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Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012 | 2:01 a.m.
“The graveyards are full of indispensable men,” it’s often said, meaning that few are genuinely indispensable. David H. Petraeus was one of the few, which is why his loss for the U.S. government, after his admission of adultery, is so tragic. This is not to imply that there are not other capable generals or intelligence leaders. But Petraeus was highly unusual, perhaps unique, for the grasp he displayed of modern warfare in all of its bewildering complexity. This was a task for which he had been preparing since his days as a West Point cadet in the 1970s, when he ...
Max Boot is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He wrote this for the Los Angeles Times.
PETRAEUS WAS NOT A GREAT LEADER; HE IS EASILY DISPENSABLE
Petraeus was just another male leader who could not control his "sniffer" and lost sight of what his priorities for the country were.
A complete investigation needs to be conducted to find out whether or not any of his "harem" activities were played while he was on active duty in the Army.
If so, court-martial Petraeus and throw him in the brig with no retirement while awarding him a dishonorable discharge. Rules are rules. They apply to all that serve in our armed forces, even Commanding Generals.
Anyway, I'm sure the other prisoners would have some very fond feelings for Petraeus.
Petraeus betrayed us. He is just a man with a military gift. But still just a man and subject to all the foibles and fumbles of his gender. My heart goes out to his wife and family. They deserve better.
CarmineD
BTW another General is caught up in the scandal and his appointment to Supreme Allied Commander in Europe/NATO is on hold. General Allen. He was conducting a lurid, sex mail exchange with a Petraeus female friend in Tampa, Florida. So what is the Admin's answer to all this "boys will be boys" nonsense. Sec of Defense Panetta is asking the military to give some well needed character guidance classes to military officers in the military academies. Right, like that works. They sleep through the classes when the lights go off.
CarmineD
Although, I don't agree with what he did, but it was something that was in his personal life. It's a moral issue and shouldn't detract from his professional career. (as long as it didn't spill into his professional career) In my opinion he was an outstanding General and military leader of the troops.
Here is a small list of gentleman that were probably highly regarded by their peers and their parents throughout their road to the political spotlight that made the same mistake.
Thomas Jefferson, Arthur Brown Political Career 1896-1897: United States Senator (Class 3) from Utah, John F. Kennedy, Wayne Hayes January 3, 1949 -- September 1, 1976: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio's 18th district,
Neil Goldschmidt 1973-1979: Mayor of Portland
August 15, 1979 -- January 20, 1981: United States Secretary of Transportation
January 12, 1987 -- January 14, 1991: Governor of Oregon, Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, Bob Livingston August 27, 1977 -- March 1, 1999: Member of United States House of Representatives from Louisiana's 1st district, James McGreevey
January 15, 2002 -- November 15, 2004: Governor of New Jersey, Rudy Giuliani, Eliot Spitzer, Gen. Kevin P. Byrnes, led the Army's Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, Va., Major-General Chris Hughes, and Maj. Gen. David R. E. Hale just to name a few. I'm sure others can come up with more names.
"but it was something that was in his personal life. It's a moral issue and shouldn't detract from his professional career."
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Did I mention wrong? Why? Simple. If the General did not hold a top secret security clearance [in fact the highest security clearance of the land], it would be a personal matter. But he does and it isn't. With this clearance, any and all compromises of his personal life become a national security issue of the utmost importance. That is a professional career matter not a personal one.
CarmineD
Carmine, has the exact time of the affair been confirmed? Also, do you know what someone has to do to get a security clearance of that level? The background investigation? Didn't a few former Presidents go through the same thing? Both the affairs and the security clearances? So what? You must be in the spy novel fantasy world of being blackmailed. Haha