Patreaus resign because of affair?

**pfife** · 11-09-2012, 03:06 PM

Disclaimer: It's a tweet.... but...

Krystal Ball ‏@KrystalBall1
Petraeus resigns as director of CIA due to extra marital affair

**pfife** · 11-09-2012, 03:07 PM

CNN has it breaking, resigning for personal reasons.....

**sinister porpoise** · 11-09-2012, 03:08 PM

Andrea Mitchell reported it on MSNBC. Feels weird this has been on that network for about 15m but twitter has hardly reacted.

**pfife** · 11-09-2012, 03:11 PM

I might be rare, but I'm a hard core liberal that thinks this guy has been great at what he's done, and has helped our country immensely. I thought he'd be a very strong candidate for president at some point, but he has always been pretty vocal that he wasn't going to run for public office. I think this is a tough loss for the US.

**pfife** · 11-09-2012, 03:29 PM

Originally Posted by sinister porpoise

Andrea Mitchell reported it on MSNBC. Feels weird this has been on that network for about 15m but twitter has hardly reacted.

twitter seems broken right now

**Deleterious** · 11-09-2012, 03:38 PM

Takes guts to have an affair with someone in the CIA.

**VegasTiger** · 11-09-2012, 04:12 PM

Originally Posted by Deleterious

Takes guts to have an affair with someone in the CIA.

lol...And if you get caught, this probably wasn't your line of work anyway.

**Melody** · 11-09-2012, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by Deleterious

Takes guts to have an affair with someone in the CIA.

I suspect it happens a lot.

Weird, though. Seems like there's more to the story.

**hueytaxi** · 11-09-2012, 04:50 PM

The purge of the generals is right out of Tom Clancey.

**stanpapi** · 11-09-2012, 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by VegasTiger

lol...And if you get caught, this probably wasn't your line of work anyway.

It was those damn russian spies that ratted him out...

**Motor City Sonics** · 11-09-2012, 05:31 PM

I don't care about his personal life. But I guess an affair makes him (or made him) vulnerable to blackmail.....but now that it's out it can't.

I just don't really care about these guys personal lives - unless they are telling me not to do what they are doing (Elliott Spitzer, David Vitter). I don't think DP ever told anyone how to conduct their sex lives.

**pyrotigers** · 11-09-2012, 05:39 PM

Like most things it's a case by case basis. Anyone can make a mistake and do something they regret. Or find themselves in a loveless marriage and look elsewhere. Whatever. You also have people who do things to intentionally hurt people, have a long history of indiscretion and lying about it, or are simply sociopaths who don't care either way.

If it happens to be the the former I don't have any trouble forgiving them and letting them go on in public life. It's a personal issue. But it always opens up the possibility of more serious issues, which is why people tend to overreact to things like this from public figures.

**Deleterious** · 11-09-2012, 06:00 PM

Petraeus Affair and Paula Broadwell: The CIA Director resigns over his affair with his biographer .

**Antrat** · 11-09-2012, 06:34 PM

I guess the title "All In" now has a totally different meaning.

**Motor City Sonics** · 11-09-2012, 06:38 PM

Maybe he'll have time to see a dentist now.

**monkeynuts** · 11-09-2012, 06:42 PM

Yikes. Talk about a spectacular way to f over a 40 year career.

**Antrat** · 11-09-2012, 06:49 PM

The only faithful men in Washington are the stone ones on monuments.

**chasfh** · 11-09-2012, 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by hueytaxi

The purge of the generals is right out of Tom Clancey.

Funny you kind of throw this out there. I just heard a radio interview by a guy who maintains that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were drawn out much, much longer than they had to be because America wouldn't fire its incompetent generals, treating them like tenured professors at universities:

Interview, Thomas Ricks, Author Of 'The Generals' : NPR

In fact, in this interview, the author says the only thing generals get fired for these days are "zipper problems" that embarrass the military institution. So, if I had to guess, Petraeus was going to get fired if he didn't quit first.

**Deleterious** · 11-09-2012, 07:07 PM

Petraeus' biographer Paula Broadwell under FBI investigation over access to his email, law enforcement officials say - U.S. News

The biographer for resigning CIA Director David Petraeus is under FBI investigation for improperly trying to access his email and possibly gaining access to classified information, law enforcement officials told NBC News on Friday.

**Mr. DNA** · 11-09-2012, 07:37 PM

Legit LOL.

Originally Posted by Antrat

I guess the title "All In" now has a totally different meaning.

**RatkoVarda** · 11-09-2012, 07:38 PM

One is the wife, the other is the girlfriend. I'm not telling who is who. You decide.

**RatkoVarda** · 11-09-2012, 07:39 PM

more sad humor from her bio:

Paula Broadwell is a research associate at Harvard University’s Center for Public Leadership and a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. She spent much of the past year in Afghanistan as an embedded author, extending her doctoral dissertation on transformational leadership and organizational innovation based on the career of U.S. Army General David Petraeus. The result is Paula’s highly anticipated portrait of Petraeus as commander and her chronicle of the Afghan war—All In: The Education of General David Petraeus.

Paula’s passion for leadership and security policy stems from her background in the U.S. military and her academic pursuits.

**hueytaxi** · 11-09-2012, 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by chasfh

Funny you kind of throw this out there. I just heard a radio interview by a guy who maintains that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were drawn out much, much longer than they had to be because America wouldn't fire its incompetent generals, treating them like tenured professors at universities:

Interview, Thomas Ricks, Author Of 'The Generals' : NPR

In fact, in this interview, the author says the only thing generals get fired for these days are "zipper problems" that embarrass the military institution. So, if I had to guess, Petraeus was going to get fired if he didn't quit first.

Interesting article and I believe some truth is there. There is also the issues of limited warfare which hampered our efforts beginning in Viet Nam. When your opponent has no rules and you have to fight within a given set of rules, your options become limited. I'm not suggesting anything outside the Geneva Accords. America was won by dedicated pioneers who refused to play by Britain's rules.

**stanpapi** · 11-09-2012, 07:46 PM

I don't doubt the affair happened. But it just so happens, he was to testify next week on Benghazi....It is just so strange how things like this happen. Right on time. I cannot believe how stuff like this works out.

**Gehringer_2** · 11-09-2012, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by Deleterious

Petraeus' biographer Paula Broadwell under FBI investigation over access to his email, law enforcement officials say - U.S. News

This might make a lot more sense. He would be (should be!) in a lot more trouble if he compromised the security of his office to an uncleared civilian.

**stanpapi** · 11-09-2012, 08:17 PM

So she really was "All In".

**hueytaxi** · 11-09-2012, 08:31 PM

I understand she was inbeded.

**stanpapi** · 11-09-2012, 08:42 PM

Paula's twitter page describes her as Author; National Security Analyst; Army Vet; Women's Rights Activist; Runner/Skier/Surfer; Wife; Mom!....How sweet.

So I guess you can add adulterer and fall woman to that list too, if we are to believe a reasonably attractive woman like herself actually did "inbed" with the geeky good general. But as it stands, it appears with all these titles she already has, she was still able to make time to be bought off in exchange for being the excuse so that the good General didn't have to go talk to our pal's in congress next week. How do women these days do it all???

Oh, and let's put it out there on a Friday evening when we think no one is looking. We were all out to dinner spending whatever excess cash we have that will be funding Obama care next year. We will never notice.

This administration really does think we're all idiots. Based on where they got their votes, they're absolutely right. It's banana republic time, Chicago style.

**hueytaxi** · 11-09-2012, 09:47 PM

I had forgotten Panetta was also leaving....JCS....watch out!

**Melody** · 11-09-2012, 10:12 PM

Originally Posted by Deleterious

Petraeus' biographer Paula Broadwell under FBI investigation over access to his email, law enforcement officials say - U.S. News

Now this makes the resignation make more sense. That is pretty serious.

**Mr.TaterSalad** · 11-09-2012, 10:17 PM

Mark Levin is going crazy about this tonight. He is speculating that this resignation is related to Bengazi given that Patreaus was supposed to testify in front of Congress next week but won't be now that he's resigned. He quoted Steve Hayes from a Weekly Standard piece where Hayes had said that many Republican Congressmen were dissatisfied with testimony Petreaus gave to them back in September. Hayes wrote that many Congressmen he spoke with felt they were being misled by Petreaus testimony. Levin is portraying Petraus as having "taken one for the team" to cover something up.

**stanpapi** · 11-09-2012, 10:36 PM

My previous post aside (and I do stand by it- there's more to this than an affair), I personally hate to see something like this. I haven't followed this man's career in detail, but obviously someone who gave his life to his country through dedicated service. It disgusts me to see people like this caught up in BS politics from an administration that lied to us a week before the election. But this is what happens when people who serve with good intentions mix with the people who serve without the same intentions. Things don't always end well.

**Melody** · 11-09-2012, 10:37 PM

They were reporting on the television news that the affair was first discovered by the FBI during an investigation of Broadwell. That indicates to me that there was something going on to bring her onto their radar.

Gosh, I hope they look into her background back to birth. Remember those Russian sleepers?

**VegasTiger** · 11-09-2012, 10:42 PM

Anyone else think she sounds like a Bond girl?

**hueytaxi** · 11-09-2012, 10:44 PM

2 years ago it was Patraeus replacing McCrystal who no longer served at the Prez's pleasure.

**stanpapi** · 11-09-2012, 10:46 PM

I hate to say it, but this is one of those stories that would be intensely investigated if this was a Republican administration. I have a pretty bad feeling this will get shut down pretty fast. After all, we have a long weekend of football in front of us to bury this story in. Maybe we can count on someone like Chris Matthews to take the ball and run with this one, Woodward & Bernstein style. Be the independent journalist we know you can be, Chris....

**hueytaxi** · 11-09-2012, 11:09 PM

Shame Jack Bauer retired.

**Deleterious** · 11-10-2012, 02:06 AM

A Message From Beyond - NYTimes.com

Scroll to the one titled "My wife's lover"

Doubtful, but still interesting.

**Gehringer_2** · 11-10-2012, 05:46 AM

Originally Posted by hueytaxi

2 years ago it was Patraeus replacing McCrystal who no longer served at the Prez's pleasure.

True. But pretty standard fare. A lot of presidents have sacked a lot of high profile generals over the course of American history.

**eastside billee** · 11-10-2012, 10:16 AM

I hate to say it, but this is one of those stories that would be intensely investigated if this was a Republican administration. I have a pretty bad feeling this will get shut down pretty fast. After all, we have a long weekend of football in front of us to bury this story in. Maybe we can count on someone like Chris Matthews to take the ball and run with this one, Woodward & Bernstein style. Be the independent journalist we know you can be, Chris....

I agree with you. Who is actually that gulliable to believe this news would come out a couple days after the election instead of before? It's like a freakin' soap opera - so much coincidence it's uncanny. Really folks? C'mon now. I'm wondering why this is such a big deal now - we had a President who had a harum in the White House and everybody was saying they didn't care....that it didn't impact his value as a President. Now this? I'm just not that gullible folks.

The dung pile over this Libya thing is getting higher and higher - and one day in the near future it's gonna fall over. I'm gonna just wait and see what happens. With this administration it will probably be months. The only time things move fast is when they want to take credit for something.