CIA Chief Petraeus resigns as result of extra-marital affair

Forums: Petraeus, Cia, National Security, F B I, Code Of Conduct
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By Greg Miller, Washington Post
Updated: Friday, November 9, 10:18 AM

CIA Director David H. Petraeus resigned Friday and admitted to having an extramarital affair, bringing a surprisingly abrupt end to his brief tenure at the spy agency as well as his decorated career in national security.

Petraeus, a retired four-star U.S. Army general once considered a potential presidential candidate, met with President Obama on Thursday and said he was prepared to step down because of the affair. Obama accepted the resignation in a phone call to Petraeus on Friday, officials said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/david-petraeus-resigns-as-cia-director/2012/11/09/636d204e-2aa8-11e2-bab2-eda299503684_story.html

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Well, damn, I hope he gets a good new government position.

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He resigned because the FBI was investigating the women (his biographer) he was having the affair with. Some are talking about Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy scenarios, but I think they'd investigate her regardless on principle. Any affair could potentially target him with blackmail.

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@JPB,

I'm inclined to agree with you, JP, except that a routine background investigation by the FBI should not be cause for that much panic. It's more likely that the FBI found something in the woman's background that could compromise P's continued access to highly classified materials.

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there must be some mental illness explanation for the elite getting so puritanical over sex, as they mismanage the nation in general and ******* over all of the other classes as well as our kids in particular.....

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@ossobuco,

I of course don't know about Petraeus. I've rather liked him, as much as I've known.

I'd have never made it in any army, though my father ended as a full colonel. I'd probably never have been any good at being a guerrilla either. Lack of fervor.

The loss of lives, stuff of literature, but why is this still going on when we can talk?

Munitions, that's why.

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It's good he came clean so the blackmail issue can be avoided, but I don't think he should have resigned. Cheating on ones spouse does not make one unable to do their job.

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@Green Witch,

Agreed, GW, but in a security-sensitive position like that it's a concern about whom one cheats with. See my post above.

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@Green Witch,

Green Witch wrote:

It's good he came clean so the blackmail issue can be avoided, but I don't think he should have resigned. Cheating on ones spouse does not make one unable to do their job.

it might be more of an excuse here, he did not want to be there and team obama did not think he was doing a good job from the sound of it. but just today the incoming ceo of Lockheed was dumped for the same reason, this ****-canning of good people over morality hysterics has become routine.

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@Green Witch,

I think something must really have been amiss for him to publicly announce his affair. It's one thing to resign for "family reasons" and another to notify the press that you had an affair and were resigning because of it. I wonder if the blackmail had started and he was putting himself out of reach and at the same time allowing the FBI to investigate.

1 Reply

@engineer,

That's about as good a guess as I've heard so far.

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@Lustig Andrei,

One of our quite recent prime ministers had a well known affair with his biographer....and didn't see any need to step down.
I guess it's not a problem when everyone knows, eh?

They married as soon as he stopped being PM.

1 Reply

@dlowan,

The point is, exactly, whether or not it's known. If someone as high in the security apparatus as the Director, Central Intelligence is doing this, and he's trying to keep it a secret, he has become too great a security risk. Even 20 years ago, being homosexual made you a security risk. Today, someone attempts to suborn you, saying: "I'll tell everyone you're a homo!--and the answer would be: "Yeah? So?"

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@ossobuco,

Quote:

I've rather liked him, as much as I've known

Is he your favorite war criminal/terrorist, Osso?

Quote:

I'd probably never have been any good at being a guerrilla either. Lack of fervor.

No ****!

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@Lustig Andrei,

Quote:

Agreed, GW, but in a security-sensitive position like that it's a concern about whom one cheats with. See my post above.

Your brain has been saturated with much too much propaganda, Merry.

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@Setanta,

Quote:

and he's trying to keep it a secret, he has become too great a security risk.

That bag of mush you keep in your cranium has been subjected to the same propaganda stream as Merry's.

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There are two serious concerns with the CIA and infidelity. First, there's the risk of someone being able to blackmail an agent or official. Second (although, maybe they should be reversed, it's my understanding that this is how they see it), someone with access to highly sensitive information must be trustworthy. If their spouse and vows aren't enough to respect and retain control for despite temptation, there can't really be any confidence that career and country would be.

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@MMarciano,

Good points, and I agree. If they are in a position of leadership responsibility that expects everybody to follow the same rules, the leaders must also comply with those rules.

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@MMarciano,

There's a third concern, too, MM. Even in the absence of blackmail, if the lover happens to be less than discreet or trustworthy, she/he may inadvertantly become privy to some serious state secrets.

1 Reply

@MMarciano,

Quote:

If their spouse and vows aren't enough to respect and retain control for despite temptation, there can't really be any confidence that career and country would be.

This is a good point. When someone betrays their country on our behalf, we may give them asylum if they have to flee. But we would never give them an position of responsibility, nor access to sensitive information. They've already betrayed their native country. They will never be seen as trustworthy again.

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CIA Chief Petraeus resigns as result of extra-marital affair

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