Kenny, they're calling it the downfall of a public figure. What downfall? The man is standing proud, he showed that he had a concept of personal honor seriously lacking in today's world. Lol, what did Clinton say? "I did not have sex with that woman." Petraeus admitted it, admitted that it was a mistake and that it cast dishonor on his military association and on himself.

Former President Clinton played on the word "SEX"...when ask if he had sex with Monica, he stated the truth according to the definition of the word "SEX"...

If they would phrased the question differently, then would have had to admit that he mad an affair or "sexual contact", but congress did not rephrase the question because of their ignorance...

The general just admitted what was going on and came out and said he had an "affair"...

It's just a terrible shame that men as smart, successful and educated as Petraeus fall into the same trap...they think with their little head instead of their big head. Why do they never learn from the example of others who have allowed themselves to make the same mistake?

Some one just wanted to get in the news.. Maybe they will put them on the TODAY show.!!

Hillary/Warren2016 - the only thing saving this country now is the Republican House that can prevent Obama from running roughshod over the country.

Hillary -

Petraeus was an Obama appointee to the CIA, not a Bush appointee.

Or don't you realize that a general's stars have to be earned?

If I were single, I would ravish her nice, tight bod. But, if I were married, I would give it a pass, because any woman who puts up with me deserves special care. If I was a CIA dude, I wouldn't even think of it. She's cute, but not that cute.

When I first heard the news, I thought there must be some mistake; this had to be his way of ducking out of some ops that he didn't really want to be a part of. But no, it seems that talking about himself to a biographer distracted him from serving others. However, either way, it almost seems that he no longer wanted to serve before he had the affair. The only other possibility is some kind of mind control as in "Men who stare at goats." Nah, it was talking about himself.

@Hillary/Warren2016 - Are you really that much of an uninformed troll!!! Patraeus was appointed to his position by Obama. He is not an elected official, he is a Democrat appointed administration official. This has absolutely nothing to do with the Republican party unless you are claiming to have private knowledge that Patraeus is a registered Republican. I would seriously doubt this as senior military officials generally would avoid registering as an particular party. In any case, this unfortunate affair has cost this country a great leader. It is very sad that in this day and age something like this can destroy everything he has spent 40 years building. It was a personal mistake that had no impact on his ability to do his job, but in today's sex obsessed culture and prudish attitudes in this country it is enough to end his career. As far as I am concerned this is a great loss to the country and something that all should regret, not something to make a political punch line out of. At least Patraeus showed the type of man he is by coming forward and admitted his transgressions and took responsibility for his actions. This is in contrast to Clinton who used weasel wording and debates about the definition of the word "is" to try and lie about and hide what he was doing. While he made a very regrettable mistake, I would till say that we would be fortunate if all of our leaders displayed the same honor and character he has displayed throughout this mess.

he is a republican, they were getting ready to groom him possibly for 2016

It appears that Petraeus did open a gmail account. But, Google does everything it can to pierce the anonymity of gmail accounts.

I wonder what Google did to help unmask Broadwell. Anything more than simply tell the FBI who was using the account, based on information Google had already collected?

One lesson here is: Don't count on gmail accounts for anonymity. Even if you are knowledgeable and careful, Google works even harder at figuring out who you are. After all, anonymous users aren't profitable for Google. But, you become more valuable to Google as Google learns more about who and what you are.

It's just a terrible shame that men as smart, successful and educated as Petraeus fall into the same trap...they think with their little head instead of their big head. Why do they never learn from the example of others who have allowed themselves to make the same mistake?

Just throwing this out there...but after reading about this and then seeing video on her and then his wife, they seem completely polar opposites at least on the surface...the two woman.

I have a feeling that Broadwell (being ex-military) basically came across maybe as something that he felt 'at ease' with (no pun intended since he was at full attention it sounds like (and that was a pun)).

Lots of time, people have affairs because they encounter someone that they have some sort of familiarity with..with her, probably had to do with the military background and that she was pretty attractive and also following him around for a year and focusing just on him...probably which stoked his ego.

TJS, he was supposed to be a spy, the chief of spies. He of all people should know that e-mail is not entirely private. That he was caught in this way shows he was not a very good spy.

The FBI probe was triggered when Broadwell sent threatening emails to an unidentified woman close to the CIA director (not his wife) most likely another bimbo.

The woman went to the FBI, which traced the threats to Broadwell and then uncovered explicit emails between Petraeus and Broadwell.

This Broadwell lady reminds me of that female astronaunt Lisa Nowak who was also jealous and wore baby diapers for a 1,000 mile trip to face-off with the other lady.

This is incredible.

It's hard to believe that a guy who invades other countries illegally in order to steal their natural resources (like oil) and kills hundreds of thousands of innocent people doing it would do this sort of thing.

Especially after he takes over the leadership of a government agency like the CIA that is infamous for smuggling drugs, murder, kidnapping and supporting dictators, gangsters and thugs all over the planet.

How could anyone suspect a man of this caliber to lie and cheat on his wife?

Amazing!

I think he did it to get out of testifying in the Benghazi debacle next week. No I'm not a tinfoil hat wearer. Does anyone think that the head of the CIA & 4 star general is stupid enough to use his government computer to email his Mistress? Who advised him the c__p was going to hit the fan.

See post 22.6 below. It makes sense. I'll admit I could be wrong we'll see in time.

Kenny, they're calling it the downfall of a public figure. What downfall? The man is standing proud, he showed that he had a concept of personal honor seriously lacking in today's world.

People with a concept of personal honor don't cheat on their spouse. Just because he admits it when caught doesn't change that. That doesn't make him a wholly bad person but I fail to see why he should garner praise for cheating on his wife.

Interesting that no one considers the possibility that he fell in love with this woman. Maybe the wife is not the Ms. Wonderful that everyone assumes. Maybe the man had been going without affection for decades and finally succumbed. He is human, after all.

Maybe unloving spouses are more of a security risk than lovers.

And maybe there wouldn't be any security risk if Americans weren't so voyeuristic. After all, pillow talk can occur in any bed--even the matrimonial bed. Who we have sex with ought to be no one's business but the parties involved, assuming they are all living human adults who are mentally capable of and have given consent.

As for marriage, it is archaic. The institution was formed for the purpose of men establishing ownership of women, children, and property. These days, people plan for their divorce in the form of pre-nups before they even say I do. It's a travesty. No one owes it to anyone to live without love and intimacy because the person they married has them by the short hairs.

If the generals affair happened while he was on active duty he should be called back to face courts martial for his behavior. There are at least two charges he has admitted to. Adultry and Conduct unbecoming. Others of lesser rank have been called back, or is he so special we should overlook his actions?

Adultery is a criminal offense in the military only if it is determined to be a criminal offense. There is no "adultery is an offense" in the UCMJ.

This man is high ranked, wealthy, connected and that means he will not be prosecuted. Just fade away as a very wealthy man from the taxpayer and collect a huge retirement forever from the taxpayer, nothing else. The partner may get extremely wealthy from the taxpayer also if she plays her cards right, she was forced, had no choice because of her rank or ambition, etc.

Unlike Clinton this man is supposed to follow the law, Clinton made the law! Sort of like in the book Moby Dick, "The captain can't break the law, he is the law."

Unlike Clinton this man is supposed to follow the law, Clinton made the law! Sort of like in the book Moby Dick, "The captain can't break the law, he is the law."

Dick, you're way off base. The President does not make the law, he executes it. He is not above it.
There are specific provisions for dealing with criminal conduct by a sitting president.

Hillary/Warren, ASSclown like Bill Clinton? or like John Edwards? or like John Kerry? or like Ted Kennedy? or like Robert Kennedy Jr.? (or a multitude of the Kennedy cousins,)or like Micheal Skakel? or like Barney Frank and Gerry Studds ? Just asking which you think he is most like.

He was an ex-general not in the military anymore. He was the CIA director (federal civilian employee) for a year.

dman-353357

I'm right on base and holding! The president determines the UCMJ, Congress isn't required although can be advised or asked for an opinion, and the UCMJ is the governing law for all military personnel.

As far as being above the law I'm not sure how that works since the President has the authority to commute all federal sentences, even for himself I suppose. He is only above the law in Washington DC though, not in the states. Aside from all of this Adultery isn't a federal crime.

Petraeus is a registered Republican in New Hampshire according to most sources. His original appointments to lead in Iraq and later as US Central Command were made by Bush. Obama respected his capabilities and continued promoting him, eventually to Head the CIA. Obama has several holdovers from the Bush administration. The President is fully capable of working with moderate Republicans.

JS in SD,

He only confessed when the emails were found and then he could hardly deny the affair. That's not what defines integrity. That's what defines "back up against the wall-no other options."

stc1993,

You seriously think this whole thing is made up so he doesn't have to testify? Like they just created all these emails and brought into the mess innocent people (the biographer, the person who received the threats, not to mention his wife and family) and forced the General to admit a non-existant affair? That is the mind-set of a tin foil hat wearer-sorry!

Nobody even thinks about the kids involved in this. Broadwell still has young children at home. Two sons. And you never know what really goes on in family's lives, but her husband certainly looks and sounds like a decent chap.

Some people just can't resist a personal thrill in their lives, even in the happiness and well-being of others is at stake.

For being the head of intelligence he wasn't very intelligent. He violated the First Law of Intelligence - Never record what you don't want the world to know.

I'm right on base and holding! The president determines the UCMJ, Congress isn't required although can be advised or asked for an opinion, and the UCMJ is the governing law for all military personnel.

Dick, below is a brief description of the UCMJ, as described by Wikipedia. This may not be an unimpeachable source, but I'll take it over your off-the-cuff assessment.

The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ, 64 Stat. 109, 10 U.S.C. Chapter 47), is the foundation of military law in the United States. It was established by the United States Congress in accordance with the authority given by the United States Constitution in Article I, Section 8, which provides that "The Congress shall have Power... To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval forces."

I'll just cite the passage which reads, "It [the UCMJ] was established by the United States Congress...", which clearly states the origination of this code. It is true that Presidents can modify certain aspects of any law through executive orders. But as the Supreme Court ruled in Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, 343 US 579 (1952), the President may only clarify the execution of a law, not "make law" via such orders.

Moreover, the President is only exempt from prosecution while he remains in office. Once impeached, tried and convicted, or after his term in office, he is subject to prosecution under criminal law, and, as an ex-president, he no longer has the power to pardon anybody, including himself.

Clinton, after exiting office was subject to criminal penalties for his manifest perjury while in office. The penalty was only a fine and loss of his legal license, but this was right in keeping with his offense, failure to testify truthfully in a civil tort case.

Nixon, you may recall, was pardoned, but not by himself, but by his appointed successor, Gerald Ford.

So, I still fail to see any factual basis for your any of your assertions, except for your statement that adultery is not specifically a violation of the UCMJ.

I think you just got picked off at first base.

So, the woman DOING the threatening wasn't his wife, but this biographer and she was threatening ANOTHER woman, not his wife, over.... What- stay away, he's MY cheating spouse?

WAIT - HOW MANY WOMEN out side of his marriage WAS HE SEEING? Two? Three?

While I don't think that's a good enough reason for a resignation, the secret gov intel information that the biographer was given access to (by P himself from in his Gov account) IS reason enough to accept his resignation...

So, Paula Broadwell is sending threatening email to another woman who she thinks is trying to steal away her lover? lol

Gee, shouldn't that be Mrs. Petraeus's role instead, saying "stay away from my man?"

This explanation sounds more and more hokey by the day. You have a law enforcement official saying they "had been aware of the probe for several weeks". Several weeks??? It should not have taken "several weeks" to conclude no laws had been broken. Unless you are on a fishing expedition it shouldn't take much time at all. Either the communications violated the law or not and if not, there should be no investigation. That would be an abuse of power.

All it should take is to have the "victim" show the threatening emails she received, verify that the statements and/or actions were in fact against the law, verify where they came from and make an arrest. If the "victim" can't provide evidence that a law has been broken, then what is the FBI doing digging through the personal communications of a private citizen??? Like I said, unless they are on a fishing expedition...and this sure smells like fish.

anyone really think he resigned because of his affair?

Mike--while it SEEMS like there is something Hokey going on, the articles I've read state that Petraeus's affair had been going on long term, with the biographer having unusual access to his e-mail that MIGHT have compromised national security. MAYBE SHE was the one who released the details about the taking down of Bin Laden? I mean, no one in the admin has ever fessed up to that.

Nope, what I want to know is, how LONG has the FBI been investigating this, and whether anyone thinks they would NOT have notified the president of a potential leak in intelligence?

And was the decision made THEN to 'sit on the story' until AFTER the election? And if that IS the case, it lends credence to the admin 'sitting on' the investigation on the murders in Benghazi until after the election, too.

The most recent news on this sounds like the General was involved in more than one affair, maybe numerous ones.

I will not judge the man -- he obviously has a great career record and has been a faithful patriot if not a faithful husband -- but maybe the reason he resigned so quickly was because he knew there was more dirt that was gonna hit the fan soon ...

It sounds like he was messing around with two women on the side, one his biographer and the other at the CIA, who didn't know about each other. When Broadwell, the biographer, found out about the other she went a little crazy and sent threatening e-mails to the one at the CIA. The one at the CIA was shocked to get anonymous threats over her e-mail and turned it over to the FBI. The FBI tracked the threats to the e-mail account of Broadwell, checked her e-mails and found out about the affair.

What scares me is that here is a 4 star general, CIA director behaving like this. What if this woman was undercover from an enemy or anybody for that matter?

James-Lots of time, people have affairs because they encounter someone that they have some sort of familiarity with..with her, probably had to do with the military background and that she was pretty attractive and also following him around for a year and focusing just on him...probably which stoked his ego.

I heard yesterday though,that his wife was the daughter of the West Point commandant when he was a cadet there.And that her's was a military family that dates back to the Revolutionary War.

I agree, Gabriel,

The General could have easily been caught in what is commonly called a Honey Trap.

That’s what I was thinking. One thing is for sure he doesn't mind crazy. Paula is a screwball. I wonder what she said to the lady in Tampa.

A lady friend of mine looked at a few of the interviews Broadwell did. Her conclusion was that, absolutely she "was doing the General." Particularly the interview with Charlie Rose. I thought it seemed pretty obvious that something was going on between them from the level of detail she talked about, but my lady friend said it isn't just that, but the way she behaved when talking about him. She says she is obviously madly in love with him.

I'd like to hear a few other women's opinions because I know you gals can see what us guys sometimes miss. www.charlierose.com/view/interview/12162

Funny thing is that I've been having problems getting back to it almost like they took it down for some reason???

But regardless, I'd be OK with this indiscretion. I know that sometimes these things happen before you are really consciously aware and then it is too late. The thing that I question is that just maybe they shared more than they should have. If the general gave her any access or discussed any confidential information, he crossed another line that is inexcusable.

I believe the general is a good man and a great leader and I suspect he is smart enough to decide what was the right thing to do under the circumstances. I will trust his judgement in that regard and I suspect that he has lost some faith in himself for getting involved like this and probably now questions his own judgement.

As for the other woman. I wouldn't be surprised if it was someone close to the general who feared for what this women would potentially to his career and maybe to his family. My theory is that she had observed some things and drawn conclusions. She probably contacted Broadwell and was met with suggestions that she butt out and maybe got pretty threatening about it. This would seem reasonable if Broadwell was indeed obsessed with the general. I suspect that this other women probably didn't know that Broadwell and the general were communicating via email, but was determined to get Broadwell cooled down. The fact that she went to the FBI suggests that this women may be very versed in the intelligence community. Think about it, how many people would think to go to the FBI over some threatening emails? My guess is that she is now sick about the fact that this investigation has now destroyed the general's career. My guess is that this women had good intentions but they backfired. There seems to be suggestions that this was not a total surprise to some people and a few suggestions have been made that this has been long rumored amongst the media correspondent community.

We don't know how both Broadwell and the general's families are dealing with this or if they did or didn't know what was going on. This is hard to say and most people might be surprised about some married couples who have "open" relationships under discrete circumstances. Years ago I would not have believed this, but I have seen it up close a couple times. I suspect it is more common than most of us think.

Sadly though, in the process, we have lost a man who has served his country well, and I hope he will be able to recover to at least serve some behind the scenes advisory role in the future. I am not so sure at to what I think about Broadwell. She too may have destroyed a promising career. Whether or not it has a direct impact on her marriage is something we don't know, but her kids are going to get branded for what she has done and I'm sure they will be directly impacted.

The trouble is that when these kinds of things happen, the two people involved have a tendency to get selfish and don't think about the potential consequences. We've all seen it and I'm sure many have experienced it first hand. Love has a tendency to sometimes blind you of all logic and reason. As for those who think this is some sort of Benghazi cover up conspiracy, I would suggest you too are blinded, but blinded by hate, not love. It should be pretty obvious that this thing was going on for at least a couple years or more. This isn't some made up smoke and mirrors story.

Yeah, yeah, and you didn't mention, conveniently maybe that they are representative of people as a whole. What, our political leaders are supposed to be a cut above, better than everyone else? They aren't and never will be. Lol, if someone were elected who could be made a Saint he would catch more hell than usual. "Who does he think he is, better than us?"

Yep mellow, you are right. The government is only an extension of the voters. We put them there, we should own up to the responsibility.

I laugh when I read posts saying that the government is made up of morons, what do you expect morons to elect? Take our last election as proof. Don't get me wrong, romney was no better.

IWonder
I agree with you fully. The ruin of this once great nation is the fault of the voters; especially the older Baby Boomers.

Really, lol, no real history buff's here. Gee-sh, go back as far as it's been written and it's like reading current events on any given day. It's sad someone would throw away a career. Old soldiers never die, they just fade away. Ike had the same deal, them darn hussies.

Petraeus was not elected to any office. This is not a result of voters decisions. It is still a shame and very sad. He was obviously a very talented man who contributed to the security of this country but he broke rules he was well aware of and did the responsible thing by resigning. It will be a difficult year for him professionally but I expect he will eventually recover - just not in the way he thought his career would progress.

The ruin of this once great nation is the fault of the voters; especially the older Baby Boomers.

JEM - sorry, buy the Baby Boomers aren't responsible for keeping Obama in office. It's the fault of people like you who can't think for themselves but will vote for whoever their favorite celebrity endorses, and those who vote solely along racial lines, etc.

if someone were elected who could be made a Saint he would catch more hell than usual.

Already happened, Jimmy Carter. He was and is a good man, he didn't however think himself above us, he was also a humble man. But as it turned out, he was a lousy president.

@anyone still out there:

What happened to "BenghaziGate"?

Lots of people think that monogamous relationships might be a thing of the past...I don't agree but as people live longer...marriage is something that is very LONG to some people.

bongleblue

Just another example of how low our leaders and politicans are. Our politicans and leaders of America are nothing but scumbags.

I disagree, it shows our leaders are human not superpersons. If you were away from your spouse for a year and a young woman threw herself at you could you resist? It's human nature nothing else, it doesn't mean he loves his wife less.

You shouldn't take a vow to stay faithful to your spouse "for as long as you both shall live" if you don't really mean it. That means even when it's hard to do so! If a couple have an arrangement they've agreed upon to see others, that's fine-that's between them. But more often than not, vows don't seem to mean much these days to at least one of the spouses. If you are having trouble keeping your vows, or having other issues in your marriage, talk to your spouse. Try to work it out. If you can't make it work after sincerely trying (on both sides) then get a divorce before you do cheat.

The ruin of this once great nation is the fault of the voters; especially the older Baby Boomers.

The boomers aren't the ones that elected or retained the current prez. Boomers don't pick their leaders from a list of youtube videos.

James--your #3.9--"Marriage ...very LONG"

Remember the song by Meatloaf, " Paradise by the dashboard light" ?

To get the girl to sleep with him, the guy promises to "Love her till the end of time", and then adds, "so now I'm Praying for the end of time..." ;p

She might be well educated but she is not very smart,just goes to show you that you cannot judge a book by it's cover,you cannot educate common sense into someone.

She does not look like someone that I would have ruined my career for unless she is lots finer up close,or good in bed,she might be able to suck the chrome off a trailer hitch ball.

Any thing that is put on a computer or said on a phone may as well be put in the news paper.

Not the way I read it! Apparently, someone was being harassed by the co-author, who then made the complaint. I reckon the co-author was trying to stake out her turf.

val--lol--my grandmother, (who DIED in 1961!) used to say "never put ANYTHING down on paper that you wouldn't want to see on the FRONT PAGE of your hometown newspaper right next to the least attractive photograph of you that exists!"

She never could have imagined e-mails, or texting, but the sentiment was exactly correct.

I take it "SOSick" that if one of those men slept with YOUR wife, it would still be O.K.?

Darryl................Yeah, it would be okay. I'm the wife, nutjob. Some of us women actually can think and write.

The General was just doing his job (a very demanding and stressful job). Sometimes, thousands of miles away from his wife. And there is a younger woman, following him everywhere, taking notes for her book on everything he says (that's got to inflate the, um, ego), sometimes even having dinner or going on jogs with him. And likewise, there is a woman, following a man around in the scope of her job duties, trying to learn everything about him.

What could possibly go wrong?

I'm the wife, nutjob. Some of us women actually can think and write

No need to be so touchy and crass, SoSickoftheGop. There is nothing about your pen name or post that indicates which gender you are.

Or that you are overly smart?

So sick: You are exactly right. Eisenhower had a long term affair which did not impact his ability lead. Kennedy, a well known womanizer, Clinton, FDR, etc etc. Why so many in the US equate cheating on their wives with inability to do their job is puzzling to me. Until Clinton, infidelity was considered a private matter as it should be. This is a matter between spouses as it always has been and should be.

Stop and SoSick - Totally agree. There was no reason for our nation to lose the valuable services of this military and intelligence leader because he made a mistake in his personal life. The only person's trust that was betrayed was his wife's. She should kick him in the nuts, divorce him, whatever she likes but his resignation is a loss to all of us.

What I find really amazing is the absolute blind acceptance of his resignation due to this affair. Most people here just accept that he cheated so he should lose his job. Why? Nothing but a bunch of prudish puritanical BS.

Joemike,

Seems like the head of the CIA having an affiar could be dangerous for his position-as in blackmail! I know I would be fired for using my company email as a means of carrying out an affair. I should think it's only fair that it happens with someone like the director of the CIA (or resignation in the case of the higher ups)! Who knows what kind of hacking he opened himself up to.

I took a position, from the start, that there was more to the General Petraeus resignation than one affair with one woman. We now know that there were at least two, and we may soon learn that there were several over an extended period of time. I believe that if a person elects to deceive his wife, and a woman deceive her husband, then making decisions that impact subordinates renders each deceiver almost useless. Once the General realized that investigative journalists would, sooner or later, receive leaks from FBI sources regarding the General's choice of lifestyle, he was forced to fall on his sword. The trouble is, the investigative journalists now see blood in the water, and he will turn out to be the next Tiger Woods. The press enjoys knocking icons off the pedestal that was built by public adoration.

Terry--amen on the press being like a dog with a bone. (no pun intended.)

But I DO have to say that cheating on ONE vow (and person) makes it all the more likely that you will cheat on other matters.

Slippery slope, you know. When you get away with ONE malfeasance, it is easy to feel 'special' and able to make your own 'laws'.

Clinton said it in his book--he cheated 'because I COULD'.

He (Clinton) is a VERY smart man, but for president, we demand (or should!) a man with good JUDGEMENT. Same with Generals, and with CIA Chiefs.

It's a personal matter for you and your spouse, however the kids,friends,extended family all suffer from one persons lack of self control,lack of integrity,lack of honesty,and obviously not discrete,and a host of other character flaws, all things that are VERY important to most Humans when they look for friends,a Spouse,and an Employee. I don't want The head of the CIA,FBI,Police chief,Fire Chief,Religious leaders,School Personnel ect.And Most of all our President to be found lacking in these areas.If you don't want the world to know your having a marriage issue then take care of it go to counseling do what it takes to fix it, like your Job Depends on it,your Marrage does.And yes everyone makes mistakes(almost a year affair is no oopz mistake)but we pay these people, and elec someothers to be held to a higher standard ,and Im tired of them being givin excuses,If they don't want the world to know,don't do it or don't put yourself in the public eye,If their own spouse cant trust them how can we ?? Simple as that.

It's because he is Director of the CIA. It looks as if he could easily be compromised. He apparently had two girlfriends and one was nuts.

Even if he had opened another account, it would have been in his best interest to use a personal computer that is not supported by his employer...

I guess when you have a position of power, and is told that everything goes through you, I guess one does not realize that there is someone always watching you...

His stupidity and mis-management of government (welfare) funds made him think he was invincible...

There are two truths in cyberspace: Don't post anything that you do not want someone else to see. There is no such thing as anonymity on the internet.

Yes. For some reason people seem to think that opening another email account would have mattered. Internet access, and email in particular, leaves a long cybertrail which points directly to your ISP. Your ISP knows who was using the "singular generated access code" at any moment. Think using a public computer will help, like at a library? Same thing, when you sign in, they know who was using the computer at that time. Pretty much the only thing that might be purely hard to trace is using public wifi, since even though they have an id of your computer, it's probably next to impossible to figure out whose computer it is. Of course, this was the FBI so ...

And you think your Republican party was using honor and morality when Mitzy ran? That's rich.

LoL...nice duck and run. I never said who I voted for or what party I belong too. But because of your answer or lack there of, I guess you consider honor, integrity and morality party specific. Easy to deduce who you voted for and what values you clearly lack. Giving you another sign..."Duh"

Grow up, SoSickoftheGop. The election is over, in case you don't know that.

Youve - You have apparently missed the lesson of "my private life is my private life". This woman wasn't a subordinate of his, he didn't rape her, he didn't coerce her into having sex. It was a consensual extra-marital affair. An issue between him, his mistress and his wife, not us. Also, his affair only had the ability to compromise his job while it was a secret. Once its out in the open it really can't be used anymore to compromise him in his official capacity.

Joemike,

In your last sentence you just summarized the issue you questioned in your above post: why the affair was a problem and how it showed a lack of judgement for a man in his position that obviously did compromise his official capacity and therefore, why the resignation is appropriate.

JoeMike--actually, this woman WAS a subordinate of Petraeus. HE was a GENERAL, and she was of lower rank. Not only that, she had a cushy 'biographer' position that TOTALLY required his willingness to cooperate, and openness to her. ONE word to his publisher, and she would have been GONE.

Therefor, whether or not any sexual harassment actually occurred, she could have claimed it and WON in court. Because he was in the position of power.

And the lack of judgement that allowed HIM to not recognize that, severely compromises his ability to do his job, EVEN after the affair was made public.

Momaid - SHE wasn't in the military. She was a civilian working on her dissertation which was a biography of the General. She was NOT his subordinate.

No Jed - that would be a reason to come clean with his wife, tell his boss and move on. It is not a reason for him to resign. Under your theory more than likely 1/3 of Congress and the last several presidents should have resigned.

You're a pig.

@ SoSickoftheGop.

Have you seen this woman? She was on "The Daily Show." Poor Jon Stewart. He has terrible luck with women. He always ends up with women of "questionable morals." Remember Lara Logan? She was an embedded reporter with CBS in Iraq. Yeah, in bedded was more like it -- with a competing reporter over at CNN and with a government contractor. Do all women respond to war by becoming whores?

Anyway, this Paula Broadwell (a West Point alum like her lover P4), cheats at push ups on national TV . . . on national TV. Her (huge and very shapely) breasts don't even touch the floor. She cheats at push ups because she's a woman and women can't hack it in the military. And, you know what they say: if somebody will cheat about one thing, then what else will they cheat on?

And of course there is the Kristen Stewart school of having an affair thing at play (heh, heh) here. The whole "once a cheater always a cheater." And this Broadwell women is a published academic just like Kristen Stewart is a highly over-paid celebrity. Is this the first thing women do who achieve great power is to sh*t in the face of the rest of us?

Blamee..............You asked if all women respond to war by becoming whores. Geez. Dunno. Do all men respond to war by becoming rapists? Loser.

And Blamee.............I can't trust anything you say. All you see is boobs. Get a life. Or a girlfriend. Oh, sorry, you can't. Too bad there, Blamee.

So, SoSickoftheGop . . . are you calling Petraeus a rapist? The only loser I see here is you. Petreaus is a 4-star general who failed at the most basic rules. If he was betraying his wife, then how well was he willing to protect the security of a whole country? Broadwell is a published academic. You going to trust her ability to form a thesis? And both Petreaus and Broadwell are are West Pointers, you know, graduates of a military academy so famous that that's all they have to say is that they are graduates of "The Military Academy." And of course there's the You "Duty" and "Honor" thing, but you obviously don't bother yourself with that stuff.

Blamee.............Did I call the General a rapist? No. You did. If you don't understand what you're reading, don't comment on it. When people yell IDIOT do you come running? I betcha do.

Is this the first thing women do who achieve great power is to sh*t in the face of the rest of us?

Misogynist, much, "the blamee"? You might have better luck with women if you move out of your parents' basement and get a job. Maybe you won't hate them so much if one were willing to date you.

Lin..........How do you know the spouses deserved better? You know all these people personally? It's a private matter. Leave it that way.

For crying out loud "SoSickoftheGop." Gross lapses in morality cease being private when you are doing it in public. Broadwell and Petraeus were making so much noise that their affair caught the attention of the FBI. Broadwell must be a screamer.

Blamee..........in one of your previous comments, you made mention of all these women sh!tting in your face. Have you seen a good shrink lately? Or maybe a sex therapist?

I was thinking of the crazy Astronaut as well. I feel sorry for Paula's kids and her husband.

anon--the FBI was investigating this last SPRING. Do YOU not have a problem with them NOT MENTIONING to Obama that his CIA chief is having an affair, which might possibly have compromised intelligence?

I sure do.

Then again, I also would have a problem if I found out the FBI DID tell Obama about this investigation, and he chose to keep it quiet until AFTER the election. Lets see--a) Fast and Furious--protect all of Obama's and Holder's e-mails re: who knew what and when, under exec. priveledge. b) Benghazi--lie about a u-tube video for WEEKS until no longer able to answer questions from the LAME stream media about that, then fall back on 'we're investigating', even tho the facts are out there on the internet, all to protect the President's status as being an "anti terrorism" genius, and c) keep Petraeus's shenanigans under cover (pun definitely intended) until AFTER the election to avoid any questions about Obama's Admin?

See, and I thought I voted for Obama in 08 because he promised transparancy.

MOmaid,
Great Post,However I saw thru Obama in 08,Im beginning to wonder if the GOP was Paid to lose/instead of running people that could win.Bummer mabe 2016 if this crap keeps up.

Poltergiest-And I hope he was "good" also because he may have destroyed her job and marriage as well. It takes two to tango.

roflmao

Sorry, he had SO MUCH more to lose than her.

OMFG

Poltergeist, your post is salacious and inappropriate. You could have used better words

Poltergeist--nah, Fox will hire him on as a military expert, or some big defense contractor will hire him as a lobbyist.

It was the SS not FBI.

Jackbenimble--I thought the ones hiring hookers in South Amerca were Secret SERVICE?

Were there FBI agents involved in a FOREIGN country?

He didn't admit it until they found out about it. I don't think he deserves too much praise for admitting something he couldn't possibly deny in light of all the emails they found. More like, "the gig is up-may as well come clean."

Lemur lady--REALLY? You think Petraeus 'came clean on his own'? You don't think he knew the story would break soon, and chose to get his story out FIRST?

Because he wasn't?

Wakani, you are an idiot of epic proportions.

Go take some medication.

To Wakani; President Obama wasn't born in Nigeria...he was born on the Planet Obseutnaus, part of a galazy far, far away that few are aware of. I heard this on Rush, so we ALL know it just gotta be true! (Chicago T- TRY & be nice to these people...they are someones pet!)

wakani--what makes you think the FBI DIDN'T find out Obama was born in Kenya?

This report says nothing about anyone bragging about an affair. Broadwell was having the affair sent threatening emails to another woman. That woman was frightened by the threats and reported them to the FBI. Sounds like Broadwell was jealous and crazy.

It wasn't that long ago Monica was crawling around on the floor putting things in her mouth.. My my.. look how she has grown up..

Loose lips sink ships, amonst other things.

Actually she threaten the lady in Tampa. The tampa lady must have been his new fling.

What is it that you people smoke that makes you so paranoid? Do you check under your bed at night to see if Obama is up to no good?

I read that today too, he won't have to testify now. Sounds mighty fishy to me too. If he's such a man of honor he ought to want to testify.

Oh yes. You smart folks have it all figured out. Obama's birth certificate is a fake. He's actually a muslim, not a Christian. He's a rabid communist bent on enslaving the American people. Acorn is the greatest voting scandal in history owned and operated by Obama. He has done something very sneaky and evil in relation to Benghazi tragedy, we just don't know what yet. Maybe he helped plan the attack. Petraeus is hiding something about Benghazi and has sacrificed his career and place in history in order to avoid revealing it.

At night Obama talks to the clouds and persuaded them to cause Sandy to help promote the global warming conspiracy led by evil scientists interested only in cashing in on grants.

FellowAmerican and I use that term loosely: Whether, or not, Patreaus resigned he will be called to testify and he will testify. He was not specialized in intelligence any more that George Tenet was. Your comment seems to be mixing up different stories. Go back to Fox News and take notes this time. Were you this upset with Bush when he allowed 3000 people to die on 9/11 after being warned that bin Laden was determined to strike in the US?

I'll tell you what is a threat to this country, people who can't get help for their mental illnesses. Luckily, Obamacare will take care of that. Please make that appointment.

I am really getting fed up with all you "Spook" wannabees. You have no clue as to what you are talking about; and I don't give a hoot of how many right wing conspiracy sites that you have managed to visit, confirming your incredibly stupid views. The gathering, confirming, developing, and distribution of 'real' intelligence is not a game and cannot be taken lightly. You have no idea of what that requires and/or the consequences of being wrong. We have bombed the wrong sites, even wiping out friendly Diplomatic Missions and caused well intentioned ground deployed missions to fail, because we got it wrong and jumped the gun. Until you idiots have your own "six" stuck out there, wondering whether you'll ever get back, because your Intel was not checked out, properly, shut the heck up!!

KayT-1718089, you need to read the news?

"Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told NBC News that Petraeus’s personal mistake should not have led to his departure.

She also said Petraeus will not need to testify at hearings she is chairing next week into the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the attack."

They are replacing him with David Morrell the deputy director to testify.

There are other reps. who say he will testify or be subpoenaed. We'll have to wait & see. It is really a national disgrace that they didn't offer these Americans any help to get out of there.

Fellow American. I don't know if he will testify or not. Look everyone knows that Osama Obama is a fool. He is a Chicago Machine Democrat. Read that as corrupt and with his hand under the table. He didn't jump on Trumps offer of 5 Million dollars for his favorite charity. That would probably be his preacher bank account. Of course he doesn't want to give up his passport information. What nationality do you think he claimed in 1981 when he first entered the US. How did he get a foreign students grant if he was a citizen. DUUHH!

I'll second that.

He wasn't forced from public service, he resigned.. He felt it was the only thing he could do. The man admitted his discretion and felt he had betrayed the public trust. The forbidden fruit will get you every time.. well almost.. Ask Wild Bill or even Client 9.

Thank you Renee!!! Who cares what they did. His wife surely does. But hey, she seems to be getting along ok. I personally feel that he is a great American. PERIOD. I would vote for hime to be President. He has served this country faithfully. He would still serve his country. He still can. I wish him well. I wish he would come to Illinois and become a citizen of this once great state. We could use a man like him. God bless him and guide him. Let no man cast a stone unless he is free of sin. God knows I'm not!

Yep, these guys need to keep their peecker in their pants.

Wakani you can talk the talk but can you walk the walk. Of course, you probably are a woman who likes women.

Mr. ClaytonCo.GA-I also hope that Ms. Broadwell and her husband can get back together. Two marriages were jeopardized here.

Apparently the water in Washington DC contains some secret aphrodisiac. Or, considering how many Big Pharma lobbyists are HQ'd there, maybe they just carry duffel bags of hard-on drugs.

The aphrodisiac is called POWER.. and women dig it..

No issue with the chastity of men? Double standard, as usual in this society!