Now I have heard everything. Sit down folks. General David Petraeus, holder of the following medals:
- Defense Distinguished Service Medal (4)
- Army Distinguished Service Medal (3)
- Defense Superior Service Medal (2)
Legion of Merit (4) - Bronze Star Medal with Valor
- Defense Meritorious Service Medal
- NATO Meritorious Service Medal
- Officer of the Order of Australia
- And many others
Has resigned because of an extra-marital affair.
CIA Director David Petraeus submitted his letter of resignation Friday, after admitting to an extramarital affair.
Petraeus, in a message to staff, said President Obama accepted his resignation after the two met on Thursday afternoon. Petraeus said that he asked “to be allowed” to step down.
“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,” Petraeus said. “This afternoon, the President graciously accepted my resignation.”
The move comes amid the unfolding controversy surrounding the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya. Scrutiny has fallen on a range of agencies including the CIA. The director had been expected to testify at hearings next week. But Petraeus, in his resignation message, cited strictly “personal reasons” surrounding his affair which until now had not been disclosed.
Obama, in a written statement, said Petraeus provided an “extraordinary service to the United States for decades.”
“By any measure, he was one of the outstanding General officers of his generation, helping our military adapt to new challenges, and leading our men and women in uniform through a remarkable period of service in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he helped our nation put those wars on a path to a responsible end,” Obama said. He said he has named Michael Morell, the agency’s deputy director, to serve as acting director.
The decision abruptly ends the public-service career of one of the military’s most vaunted leaders. He led the surge in Iraq, and was later tapped to lead U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan — following two years at the helm of U.S. Central Command. In April 2011, Obama again tapped Petraeus to lead the CIA.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Petraeus’ resignation “represents the loss of one of our nation’s most respected public servants.”
Petraeus’ wife, Holly, also works in the Obama administration, for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
History teaches us that under in the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin the Red Army was purged of its best officers and men. In fact the purge nearly destroyed the Red Army and it was a real possibility that due to the purge (And killing of these men) that Germany could have destroyed the Soviet Union.
Now look to today. First Cmdr. Joseph Darlak, captain of the
frigate Vandegrift, then, Capt. Owen Honors was relieved of duty Tuesday
as commander of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, then General Ham
was relieved. There is a massive Reduction in Forces happening in the military. While civilian (union) workers are not being fired, the men and women in uniform are being basically fired.
Rumors are rampant that there was a Seven Days in May coup d’etat being planned if Obama won. I doubt it, bum Obama is removing all and any opposition to his plans there can be. Rumors are also rampant that this was the last free election we as a nation will ever have. That Obama has no intention of ever giving up power and he will soon find a way to eliminate both Houses of Congress and the Supreme Court. Why not? Already the left has declared him G-d.
I fear the end is nearing for the United States of America. A once proud and free nation now subjected to the whim of a dictator. G-d help us all!
Posted by findalis @ Monkey in the Middle
I’m with you Findalis, not buying it.
Just two days after a election where he was eliminated from the competition by retiring and given the CIA job.
He doesn’t avoid testifying by doing this, he would be subpoena to testify anyway. I smell the chicago boyz at work here. Unless of course he decided to go out and get laid in celebration of his bosses victory Tuesday night and the decided to resign in after thought.
Two days after this election? Why not before?
Call me crazy!
I just heard Katherine Herridge say someone kinda/sorta stumbled onto this (paraphrasing) and it was feared his biographer (whom he had the “affair” with), who spent a year in Iraq with him, was planning to blackmail him. Peter King was just on Fox and not saying that Petraeus would definitely testify. He said without him they have nothing. Isn’t that convenient?
Maggie recently posted..You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me!
His wife must have agreed to this cover-up! God Bless America, hope he is suppeoned to testify regardless.
It’s hard to say but it could be. You’re going to be hard pressed to find a good senior officer in the next four years. What you’ll have are the politicians, the political officers. In my lifetime, I don’t expect to see any more Norman Schwarzkopf’s, Ron Fogelman’s, or Tommy Franks.
Petraeus will be subpeonaed- Obama will have to find some other way to silence him, and imho he cannot be intimidated… he probably WANTS to testify, anyway
Reaganite Republican recently posted..NICE TRY Barry: ‘Timley’ Petraeus Resignation Won’t Keep Him Off the Witness Stand, You Snake
An investigation into a suspected computer hack is carte blanche to look until you’ve found something; the FBI was sent on a fishing expedition and landed a whopper. How can anyone not suspect the move by the Senate Intelligence Committee to excuse Patraeus from testifying?
They’re afraid of what he might say under oath.
Purge? Of the military? Good idea, lets do it! History teaches us that armies that have been purged of their ‘best’ officers have won. Russia won. When was the last time the US won a war? I say we have a lottery, like a draft sorta thing, that removes at least 90% of our senior military officers. Darn fine idea. Plus, the officer in charge and all of his staff should be shot for cowardice if and when they lose a battle. Or lose a war. Shoot the bastards, I say. Responsibility and consequences for failure keep people on their toes. Just ask Stalin.
The Soviet Union nearly lost that war. If it wasn’t for an unusually cold winter and arms from the United States they would have.
Where would we have been if we did as you asked? Could we have won without Patton, Bradley, MacArthur, etc… Where would we have been without Nimitz, Eisenhower, or Marshall? Where would the peace have been without Marshall and his plan.
These men were trained at West Point. Harden by the Spanish-American War and World War I.
Our military leaders cannot be chosen from a lottery, but out of fire.
You would know that if you ever served in a military, you dumb idiot.
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Who said anything about choosing military officers for service? I thought my intent was clear, since I said the lottery would be used to ‘REMOVE’ 90% of the senior military officers. As for idiots and what history may or may not teach, you have no clue. The southern generals during the war of northern aggression are universally considered superior to their northern counterparts, but they lost. The German officer corps during WW2 were in every respect superior to those of the allied forces, and they lost. So yes, American industrial power would have won those wars, as it did, with any set of warm bodies wearing a chest full of medals. In fact, despite all of the blunders made by the allied commanders, and there were many, simple logistics prevailed. Logistics, not generalship. It also helped a great deal that Hitler made even more blunders. Your knowledge of history is severely limited, obviously. That the soviets ‘almost’ lost supports your point not one bit. The fact that they won despite removing most of their officer corps proves my point. Plus, they were able to draw upon vast numbers of soldiers and crank out many thousands of tanks. Yes, American supplies helped. Can you say logistics? So, the next time you arrogantly use the expression, ‘history teaches us’, you might wanna learn some first.
As for general Petraeus. Why should anyone care? Dude, he worked for Obama for years. And now you think he’s a sympathetic character? Dummy. What did he accomplish as the head of the CIA, that wonderful institution which can’t predict the next full moon or the onset of an Arab spring or the fall of the Soviet empire? What did he accomplish in Iraq, where he used billions in cold hard cash to bribe the bandits who were blowing up our under-armored vehicles and ambushing our undefended supply columns? Does he get credit for that military debacle? What about Afghanistan? No, let’s just skip that immense disaster. Nope, I don’t think there’s anything special about Petraeus, he’s just another cheap suit to me.
The South lost that war not because of bad Generals (The North was plagued by them) but because of logistics. They couldn’t get supplies to their troops, they couldn’t manufacture supplies fast enough and they didn’t have the manufacturing capacity to fight a war. The Soviets didn’t have the manufacturing capacity of England let alone Germany. They had men, they had no tanks at first, they had to move their factories to the other side of a vast nation, set them up and then begin to manufacture. It was American supplies that KEPT THEM ALIVE and NOT their manufacturing capability.
I suggest you learn history.
Why should we care? He knows what the hell is going on with Benghazi. And Benghazi is a bigger scandal than Watergate (I not only remember Watergate. I was working in Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman’s Brooklyn Office at the time.) I am not one of his fans, but I am a fan of the truth and want to know why 4 men died while Obama and company watched on their big screens. (I wonder was the Bastard eating popcorn at the time.)
findalis recently posted..For All Those Who Have Served
It would have been shorter and sweeter if you just said I was right. But, it seems that even while agreeing with me and Clausewitz that logistics are the dominant factor for military victory, not generals, you are still a bit confused. Please read my previous comment. First, I never suggested the south lost the civil war because of poor generalship. I very clearly remarked that they lost despite having better generals. Second, the amount of aid flowing into Murmansk during 1940/41 wasn’t sufficient to keep the Russians alive. The evidence for that is the simple fact that Russians died, in vast numbers.
But, I won’t bicker about manufacturing capacity or convoy tonnage details. It was what it was and is easy enough to Google. It’s enough that you now agree that removing a few American officers is in no way comparable to what Stalin did and does not signal the death of the U.S. Your agreement is graciously accepted.
The timing of Petraeus stepping down is too much of a coincidence. He must have known too much on Benghazi that would have made the Obama administration looked at the very least incompetent or worse. The administration purging our military is very troubling, not a good sign at all. That worries me…
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The same people claiming that Petraeus, the guy who presided over a simple occupation that should have ended a long time ago, is some genius and victim of a Obama plot,
are the exact same people who last Monday were CONFIDENTLY asserting that Romney was going to defeat Obama or win in a landslide victory for Neocons.
These people are what we refer to as “habitually wrong”.
The Neocon leaders of the Republican party including morons like Hannity who also said that Romney was going to win decisively in the election are now busy supporting AMNESTY for illegal aliens. These same coppupted idiots who have been wrong at every prediction think they can lure black and hispanic voters (wrong again) by supporting amnesty for illegals.
Neocons are a joke, they only push for foreign wars, occupations and attacks on anyone Israel has some grudge or design upon, and have no interest in domestic policies that actual american voters care about.
Blue, you make some valid points about the neocons. They certainly do come across as warmongers. Romney and William Krystal spring to mind with all of their blathering about huge increases in military spending. But, the incorrect predictions you referred to are simply boilerplate comments from the cheering section. Politics demands that cheerleaders support their candidates, just as left wing partisans regularly make their own foolish predictions. I’m thinking here of that disgusting creature called Debbie Washerman Shlutze (sp?) who will lie about the time if she thinks it will help her cause. As for Israel, although there may be some political rhetoric linking our military adventures in the ME to Israel, those wars are more substantially linked to the interests of the Saudi’s. The Iraq invasion being the primary adventure, it was also much more substantially helpful to the Saudi’s than it was to Israel. Our current support of the rebels in Syria is also more helpful to the Saudis. Remember that both Iraq and Iran have long historical ambitions to supplant Saudi regional influence. Sure, the Muslims all hate Israel. However, the Turks, Egyptians, Iraqis, Saudis and Iranians are all attentive to the fact that whoever controls that area has the edge in their ambitions for regional dominance. They may all wish for a new caliphate, but they want it to be THEIR caliphate, so their leaders can call the tune. Remove the religious component and look at the power struggle. It’s always really more about power than anything else. The religious aspect is used by the leaders to whip up popular support. In their private lives those princes and mullahs like to enjoy blond western hookers, smoke fat cigars, drink expensive brandy and gamble in posh casinos along the riviera. They send their kids to schools in the Swiss alps and the best American universities where they learn all they can about orgies. Examining both American rhetoric AND action in this context will show that much more is happening here than just blind support for Israel. And yes, America has a small interest in that oil. Ha ha.
“Neocons are a joke, they only push for foreign wars, occupations and attacks on anyone Israel has some grudge or design upon, and have no interest in domestic policies that actual american voters care about.”
Hey idiot what do you have against Jews? Never once has Israel ever asked the United States to fight its battles. Never once has American troops joined in battle with the IDF. In fact the only outside forces that fought in the Middle East were the Soviets in 1956, 1967, 1973 as pilots for Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. They were shot down as easily as the Arabs. And in 1973 Fidel Castro sent a battalion of soldiers to fight along side of Egypt. It took the IDF 2 hours to decimate them.
Your anti-Semitism is showing. I suggest that you start blaming the current Afghan government for wanting to start a war. For once we leave they will fall faster than a lead weight.
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Excellent post Maggie and right on the money. There isn’t anyone who can convince me Petraeus is resigning over an affair. Of course we’ll never really know for sure. I’m really having a difficult time grasping the amount of corruption within the Obama regime and the Congress right now. It’s simply staggering what Obama and company get away with.
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“Rumors are also rampant that this was the last free election we as a nation will ever have. That Obama has no intention of ever giving up power and he will soon find a way to eliminate both Houses of Congress and the Supreme Court.”
Yes, well, some people will believe anything. I don’t expect a retraction in 2014 or 2016. You’ll just say that G_d’s hand prevented it.
Zoe Brain recently posted..The Paradoxical Comandments
“Rumors are also rampant that this was the last free election we as a nation will ever have. That Obama has no intention of ever giving up power and he will soon find a way to eliminate both Houses of Congress and the Supreme Court.â€
Among whom are these rumors “rampant?” This is the first I’ve heard of them. They only exist, I wager, in the bubble of misinformation that imprisons you. Like Zoe Brain, I am sure that in the coming years, when the Congress and the Supreme Court will continue to exist, we will see no retraction or apology for spreading these ridiculous rumors.
There really is a bizarre level of paranoia among some of you Obama-haters. How can anyone in their right mind thik that he is a “dictator?!”
We The People of the United States of America, under the provisiond of our Constitution, re-elected him as our president. If you wish to participate in a constructive way to the life of our nation, stop spreading rumors, lies and misinformation about the President of the United States of America.
The nominee of the Democratic (not “Democrat” — stop saying that; it’s incorrect) party won the election. The Republican attempts to protect a few rich, selfish leeches on society against We The People failed.
James, we heard the same concerns about dictatorial powers from the hippie/occupy rabble since at least the time of Nixon. And you complain because because people are starting to notice that Obama is doing the same stuff? Bombing and invading without a declaration of war from Congress ring any bells? Nixon also started the abomination called the EPA and programs like minority owned business incentives. Nixon was a boob, Johnson was a Johnson and Obama is an abomination. We haven’t had a truly Constitutional president since G.W. And he’s dead. The fact is, presidents have become more dictatorial with each passing term since at least the very beginning. It’s the nature of power. Now, we have a few more completely unlawful, unconstitutional wars going on, torture, kidnapping and daily assassination by drone strike. All directly controlled by the president. I won’t even bother mentioning the fact that Congress hasn’t passed a budget in years and is letting the bankers steal trillions of dollars. So much for the Constitution and the rule of law. No, the president isn’t a dictator, he just acts like one. This fact isn’t news James, it’s just that a few more people are noticing. Take your shoes off, stand still for a grope and shut up while the drones monitor your movements and the National Security Agencies monitor your e-mails. Nope, nothing dictatorial to see here. Ha ha.
I agree with you that presidents abuse power. But the claim that Obama will abolish Congress and the Supreme Court is delusional. People who believe things like that need mental health care. Seriously, they do.
The fact is, Obama won’t abolish Congress or the Supreme Court. But that doesn’t mean those institutions function to balance the power of the executive. They don’t, they are fully compliant and complicit. Every one of them.
I can’t wait to see what kind of critter Obama nominates to fill the next vacancy on the court. I’m kinda hoping it’s a horse; a black, democrat, transsexual horse would please most of the democrat base. No worries, the senate will confirm anything.
Finally, your pretend concern for mental hygiene is sadly predictable. And always a favorite tool of tyrants.
It is amazing how out of touch with reality you are. Congress is “compliant” and “complicit?” So you are telling me that the Republican-controlled House of Representatives is compliant and complicit?! That Obama dominates it? That’s just plain crazy, W. C.