First, an architectural disclaimer.
My own house is primarily, and inevitably, made of glass.
So the intention here is most assuredly not to throw stones.
That said, though, a couple of things about this made me laugh.
If only commiseratingly.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - David Petraeus was a star on the battlefield, commanding the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, but was undone by "poor judgment" in engaging in an extramarital affair that led to his downfall as CIA director.
Just two days after his 60th birthday, Petraeus stepped down from the spy agency where he had held the top office since September 6, 2011.
"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. This afternoon, the President graciously accepted my resignation," Petraeus told the shadow warriors he commanded at CIA.
It was a stunning downfall for a revered military man who was seen as one of the top American leaders of his generation and was once considered a potential contender for the White House.
Petraeus was credited with pulling Iraq from the brink of all-out civil war and for battlefield successes in Afghanistan after overseeing a surge of 30,000 troops ordered by President Barack Obama in late 2009. He became known for counter-insurgency strategies that were seen as gaining ground against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
"I don't think he was professionally overrated. His were genuine accomplishments," said James Carafano, a war historian with the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank.
At the time of his nomination to the CIA post, some Washington insiders had said the White House wanted to find a prominent position for Petraeus to ensure he would not be recruited by Republicans as a challenger to the 2012 Obama-Biden ticket.
When he was nominated to lead the CIA there were some concerns in intelligence circles that the high-profile four-star Army general might not be able to lead from the shadows as appropriate for a spy chief.
But once he took over the head office at the U.S. spy agency, Petraeus kept a decidedly low public profile.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, expressed regret about the resignation of "one of America's best and brightest" and said it was an "enormous loss" for the country.
"At CIA, Director Petraeus gave the agency leadership, stature, prestige and credibility both at home and abroad. On a personal level, I found his command of intelligence issues second to none," she said.
This article goes on for a while, but I pretty much stopped reading here because, first, I already knew and/or had gotten the gist.
Second, I had laughed, again if only comiseratingly, three times.
And there comes a point where you have to sqeulch the snickering and get on with things.
First, there is an old joke that, paraphrased for family viewing, essentially deals with the irony of how even an otherwise insightful, perceptive, strategically gifted and, yes, let's be honest, powerful man rising to the top of a military organization with a power second to none on the planet comes face to face with the fact that he is, after all is said and done, no match at all for the power of the vagina.
Second, there is yet another old joke, truer than true, that God gave man a brain...and a penis...but he only gave the man enough blood to go one place or the other.
Third, though, and, to my sensibilities, the most ironic, poignant and, yes, humorous.
The last line of that last quote.
"....I found his command of intelligence issues second to none...".
As regards that observation, I respectfully refer you to the first two jokes.
As you were.
No comments:
Post a Comment