Sadly, David Petraeus had to go
Barb ShellyOK, now I get it. Of course David Petraeus had to resign as CIA director.
Upon hearing the startling news (apparently nearly everyone was taken by surprise) my first thought was, “OK, he had an affair.” It happens. And when it does, some people stay on the job. Bill Clinton in the White House, David Vitter in Congress… Or else they turn up as a frequent guest on cable news.
But Petraeus led a spy agency. Massimo Calabresi at Time explains the problem elegantly: “In the world of spies, there is a short list of weaknesses you can exploit in your opponents: they include ideology, greed, indebtedness and infidelity.”
Maybe Petraeus himself wasn’t a prime target for blackmail, but his agents are. The boss can’t claim one standard for himself and another for his employees. He had to go.
It’s a sorry end to a distinguished military and governmental service career. Petraeus brought a delegation to visit The Star when he was the command of the Army’s Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth. His intellect and preparedness and the extent of his knowledge on a range of topics were truly exceptional. I expect Petraeus will find a place to put his many talents to good use. Please, not the cable channels.
Yanwen Xia
Overland Park
6 months, 1 week agoIt is sad that a general not fallen on the battleground but before a beauty.
Yanwen Xia
Overland Park
6 months, 1 week agoBoth have to pay for the price in the end. Both of them have been punished enough and have plenty to reflect upon for the remaining years of their lives.
To the rest of us, the difference between Petraeus and Akin is the magnitude of damage and the long-term impact. Whereas Petraeus hurt his wife, children and the third party, Akin’s line of thought reaches out to half of the population. That’s why people do not care as much about Petraeus as Akin.
Phil Cardarella
6 months, 1 week agoHere is the problem in a nutshell:
A system that deprives the United States of the services of this brilliant man over such triviality is itself flawed.
His adultery should be a matter between him and his wife, not the FBI, CIA, Congress and FOX. “Susceptibility to blackmail” was the excuse used to blackball homosexuals for decades. Once you could not be fired or prosecuted for “sodomy”, the problem evaporated.
Do we really think a guy like Petreus was going to give the Ruskies our launch codes to keep a tawdry affair secret? Allen Drury would blush at that plot!
The whole “military crime of adultery” thing — which does not apply here at all? It is left over from when adultery was a crime in all 50 states — and makes no more sense in 21st Century American forces than drills on musket-loading.
Guys like sex. I doubt we would want an army of guys who didn’t. And, it is only our warped national attitude that turns a farce into a tragedy.