CIA chief Petraeus resigns over affair CIA Director David Petraeus resigned his post on Friday, confessing to having shown "extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair." The former Army general rocketed to global prominence as the man in charge of the "surge" in Iraq and later the commander of American forces in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama said Petraeus had led the Central Intelligence Agency "with characteristic intellectual rigor, dedication and patriotism." "I am completely confident that the CIA will continue to thrive and carry out its essential mission, and I have the utmost confidence in Acting Director Michael Morell and the men and women of the CIA who work every day to keep our nation safe," the president said in a written statement. Petraeus' resignation letter, quoted by several news outlets, centered on his personal behavior. "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," he said. "This afternoon, the President graciously accepted my resignation." Petraeus, 60, has been described as the father of the military's counterinsurgency doctrine. The charismatic officer had been cited as a possible future presidential or vice presidential prospect. His wife, Holly, has worked inside the Obama administration, serving at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. ========================================================== Most Male or Female can keep an affair or two as a secret and this guy can't? MR. Secret CIA director? Strange, days AFTER the election and days BEFORE he was to testify before Congress in regards to Libya, he just up and decides to confess about extramarital affair and quit his job. I don't think so. Something smells & it ain't the rotten Tuna in my Fridge
Strange chops down another poweful man who thought nobody was watching. As head of the CIA, it must have fucked with his head bigtime when someone from FBI randomly told Petraeus the name, birthday and SSN of the jumpoff he was hitting but thought was on the DL. Now the right wing conspiracy theorists can start speculating Petraeus resigned so he wouldn't have to testify before Congress about the made up Benghazi scandal.
What he cheated on his wife and has to resigned? Bill is shocked. It is 2012 not the 70's. Something else has to be going on. If a bullet didn't stop this man from his career, why would a woman?
Yes, he will keep all his benefits. That's what you'll get when you're a senior officer or NCO. You got 20 years in the military and you're a high ranking officer, you can sexualy assault someone, get a DUI and misuse government funds for trips around the world and hookers and still collect retirement. You don't get dishonorably discharged. Now with my rank, if I pulled that shit, I'd be out flat out on my ass with a dishonorable discharge. Period.
well... It is the only way to keep them in. It isn't like you are going to be there for 20 years. There are greater opportunities as a civilian.
Petraeus had enemies in the CIA. Career intelligence officers don't always like someone appointed outside the 'company' coming in and trying to run things. There are reports that Petraeus showed up at Langley and began giving senior analysts ORDERS like they were buck privates, instead of shutting up behind his desk and pushing paper like a good little political appointee. That's a no-no. Having an affair is one thing, it's entirely a different story when that affair is exposed to the media to bring a man/woman down. This had nothing to do with Benghazi IMO. This was all about office politics in the CIA and Petraeus stepped on the wrong toes. How do you think this 'affair' was discovered in the first place?? Like I said earlier, I bet one day an analyst knocked on Petraeus's door and told him we know you're fucking around on your wife. Boom. He probably had his phone tapped and his email accounts hacked from the first day he showed up for work. I don't know if there's a more stressful job than working in the CIA, because if you think the spooks at work are spying on you and keeping a dossier file on your personal life, they probably are, just for kicks. Now top officials at the FBI/CIA are investigating whether or not Petraeus leaking top secret intel to his lover. WTF!!?? Like she's a Russian spy.lol Nope this story is about professional enemies trying to destroy Petraeus's sterling reputation in Washington, D.C. as the most influential general since Eisenhower. He pissed the wrong people off and the cut the man's throat, figuratively speaking. WHen powerful unelected guys like Petraeus are forced to step down, you rarely if ever hear the details. Usually it's for personal or family reasons given to the media. That put that dude out there on blast with his ass showing. The CIA and the DOD are two entities in D.C. that are really beyond the control of Congress and the WH. Both of them have black budgets that are off the books that cost tens of billions every year to do God knows what. I mean, who cares if an unelected government official is having an affair? Do you think a Supreme Court justice is forced to step down for marital infidelity?? These guys aren't accountable to the public, so unless they're committing felony murder most indiscretions are allowed to slide.
I'm learning that Machiavellian politics is the order of the world. It's a matter of survival to succeed or to make the other dumb bastards fail. Such is this life. By any means necessary. Right on Malcolm, right on.
There's got to be more in this game: (1) The general seems to have been coerced into "confessing" the affair in public. (2) He must be saving someone's a** in the upcoming Benghazi investigations.
They're not keeping him in, but they have to make somewhat of an example out of him...just not like what they would do to me. Just pointing out how unfair it is. A Colnel will do less time for rape than a Private. My fall from glory would be much rougher than his. Dishonorable discharge stays on you record forever. Good luck finding a job with that.
The other issue here is how much does the White House get splashed by the backwash here. The right is already questioning how the administration did not know about the investigation, that was supposedly occurring well before the election. Did the General hold back on his resignation until after the election? What affect if any, would this knowledge, if public, had on last Tuesday's outcome?
