest of the twitter universe can see what a lot of us down here in MO 7 see: the man is out of his league.Billy Long with his ever-ready iPhone.

While I was gathering information and screen shots for this post, I went back to Long's Twitter account and Harris's twitter account to nail down the times the tweets came across.

Not only was Long's sarcastic tweet about Panetta deleted, but Long also deleted his retweet of JamesMNHarris announcing the death and capture of Bin Laden's body:

The tweet is here:


Later, the tweet is gone-- it was between the tweet about Geraldo and Greenwood:


Remember, Billy Long retweeted Harris' tweet at 9:40PM, but when I went to Harris' tweets, I can't find it.

I have deleted some of my tweets before, usually for grammar corrections or because I couldn't nail down the facts. But Long, while known for smack talking and code-talking, also tweets some pretty outlandish stuff.

No, don't get me wrong, he did the right thing by deleting them. He screwed up by posting them in the first place. I expect more from a member of congress and a member who secured an appointment to the Homeland Security Committee.



I guess to some in D.C., Billy seems amusing, but that dog don't hunt too much down here.Can Billy Long be trusted with state secrets? Does he need his iPhone taken away from him? Do we want to trust Billy with state secrets? Anyone with access to a computer knew Sunday night that 25 US Representatives were going to be enroute to Langley on Monday morning-- Didn't Billy realize that?

*President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House, May 1, 2011. Seated, from left, are: Brigadier General Marshall B. “Brad” Webb, Assistant Commanding General, Joint Special Operations Command; Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough; Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Standing, from left, are: Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; National Security Advisor Tom Donilon; Chief of Staff Bill Daley; Tony Binken, National Security Advisor to the Vice President; Audrey Tomason Director for Counterterrorism; John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Please note: a classified document seen in this photograph has been obscured. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

(By the way JamesMNHarris, reading your tweets... what kind of vehicle do you drive? I have spent over $125 to fill the tank on my Chevy Suburban, but it's got a 454 motor and I haul our Airstream with it. For my daily driver I drive a 10 year old 4 cylinder 5 speed S-10 that gets about 25 mpg. Maybe you ought to think about getting a car that gets better gas mileage?)

"It's like a big block of cheese, see."