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Petreus is resigning from CIA (Original Post) Stinky The Clown Nov 2012 OP
Well I guess there goes the Republicans guy for 2016. Drunken Irishman Nov 2012 #1
More GOP "Family Values" kelliekat44 Nov 2012 #55
Are you saying he had an affair or asking? Renew Deal Nov 2012 #2
No. That is the reason he cited in his letter of resignation Stinky The Clown Nov 2012 #4
Why would he resign over an "affair"? Renew Deal Nov 2012 #9
Maybe it was with Romney or Ryan .... Myrina Nov 2012 #14
He admitted to an affair in his letter to the Prez... No DUplicitous DUpe Nov 2012 #8
Wow is right. nt No DUplicitous DUpe Nov 2012 #3
oops librechik Nov 2012 #5
Obama 2.0 Z_I_Peevey Nov 2012 #6
O2 - like oxygen for the masses. randome Nov 2012 #15
I seriously doubt Obama would get rid of someone for sufrommich Nov 2012 #42
Idiot... SoapBox Nov 2012 #7
I agree but... Renew Deal Nov 2012 #12
Just say'n... SoapBox Nov 2012 #20
That could do it. Renew Deal Nov 2012 #29
Adultery is still a crime in the UCMJ, though. MineralMan Nov 2012 #22
He's not in the military Stinky The Clown Nov 2012 #27
Perhaps not. He actually may still be a General, though. MineralMan Nov 2012 #52
He's CIA Renew Deal Nov 2012 #30
I do not know the answer to that question. MineralMan Nov 2012 #46
No, he is not in the military. He is retired and not subject to UCMJ. Stinky The Clown Nov 2012 #53
Are spooks warrprayer Nov 2012 #31
Well, if the GF wasn't leaving and the wife gave him an ultimatum woodsprite Nov 2012 #62
Ummm... gcomeau Nov 2012 #18
There has got to be more than one affair. Popcorn 51 Nov 2012 #10
Sounds like the script in "Seven Days in May." But the botched regime change ops, and Benghazi leveymg Nov 2012 #11
My thoughts exactly n/t Z_I_Peevey Nov 2012 #13
He wouldn't admit to an affair just to resign. Renew Deal Nov 2012 #16
Benghazi??? n/t malaise Nov 2012 #24
Many have claimed the initial CIA briefing to Congress given by Petraeus was misleading, and leveymg Nov 2012 #32
Yep - this is fascinating malaise Nov 2012 #51
Thanks for this malaise Nov 2012 #64
Still, admitting to an affair? Renew Deal Nov 2012 #33
True - someone must have some video malaise Nov 2012 #47
I can't recall any CIA Director who resigned over an affair. leveymg Nov 2012 #56
Look at it as Resignation with Prejudice. leveymg Nov 2012 #35
Yeah, I'm sure there's something more complex than this Blue_Tires Nov 2012 #48
I agree with you. Stinky The Clown Nov 2012 #54
Falling on swords is the Number One cause of death in Langley, VA. leveymg Nov 2012 #61
And as usual...Mrs. Greenspan is going SoapBox Nov 2012 #17
Holy crap! HappyMe Nov 2012 #19
...love the Hair on Fire! SoapBox Nov 2012 #23
I'm betting the lady's name begins with a malaise Nov 2012 #21
Retired Col. on MSNBC said it would probably come to light justiceischeap Nov 2012 #25
One of those D.C. well known secrets? SoapBox Nov 2012 #34
I thought having affairs... warrprayer Nov 2012 #26
It's the right thing to do. bluedigger Nov 2012 #28
Compromising his work, probably. WinkyDink Nov 2012 #36
I kept thinking during the first debate that the president had gotten some very bad news that day. OregonBlue Nov 2012 #37
I was of the same opinion. Z_I_Peevey Nov 2012 #41
Oh What a Tangled Web warrprayer Nov 2012 #38
Nobody resigns over an affair. calico1 Nov 2012 #39
It was a threesome with Newt Gingrich and Michelle Bachmann. randome Nov 2012 #43
I've heard that Petreus is a Democrat Renew Deal Nov 2012 #58
Why on Earth would he resign because of an affair? sufrommich Nov 2012 #40
Maybe to save his marriage? progressoid Nov 2012 #45
Chuckie Todd said perhaps possible blackmail and intelligence concerns. Jennicut Nov 2012 #44
Yeah, but Chuckie doesn't know. Any talking head can use the word 'possible'. randome Nov 2012 #49
Yes, the girl. Renew Deal Nov 2012 #59
Whatever it is he sounds to wacky to stay flamingdem Nov 2012 #50
An affair could have made him "blackmail-able" Lucy Goosey Nov 2012 #57
That's it? He had an affair? Half of Congress has had affairs. WTF? HopeHoops Nov 2012 #60
Now, if only the rest of the crew would follow suit.. Tierra_y_Libertad Nov 2012 #63

sufrommich

(22,871 posts)
42. I seriously doubt Obama would get rid of someone for
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:11 PM
Nov 2012

a personal reason like this. I'd be very disappointed if he did,not that I believe he did.

SoapBox

(18,791 posts)
7. Idiot...
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 03:54 PM
Nov 2012

what the hell is wrong with these guys...keep it in you pants, dude.

If they can't keep these issues under control...how the devil can they do the job they are supposed to do, with a clear mind.

idiot.

Renew Deal

(81,866 posts)
12. I agree but...
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 03:55 PM
Nov 2012

What kind of affair would it take to force him to resign? Cheating on your wife isn't exactly a high crime in DC.

MineralMan

(146,322 posts)
52. Perhaps not. He actually may still be a General, though.
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:15 PM
Nov 2012

In any case, adultery is punishable because it interferes with "good order." Same is true in the CIA, I imagine. Or it could be Benghazi, I suppose. I can't see that it matters, really. He's outa there.

MineralMan

(146,322 posts)
46. I do not know the answer to that question.
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:13 PM
Nov 2012

He may well be. In any case, the reason adultery can be punished in the military is because it interferes with the mission. The same could be said for the CIA, I think. It's not so much a legal or criminal thing as it is a violation of good order.

It may also be an excuse to get rid of him without mentioning Benghazi.

warrprayer

(4,734 posts)
31. Are spooks
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:01 PM
Nov 2012

under UCMJ? When they are actually trained in the art of seduction to procure info from targets? (not making this up - this was actually part of training all the way back to the O.S.S.)

woodsprite

(11,918 posts)
62. Well, if the GF wasn't leaving and the wife gave him an ultimatum
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:48 PM
Nov 2012

THEN he might be giving up his job. I can see that happening.

 

gcomeau

(5,764 posts)
18. Ummm...
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 03:56 PM
Nov 2012

...my take would be "you're resigning because of marital infidelity?" THAT is stupid.

Secret marital infidelity? something someone could potentially use to get leverage over you and compromise your position? Yeah, problem. KNOWN marital infidelity? Irrelevant to your job duties. Completely. If he's coming out with it in public anyway the resignation is pointless unless there is some other factor that isn't being mentioned.

leveymg

(36,418 posts)
11. Sounds like the script in "Seven Days in May." But the botched regime change ops, and Benghazi
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 03:55 PM
Nov 2012

are more likely the real cause.

leveymg

(36,418 posts)
32. Many have claimed the initial CIA briefing to Congress given by Petraeus was misleading, and
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:01 PM
Nov 2012

CIA also came under criticism for its inadequate security and response to the attack. The State Dept. Mission in Benghazi was really an annex to the larger CIA station there. CIA had primary control over security there. If there was a Libyan arms pipeline to Syria, that involved leaking MANPADs, the CIA would have been running that operation.

Renew Deal

(81,866 posts)
33. Still, admitting to an affair?
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:04 PM
Nov 2012

Seems like a bit much. I think the affair is legit, but it must be pretty bad.

malaise

(269,114 posts)
47. True - someone must have some video
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:14 PM
Nov 2012

Fuckie Todd says this is on the level - it's the affair and there is no tolerance of affairs at the highest level of the CIA.

leveymg

(36,418 posts)
56. I can't recall any CIA Director who resigned over an affair.
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:22 PM
Nov 2012

Lord knows, Allen Dulles, the first CIA Director, had dozens of them.

The only one that came close to that in recent times, off the top of my head, is Deutch, who was accused of using his secure laptop to view internet porn, but there were other more substantial allegations made against him that prompted his resignation in 1996.

Usually, resignations under fire come out of some major policy difference with the White House or because the Director falls on his sword when lesser plausible deniability fails after some catastrophe that was actually ordered by the President.

Blue_Tires

(55,445 posts)
48. Yeah, I'm sure there's something more complex than this
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:14 PM
Nov 2012

not sure we'll ever find out the real reason, though...

leveymg

(36,418 posts)
61. Falling on swords is the Number One cause of death in Langley, VA.
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:48 PM
Nov 2012

I sort of doubt there was a serious policy difference between Petraeus and the White House on anything we've done in the Mideast. But, someone had to take the fall for losing the Ambassador.

justiceischeap

(14,040 posts)
25. Retired Col. on MSNBC said it would probably come to light
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 03:58 PM
Nov 2012

during Benghazi investigation. And that President Obama would be happy to see him go.

SoapBox

(18,791 posts)
34. One of those D.C. well known secrets?
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:04 PM
Nov 2012

...and was Issa going to be involved at all in these hearings (or were they going to be hearings by the Senate?)

That ass would have blabbed it right there, just to bring him down.

warrprayer

(4,734 posts)
26. I thought having affairs...
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 03:58 PM
Nov 2012

... was all in the line of duty for spooks? Has no one ever seen "James Bond"?

What a riduculous reason to fire a perfectly good spy.

bluedigger

(17,087 posts)
28. It's the right thing to do.
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:00 PM
Nov 2012

That is an offense subject to termination in his agency. It leaves one open to being compromised. He can't fire people for something he is equally guilty of in good conscience.

OregonBlue

(7,754 posts)
37. I kept thinking during the first debate that the president had gotten some very bad news that day.
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:08 PM
Nov 2012

He seemed very serious and very distracted. Just another one of my paranoid theories?

Z_I_Peevey

(2,783 posts)
41. I was of the same opinion.
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:10 PM
Nov 2012

When you consider the enormous amounts of dark money in the campaign, the various factions left in place from the Bush/Cheney years and the pre-loaded outrage over Benghazi from the right...well, anything is possible.

warrprayer

(4,734 posts)
38. Oh What a Tangled Web
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:08 PM
Nov 2012

We weave...

"The Soviets used sex not only for direct recruitment, but as a contingency where an American officer might need to be compromised in the future. The CIA itself made limited use of sexual recruitment against foreign intelligence services. "Coercive recruitment generally didn't work. We found that offers of money and freedom worked better."[11] If the Agency found a Soviet intelligence officer had a girlfriend, they would try to recruit the girlfriend as an access agent. Once the CIA personnel had access to the Soviet officer, they might attempt to double him.

Examples of people trapped by sexual means include:

Clayton J. Lonetree, a US Marine Sergeant embassy guard in Moscow, was entrapped by a female Soviet officer in 1987. He was then blackmailed into handing over documents when he was assigned to Vienna. Lonetree is the first US Marine to be convicted of spying against the United States.
Roy Rhodes, a US Army NCO serving at the US embassy in Moscow, had a one-night stand (or was made to believe he had) with a Soviet agent while drunk. He was later told the agent was pregnant, and that unless he co-operated with the Soviet authorities, this would be revealed to his wife.
Irvin C. Scarbeck, a US diplomat, was entrapped by a female Polish officer in 1961, and photographed in a compromising position. He was blackmailed into providing secrets.
Sharon Scranage, a CIA employee described by one source as a "shy, naive, country girl", was allegedly seduced by Ghanaian intelligence agent Michael Soussoudis. She later gave him information on CIA operations in Ghana, which was later shared with Soviet-bloc countries.
Mordechai Vanunu, who had disclosed Israeli nuclear secrets, began an affair with an American Mossad agent, Cheryl Bentov, operating under the name "Cindy" and masquerading as an American tourist, on September 30, 1986. She persuaded him to fly to Rome, Italy, with her on a holiday. Once in Rome, Mossad agents drugged him and smuggled him to Israel on a freighter.
John Vassall, a British embassy official in Moscow, who was guided by the KGB into having sex with multiple male partners while drunk in 1954. The KGB then used photographs of this incident to blackmail Vassall into providing them with secret information.
Bernard Boursicot, a French diplomat, was entrapped by Shi Pei Pu, who was working for the Chinese government. Shi Pei Pu, a male Chinese opera singer, successfully masqueraded as a woman and told Boursicot he was carrying Boursicot's child. The situation was fictionalized into the play M. Butterfly.
Katrina Leung, indicted as a double agent working for both China and the FBI, seduced her FBI handler, James J. Smith, and was able to obtain FBI information of use to China through him. She also had an affair with another FBI officer, William Cleveland.
In 2006, the British Defence Attaché in Islamabad Pakistan, was recalled home, when it emerged that he had been involved in a relationship with a Pakistani woman, who was an intelligence agent. While the British Government deny that secrets were lost, others sources say that several Western operatives and operations within Pakistan were compromised.[13]
In May 2007 a female officer serving in Sweden's Kosovo force was suspected of having leaked classified information to her Serbian lover who turned out to be a spy.[14]
Won Jeong-hwa, who was arrested by South Korea in 2008 and charged with spying for North Korea, is accused of using this method to obtain information from an army officer.[15]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clandestine_HUMINT_asset_recruiting#Love.2C_honeypots_and_recruitment

I think it is fairly safe to say if the U.S.S.R. employed these tactics, we trained our agents in them as well. What a silly bunch of puritan sheep we have in this backward country.

flamingdem

(39,314 posts)
50. Whatever it is he sounds to wacky to stay
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:14 PM
Nov 2012

and he's self-firing for a good reason I imagine. Shame, it's good at what he does

Lucy Goosey

(2,940 posts)
57. An affair could have made him "blackmail-able"
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:23 PM
Nov 2012

I worked for a while for a (Canadian) federal agency that had strict security requirements. To get cleared, I had to take a polygraph and was grilled about things that could potentially be used against me - affairs, homosexual experiences, abortions, psychiatric care, whatever. To be clear, they didn't care if I had had any of those things per se - they cared if they thought I would betray my country to keep any of those things secret. I have, in fact, been a patient of a psychiatrist in the past, and I disclosed it and still got cleared.

And all of this was just for a Secret clearance for a mid-level finance policy job, nothing approaching the sensitivity of head of the CIA.

I mean, obviously I have no idea what the whole story is with Petraeus, but I thought of my polygraph experience as soon as I read that he was resigning over an affair. It's not entirely impossible that it is just about the affair.

 

Tierra_y_Libertad

(50,414 posts)
63. Now, if only the rest of the crew would follow suit..
Fri Nov 9, 2012, 04:51 PM
Nov 2012

Our governments use of thugs, assassins, torturers, blackmailers, is appalling. Not to mention embarrassing to an allegedly civilized nation.

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