Gen. David Petraeus Resigns As CIA Director Over Extra-Marital Affair

[WstateU]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/11/09/petraeus-resigns-as-cia-director/

“Yep, they call me John Holmes II”






“That’s what she said”

[shoxlax]

Not necessarily surprised, but disappointed. Great leaders don't always have great morals. He was really doing some things to shake up the CIA and improve it too.

[ShockerGorilla]

You would think with the Democrats in office this would be more tolerated.

[pinstripers]

Clinton never resigned.

[GoShockers89]

That is really a shame.

His work on the Iraq Surge from 2006-08 was undeniably brilliant and he displayed remarkable poise during the "willful suspension of disbelief" congressional hearings (Remember the full-page ad in the NY Times, "GENERAL BETRAY US?" the day before they began the grilling). Petraeus was arguably our most effective and influential general in the last forty years. Hate to see him go out like this.

[WstateU]

[shoxplode]

Adultery is punishable under the UCMJ.

[kcshocker11]

It seems His biographer/girlfriend is being investigated by the FBI for having access to national security data and his personal e-mails

[BenWSU]

[SB Shock]

That is really a shame.

His work on the Iraq Surge from 2006-08 was undeniably brilliant.

There is nothing brilliant about the doctrine using overwhelming force. Probably a lot of lives would have been saved in Iraq if Rumsfield had not tried just used the "minimum".

Petraeus was arguably our most effective and influential general in the last forty years. Hate to see him go out like this.

I would say he was one of the more competent, but I would not rate him as some great general with the likes of Marshall, Eisenhower, Patton.

I have no sympathy for the man to abuse his situation for his own gain. He resigned because he got caught and didn't want to face military justice, not because he was remorseful.

[GoShockers89]

Disagree.

The guy revolutionized the approach the military took in Iraq and Afghanistan- he didn't just oversee a massive influx of troops. His counterinsurgency doctrine, although seemingly obvious in hindsight, rocked the strategic status quo at the military's highest levels. He might not be a Patton on X's and O's (nobody is), but he's the first general since MacArthur to turn around a war that we were on a path to lose.

You misunderstood my post. I wasn't saying he shouldn't have stepped down or deserves no blame. More along the lines that it's a shame when a good role model and accomplished public figure falls apart in plain sight. Seeing an American hero fall from grace is always a bummer.

[Kung Wu]

A scenario that's playing around in my head:

Does anybody wonder why he announced the REASON he was stepping down? That's unusual. And don't get all "Generals are cut from another cloth" on me. Generals are forced into retirement all the time and the announcement never indicates why -- in fact it's the opposite, they gush over the guy even though he was just fired.

I'm just sitting here thinking ... hmm, he's the Director of the C.I.A. and he vigorously defended the C.I.A. when Obama went on the offensive blaming the "intelligence community" for the excellent job the C.I.A. did in Benghazi. Bi "vigorously" I mean, he didn't say much, but he said it absolutely and publicly. From a subordinate's standpoint, that's vigorous. I'm not sure Benghazi is going away.

I'm thinking somebody on the White House administration knew about the affair and threatened to go public if he didn't cave on Benghazi. And he, in turn, f'ed up their plan by just putting it out in the open and resigning.

Now the other curious thing is that Petraeus will not testify on Benghazi.

That makes me wonder if there were MORE shenanigans (maybe multiple affairs, etc) and a deal was cut that he would come clean on an affair, retire, and not testify; and they will keep the rest of the story quiet. Or, will he change his mind once he is subpoenaed at some future date?

Or is all of this just coincidental hogwash?

[SB Shock]

Or is all of this just coincidental hogwash?

One article I read that evaluated the time line when this was likely to happen occurred and determined it was known during the vetting process by the obama admin and it was the administration free "fire me now!" Card if he ever became a liability to the administration.

[BenWSU]

Interesting how he was able to hide it from the CIA - Guess the CIA isn't as good as most people think.

Bet their's alot of people behind the scenes that aren't too happy about the FBI investigating the CIA.

[WstateU]

Caption contest; I think I'll pass on this one...