General Petraeus Resignes as CIA head, Cites Affair

[coinich]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories...=t1_3#comments

Pretty cut and dry so far, it seems. Some people are speculating about the Benghazi incident and how that played in, but I don't see a strong connection.

[Loki]

Affairs for CIA folks are a big no-no (high chance of blackmail). Not unreasonable that he'd resign over this.

[Dreadnaught]

Per the WSJ, some have alleged that the "mistress" was trying to hack Petreus' e-mail, which is what exposed the whole thing.

Oh, that and the "mistress" used to spend hours on end jogging and talking about the biography she was writing about him. Of which there are now plenty of photos to second-guess. Like this one:



But I think the BEST part of this is the suspicion that the mistress' husband wrote an anonymous question to the NYTimes "Ethicist" section this summer.

MY WIFE’S LOVER

My wife is having an affair with a government executive. His role is to manage a project whose progress is seen worldwide as a demonstration of American leadership. (This might seem hyperbolic, but it is not an exaggeration.) I have met with him on several occasions, and he has been gracious. (I doubt if he is aware of my knowledge.) I have watched the affair intensify over the last year, and I have also benefited from his generosity. He is engaged in work that I am passionate about and is absolutely the right person for the job. I strongly feel that exposing the affair will create a major distraction that would adversely impact the success of an important effort. My issue: Should I acknowledge this affair and finally force closure? Should I suffer in silence for the next year or two for a project I feel must succeed? Should I be “true to my heart” and walk away from the entire miserable situation and put the episode behind me? NAME WITHHELD

Don’t expose the affair in any high-profile way. It would be different if this man’s project was promoting some (contextually hypocritical) family-values platform, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. The only motive for exposing the relationship would be to humiliate him and your wife, and that’s never a good reason for doing anything. This is between you and your spouse. You should tell her you want to separate, just as you would if she were sleeping with the mailman. The idea of “suffering in silence” for the good of the project is illogical. How would the quiet divorce of this man’s mistress hurt an international leadership initiative? He’d probably be relieved.

The fact that you’re willing to accept your wife’s infidelity for some greater political good is beyond honorable. In fact, it’s so over-the-top honorable that I’m not sure I believe your motives are real. Part of me wonders why you’re even posing this question, particularly in a column that is printed in The New York Times.

Your dilemma is intriguing, but I don’t see how it’s ambiguous. Your wife is having an affair with a person you happen to respect. Why would that last detail change the way you respond to her cheating? Do you admire this man so much that you haven’t asked your wife why she keeps having sex with him? I halfway suspect you’re writing this letter because you want specific people to read this column and deduce who is involved and what’s really going on behind closed doors (without actually addressing the conflict in person). That’s not ethical, either.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/ma...om-beyond.html

CIA Chief Resigns Over Affair
Petraeus Relationship With Biographer Surfaced After FBI Probe of His Email

By DEVLIN BARRETT, SIOBHAN GORMAN and JULIAN E. BARNES

WASHINGTON—Central Intelligence Agency Director David Petraeus resigned after a probe into whether someone else was using his email led to the discovery that he was having an extramarital affair, according to several people briefed on the matter.

Spoiler:

A Federal Bureau of Investigation inquiry into use of Mr. Petraeus's Gmail account led agents to believe the woman or someone close to her had sought access to his email, the people said.

Multiple officials familiar with the investigation identified the woman as the author of a biography on Mr. Petraeus.

It was the second national-security revelation to come to light in the two days after President Barack Obama won re-election. On Wednesday, the Pentagon acknowledged that Iranian fighter planes had fired on an unmanned reconnaissance drone five days before the election. Some Republicans on Capitol Hill were irked that the administration waited so long to make the incident public, while administration officials said they didn't talk about the attack because the drone program was secret.

Mr. Petraeus's resignation also comes at a time when the CIA is embroiled in controversy surrounding the events of Sept. 11, 2012, when four Americans were killed in an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. After weeks of conflicting accounts of what happened that night, the CIA acknowledged it had played a central role in gathering intelligence and providing security for the U.S. presence there.

Mr. Petraeus was scheduled to testify before the Senate intelligence committee next week. Michael Morell, who was named acting director of the CIA after Mr. Petraeus's resignation, will appear instead.

The resignation, which stunned the nation's capital, represented a fall for a man who had been one of the most celebrated military leaders of his time, a four-star general credited with turning the tide in Iraq and reversing the Taliban's momentum in Afghanistan.

Administration officials said the White House was briefed on the affair Wednesday by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Mr. Obama was informed Thursday by his staff and met with Mr. Petraeus that day. Mr. Petraeus then offered to resign. The announcement came Friday afternoon.

In a statement to CIA employees, Mr. Petraeus said, "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."

His wife, Holly, the daughter of a West Point superintendent, heads the office for service-member affairs in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency created by the 2010 financial-regulation law.

Multiple officials said Mr. Petraeus's affair was with Paula Broadwell, a West Point graduate who recently wrote a book on the retired general, "All In: The Education of General David Petraeus." Efforts to reach Ms. Broadwell were unsuccessful. A spokeswoman for her publisher, Penguin, did not immediately comment.

The computer-security investigation—which raised questions about a potential compromise to national security—points to one reason Mr. Petraeus and the White House decided he couldn't remain in the senior intelligence position. An extramarital affair has significant implications for an official in a highly sensitive post, because it can open an official to blackmail. Security officials are sensitive to misuse of personal email accounts—not only official accounts—because there have been multiple instances of foreign hackers targeting personal emails.

Leading contenders to succeed Mr. Petraeus include Mr. Morell and Pentagon intelligence chief Michael Vickers. Another possibility, if Mr. Obama seeks to reach across the aisle, is Rep. Michael Rogers (R., Mich.), chairman of the House intelligence committee.

One former CIA official called Mr. Morell an "odds-on favorite," adding that "he would bring over three decades of experience inside the agency. He's the consummate straight shooter. He's very well liked inside the agency. He has enormous street cred on Capitol Hill. He projects an image of calm."

The computer investigation began late this spring, according to a person familiar with the investigation. Mr. Petraeus wasn't interviewed by the FBI until recently.

While Mr. Petraeus was still a general, he had email exchanges with the woman, but there wasn't a physical relationship, the person said. The affair began after Mr. Petraeus retired from the Army in August 2011 and ended months ago, the person said.

A succession of official announcements began Friday shortly before 3 p.m. with a statement from Mr. Clapper. "Dave's decision to step down represents the loss of one of our nation's most respected public servants," Mr. Clapper said. Minutes later, the CIA distributed Mr. Petraeus's announcement to agency employees.

The White House issued a statement from Mr. Obama praising Mr. Petraeus for his "extraordinary service to the United States for decades," and adding: "By any measure, through his lifetime of service, David Petraeus has made our country safer and stronger."

Intelligence officials scrambled Friday afternoon to alert key members of Congress. Some received a call about an hour before the announcements from Deputy Director of National Intelligence Stephanie O'Sullivan. Other key congressional officials, including the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.), weren't told in advance.

Sen. Feinstein called Mr. Petraeus's resignation "an enormous loss for our nation's intelligence community and for our country." She added, "I wish President Obama had not accepted this resignation, but I understand and respect the decision."

Rep. Rogers voiced appreciation for Mr. Petraeus's service. "His entire career has been spent defending and protecting the United States," he said. "I am confident the CIA will continue to successfully carry out its vital mission through this transition."

At the CIA, Mr. Petraeus kept a much lower profile than he did as a military officer, which was in accord with the administration's wishes. He rarely gave speeches and did not grant on-the-record interviews about his CIA duties.

His reputation inside Langley was that of a competent director, but one who did not seek to win over the workforce in the way some of his predecessors had.

He presided over a moderation of the CIA's controversial drone program to take into greater account diplomatic sensitivities, a shift that sometimes put him at odds with the head of the agency's Counterterrorism Center.

During his time at CIA, the agency, along with foreign intelligence services, thwarted a plot by al Qaeda's Yemeni affiliate by infiltrating a component of the group.

Mr. Obama tapped Mr. Petraeus, a favorite of President George W. Bush, to serve as his top commander in Afghanistan after the abrupt resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal in 2010. Mr. Obama nominated him as CIA director in 2011. Messrs. Petraeus and Obama did not have the close chemistry that the president has with other top officials in his cabinet.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...422213868.html

[Lewkowski]

That's a shame - folks on both sides generally agreed he was a good guy. (Except for those moveon guys).

[Loki]

Letting an outsider access your email while you're head of the CIA = not evidence of a good guy.

[Dreadnaught]

Heh.

Chapter Titles Of David Petraeus’s Biography, Ranked By How Funny They Are Now That We Know The Author Was Humping The Subject

13. Ground Truth
12. Washington and Back
11. Transition
10. Mask of Command
9. High Stakes
8. True Believers
7. Drawdown
6. Lines of Operation
5. Results, Boy
4. Still All In
3. Clear, Hold and Build
2. Screaming Eagles
1. Anaconda

http://gawker.com/5959469/chapter-ti...ng-the-subject

[Ominous Gamer]

I had a 5 day weekend over the holiday and didn't leave the house much. Attempted to head to work this morning and discovered that the other other woman involved in this, Jill Kelley, lives entirely to close to me I never truly understood the hatred towards the paparazzi until today.

All that work Tampa did to clean up its image with the RNC, and all it takes its a couple of jealous or paranoid sluts to remind everyone what Tampa is really made of.

[Loki]

To say that commanding officers at the Tampa base showed bad judgment in giving this much access to the village bicycle would be a massive understatement.

[GGT]

Wow, it seems that our Reality TV mentality has grown bigger claws than anyone imagined. What's next --- Housewives of The Pentagon?

[LittleFuzzy]

Wow, it seems that our Reality TV mentality has grown bigger claws than anyone imagined. What's next --- Housewives of The Pentagon?

Well, career officer wives definitely counts as a very distinct subculture with some significant behavioral differences from what most of the country is used to. So I could easily see it. The problem is that it is kinda the antithesis of loud and strongly emphasizes solidarity. It would displease the production and ratings experts.

[katsung47]

It’s just another effort done by FBI to control CIA. The similarcase happened 6 years ago.


406. Take over CIA (5/15/06)

Eight months ago, DOJ has activated a battle to take over the Supreme Court. They successfully sent two of their agents, John Roberts and Samuel Aliot, to the seats of Supreme Court Justice.

Now they are targeting CIA. FBI searched CIA No. 3 leader Foggo's home and office on 5/12. CIA Chief Porter Goss resigned in advance. The leader of CIA dropped in the trap set up by FBI.

Quote, "CIA boss Goss is cooked

Tied to contractor's poker parties -hints of bribes & women
BY RICHARD SISK and JAMES GORDON MEEK
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON - CIA Director Porter Goss abruptly resigned yesterday amid allegations that he and a top aide may have attended Watergate poker parties where bribes and prostitutes were provided to a corrupt congressman.

Intelligence and law enforcement sources said solid evidence had yet to emerge that Goss also went to the parties, but Goss and Foggo share a fondness for poker and expensive cigars, and the FBI investigation was continuing.

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/sto...p-350961c.html

Scandal is always a weapon FBI used to blackmail, to hit its target. They set up traps with its informants or undercover agents. (see "373. Extortion by scandal (1/12/06) 374. A covert totalitarian (1/12/06)")

Former President Nixon resigned from Watergate scandal. The "deep throat", concealed 30 years, now is revealed a FBI agent. Clinton and former Congressman Gary Condit were both hit hard by scandal of personal affair. The interns involved in the case, Lewinsky and Chandra Levy, were both from Jewish family. We know Israel tried to influence on US politicians through their aids. The recent Supreme Court nominations was fulfilled by the attack on GOP leader Frist (in Senate) and Tom Delay (in Congress) and on other GOP lawmakers by Abramoff scandal. Abramoff, I think, is an undercover agent who used to corrupt the law makers so these politicians could be extorted.

Why do I think so? Because Abramoff acted like a financial distributor. He not only offered financial aid to political campaign, he also offered financial aid to 911 hijackers. 3 or 4 hijackers (include Atta) visited casino ship SunCruze before the attack. Abramoff ran that casino company. And those 911 hijackers, at least some of them, were undercover former FBI agents and FBI informants. (see "403. Beware a global "terror" attack (4/30/06)")

In US, when a scandal happened, there used to be a purpose. So when Porter Goss resigns to a scandal, we know this time the purpose of DOJ is to take over CIA.

[Khendraja'aro]

http://davidsimon.com/stray-penises-and-politicos/

[GGT]

Someone needs to suggest to Sen. McCain that he should either retire from public office, and/or seek professional counseling.

[Dreadnaught]

[Veldan Rath]

<facepalm>

[Loki]

I think GGT's bigger point is that anyone who disagrees with her needs to be wiped from the face of the earth.

[Lewkowski]

Its funny because I remember people complaining about McCain being too old to be president. Well guess what, Obama's first term is almost up and McCain is still alive and kicking.

[Ominous Gamer]

Its funny because I remember people complaining about McCain being too old to be president. Well guess what, Obama's first term is almost up and McCain is still alive and kicking.

Without having to deal with the stress that comes with being president

[Loki]

Remind me how old Biden is.

[Nessus]

Joe Biden can never die, only the actors who play him!

[Steely Glint]

I think the main issue with the possibility of him dying in office was his veep pick.

[LittleFuzzy]

Remind me how old Biden is.

Yeah but if Biden died in office then we just wait for a new VP. If McCain had died in office then Palin would be President. And the GOP really should have learned that lesson after McKinley croaked and the party leaders' worst nightmare came true.

[Loki]

And you still vastly underestimate the level of medical treatment available to the president. Plus, it's not like McCain was a sickly man at the time. He was 70, not 90.

[GGT]

I was referring to McCain jumping on Rice before the investigations are complete, saying she's either part of a massive cover-up or incompetence, and ranting like a bitter old man....instead of the statesman and member of security or intelligence committees in his prior years. He knows better than most how these things unfold like an onion, with changing information every day. He comes off as a sore loser who'd rather drum up drama than actually get to the bottom of things.

[Loki]

A politician playing politics. How horrifying!

[Nessus]

A politician playing politics. How horrifying!

Ostensibly at least some percentage of the rapey Pubbies this go around (why yes, it did feel good writing that) were playing politics, or at least genuinely thought they were, does this excuse their statements? Exactly which amount of 'playing politics' is acceptable?

I guess the correct answer is: What the voters like, but

[Nessus]

Also, and this has nothing to do with GeeGee's original statement, McCain was the maverick who blew off a confidential meeting about the events in Benghazi to hold a press conference crying about how he wasn't told enough about the events in Benghazi. Playing politics indeed.

[Loki]

Ostensibly at least some percentage of the rapey Pubbies this go around (why yes, it did feel good writing that) were playing politics, or at least genuinely thought they were, does this excuse their statements? Exactly which amount of 'playing politics' is acceptable?

I guess the correct answer is: What the voters like, but

I really would like to know how saying something that costs you 10% at the polls is "playing politics".

The maverick thing was a gimmick. People really have to stop buying into the personas created by politicians.

[Nessus]

I really would like to know how saying something that costs you 10% at the polls is "playing politics".

Wouldn't we all, really. But these guys, they're professionals!

The maverick thing was a gimmick. People really have to stop buying into the personas created by politicians.

In case you missed it, I was being sarcastic

[GGT]

A politician playing politics. How horrifying!

Maybe. If McCain was going to run for POTUS again, he'd probably try to appear more rational and diplomatic on national security issues. Sounds similar to Romney's early blunder on Day One, when it was still unfolding.

If the main goal is to create suspicion around Obama's administration....instead of addressing foreign policy and security....that's not leadership.