The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones.
Those lines from Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” came to mind when the news broke of General David Petraeus’ resignation as CIA Director. Antony spoke the words as Caesar’s corpse lay before him, slain violently for his ambition.
According to many who served alongside Petraeus during his military career he, too, was a man of ambition. But aside from accusations of excessive ego, few could find fault with him or what he brought to the defense of our country. Until Friday, November 9, 2012.
In the past-tense commentary following the revelation of Petraeus’ adultery, we proved again how quick we are to dismiss the best among us if we sniff a failure of character. We forget that our heroes are also human, subject to flattery, weakness, and temptation. Yes, we expect more of them, especially a man whose profession rests on honor and integrity. But who among us has not done something he regrets? Would we want to be remembered for that alone after we are gone?
When Petraeus passes on, his obituary will mention his “resignation from the CIA due to an extramarital affair” — even if he dies while saving an orphanage full of children from certain death by fire. We devalue humanity itself when we define a person by the worst thing he has ever done.
History, however, simply cannot ignore the man’s brilliance, confidence, and dedication to completing the mission, even in the face of jeers and accusations of mendacity.
Remember Petraeus’ September 2007 Report to Congress on the Situation in Iraq, when MoveOn.org <http://MoveOn.org> ran a full-page ad in the New York Times calling him “General Betray Us”? Or Senator Hillary Clinton’s comment during his testimony that “the reports that you provide to us really require a willing suspension of disbelief”?
He never reacted publicly to these insults but like any mortal, he was struggling. Earlier in 2007 when Petraeus took command of multinational forces in Iraq to implement the surge, most newspapers in the country were blasting both him and President Bush. I wrote a column for the Savannah Morning News wishing him Godspeed. Petraeus emailed me to express his gratitude.
Presuming upon that slender thread of connection, I emailed him on the day of the “General Betray Us” ad to ask for his reaction to it. As I expected he said “no comment,” then added something he asked me not to quote. So I’ll just say that I have it on good authority that a friend from his hometown had sent him a copy of Kipling’s poem “If.”
I suspect the following couplets comforted him that day:
If you can keep your head when all about you
are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too …
True, his current situation differs dramatically from that day in September of 2007. Now he has no one but himself to blame for his and his family’s suffering. Perhaps he feels that in sullying his reputation at this stage of his career, his life is over. But he is 60 years old, a decade short of the promised threescore and ten. Our best work is often born of a chastened humility.
There is another passage in Kipling’s poem that might prove relevant to a man contemplating the ruins of his life:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”
Godspeed, David Petraeus.
Comments (23)
Add commentTiming off
IF he had made this mistake during the Clinton administration, he would have been promoted...
Wondering
A few thoughts:
1. My guess is that there are many more women behind this one. Guys like this don't have an isolated lapse in judgment. The FBI started investigating Broadwell after she sent harassing emails to another woman Petraeus had a relationship with...sounds like some rivalry going on there, eh?
2. His infidelity is between he and his wife. Maybe she was OK with it - who knows? But he also knew that Broadwell was married and had children. In my view, his actions with a married woman are less forgivable.
3. His timing is interesting. I wonder if he would have unveiled this if Romney had won? I'm thinking not. He knows that the WH will be vacant in 4 years, and he plans to make a run at it. As a republican most likely. Having a skeleton like this in the closet would kill his campaign once it came dancing out (and it would). So better to get the embarrassment over with and get it off of the front page early. In three years when he announces his candidacy, it'll be old news. And with fawning articles like this, his moral failings will be papered over.
So we'll have a serial philanderer running against...the wife of a serial philanderer. And won't that make for a juicy campaign?
Very disappointing that top US Spy gets caught cheating
How sad that the #1 spy for the US gets caught using Gmail. The only thing worse would be if he was using Yahoo or AOL. What a national embarrassment!
No wonder James Bond is English.
The Undoing
I hope the good Bishop in saying "after all we are all human" realizes that the Pope is also HUMAN and NOT God and some many Catholics think. HUMANS ARE NOT TO BE WORSHIPED! ONLY GOD IS WORSHIPED!
bilb
you are fabulously hopeless
Lat
talk about conspiracy theorists...
how about this one: he didnt fall on his sword, he was pushed. It'll be far less speculative whether he will voluntarily testify about the Benghazi debacle or get subpeona'd.
A retired 4 star would never leave his people in that jam unless told to do so. I couldnt sleep at night, no matter who it was with.
Try popping into a Catholic Church sometime
That ain't a pope hanging on the wall.
Your ignorance is offensive.
Grendel
Time to quit flogging Benghazi. That horse is dead...and the election is over. Somehow I don't think it'll toast Obama's chances at a third term.
What part is the "conspiracy"? The extra women? You did follow that the FBI investigation, right? Or aren't they talking about that on Fox? This guy is a regular Bill Clinton. He just can't resist an opportunity to dip Cecil in the hot grease.
I'll make you a little wager. Within two years, probably less, you'll start to see Petraeus popping up on the talk show circuit. Maybe he'll be hawking a book. And if the stars look like they're aligning, he'll set up an 'exploratory PAC'.
Guys like him are all ego and ambition. Explaining a screw-up in front of a congressional committee is not conducive to future political goals. Better to let underlings be run over by the bus. So yes, his timing could have coincided with that event as well, since we're into conspiracies here. It all fits together nicely, doesn't it?
The wildcard is Mrs. Petraeus. Her response could scuttle his grandiose plans. The payoff will have to be substantial.
Shortcut
He did make an error: "worshipped" has 2 "p"s, not 1.
And for you, it's "amazing", not "amasing".
to Lat
I dont know Gen Petraeus' political affiliation, but I do know that he has a stellar military record - well-documented, too - and that would lead me to believe he is a man of character.
Men of character thru-out the ages have had character flaws as well, but they dont usually exploit a character flaw to further their ambitions. Yes, I've met dozens of 3 & 4 stars, and they are personalities to be sure. But they are not "all ego and ambition."
Then again, I could be wrong. I just dont see it like you do. Strike that -- I seldom see it like you do. Let's stick to the facts: Congressional investigation this next week and The Man who could be compelled by his own sense of right & wrong to spill the beans goes public with a personal wrong and makes a quick exit. Benghazi is not a dead horse; it's just beginning to ripen.
Grendal
Guess that leaves you out when you talk about honor!
One has to wonder...
...Grendel, why a 4-star general with such a stellar military record would shift all command-and-control functions over to the small head.
Isn't that like putting a drunken corporal in charge of a major battle?
that's cute play on words
-**-
Not as cute...
...as Paula though. I can see why Petraeus tripped over her. But have you seen the pics of Jill Kelley? Wow! She looks like she eats generals for lunch (figuratively speaking, of course).
she certainly is
and I have to wonder: where was Dad when all this debauchery was going on? I mean, this kind of behaviour did not sprout out of nowhere. Perhaps the boys needed more supervision. guidance. They obviously had too much time on their hands, what with a war going on.
Indeed
I'm just guessing that Dad thought he could trust his 4-stars to keep their pants zipped up. Now that they've demonstrated that they're no more disciplined than 17-year-olds, I'm sure there'll be tighter curfews.
The secret gmail dropbox accounts...neat trick for hiding things from Dad.
Cant find fault in his work
Cant find fault in his work performance, dig around in his personal life. I could care less who he is screwing as long as he does his job.
Lat, you criticize the man
Lat, you criticize the man for playing with a married woman with kids, but you dont even mention the married woman with kids who is playing with the married man. Goes both ways. He was overly lusty and she had stars in her eyes. Both were in the wrong, but human. Happens all the time. Nothing to see here. Moving on.
Absolutely right, KP
She was in the wrong as well. I wonder how her family's taking it. But that's not tabloid material...that story's been told about, oh, a million times or so.
Go back up to my original comment. I find more fault with him for knowingly messing around with a married woman with kids than for his own behavior.
My criticism of his self-discipline is for Grendel's sake, who put these Eagle Scout teenagers on some kind of exalted pedestal. They're just humans.
But I still think we'll see him sniffing around come 2016, once the media storm dies down, which it will. Gotta say, he has name recognition now! If Bill Clinton can pull it off, so can he.
Options
the moisties add intrigue; the real story is the timing of his self-flagellation. At this point he either addresses his initial assessment, or claims he cant recall without his classified notes...whups! No clearance!