David Petraeus admits to affair, resigns from CIA
This is juicy:
CIA Director David Petraeus submitted his resignation to President Barack Obama citing personal reasons, a U.S. government source tells CNN Intelligence Correspondent Suzanne Kelly. The source said Petraeus admitted to an extramarital affair and that is why he is resigning.
Putting on the retrospectacles and turning the dial to 2007:
that has nothing to do with an affair. that is like saying Clinton was a bad preisdent because of Monica.
Petraeus’ statement is here: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/09/petraeus-resignation-letter-i-showed-extremely-poor-judgement/?hpt=hp_t1
The first paragraph and crux of the statement:
“Yesterday afternoon, I went to the White House and asked the President to be allowed, for personal reasons, to resign from my position as D/CIA. After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair. Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours. This afternoon, the President graciously accepted my resignation.”
I have always thought very highly of Petraeus. I still do. He is a class act, highly intelligent, and very capable. I hate that he feels like his resignation was necessary but it’s his life. My opinion of him won’t change just because he turns out to be human.
Interesting that the retrospectacles only records the Shock! Shock, I Tell You! over the ad and not why the ad was placed.
Also interesting that this guy was a favorite in some circles to run for President. A lifetime of service and this is what people will remember for awhile.
I was just making an ironic play on words with Betray Us / unfaithfulness. No deep meaning.
He must have been well and truly busted, otherwise he could get away with just retiring at the end of Obama’s term. I wonder if the press, his wife, or the other woman was planning to out him. There will likely be more details.
He was my secret choice for 2016 especially since I have no idea what party he belongs to, but he served different Presidents from both parties as if he was unaffliated.
@puck, my comment wasn’t at you, but the article itself.
News from the right wing blogoland…. which i am now somehow unable to avoid reading…. This is all a smoke screen so he can safely get away from Obama in order to testify in the Benghazi hearings that will lead to the impeachments of both Obama AND Biden.
Also, I wonder how hard they had to work to keep this from coming out before the election. The Repubs would have made hay out of it, especially the security aspect of Obama’s CIA head potentially compromising himself. He may even have had to lie on a background check, if they do that routinely to the CIA head that is.
>> side-eye
I’ll know what I think about the causes of this when I see who is called to replace him.
Benghazi! Fast and Furious! Solyndra! Secret Service Sex!!! One of these is going to put Mitt over the top!! YOU’ll see!!
How many times do public officials have to have these dailliances before we get the picture in the puritanical USA that many fine and perfectly compotent people have affairs and it’s both irrelevant to their performance and simply none of our business?
Slate’s reporting that the other woman is his biographer. Here’s her on the daily show promoting the book.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-january-25-2012/exclusive—push-up-contest-to-benefit-wounded-veterans
I know that Al Mascitti thought that Petraeus had designs on the presidency as an R.
I guess as an Eisenhower figure. Which, when one considers the alternatives for the R’s, might not have been so bad.
An Eisenhower figure? In more ways than one …
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Summersby#section_2
FBI is reported to be investigating the woman’s access to General Petraeus’ email.
I’m betting there’s going to be a lot more to this story.
@Dave “I hate that he feels like his resignation was necessary but it’s his life.”
He would have had to fire any subordinate who engaged in such activity. CIA culture does not tolerate such, and for good reason.
“The Spy Who Loved Me” is fiction.
@V “Here’s her on the daily show promoting the book.”
The book titled: “All In”
Yea… I get it.
“I’m betting there’s going to be a lot more to this story.”
Ya think? Of course there is more to the story. Military code of conduct was broken. The administration could make life difficult for the guy if they wanted to, or he could just resign and keep his mouth shut.
He’s not in the military anymore. CIA rules, not military rules, apply.
When the affair started he was in the military. She was in Kabul with him during his final year in command.
CIA/Federal government rules do apply. But just FYI, U.S. military members who retire enter the retired reserve and are subject to recall to active duty at any time, by the Secretary of the military branch they belonged to at the time of retirement (10 USC § 688).
I’ve seen officers recalled several times for differing reasons. In this situation his activities in the CIA do not fall under DOD so no chance of that happening. Plus it has been very clear that he was not the subject of investigation, nor has there been any allegations of wrong doing on his with the exception of him not living up to his own values regarding his personal life.