General Petraeus resigns amid affair scandal

[Bishop]

I looked for pictures online of Holly Petraeus when she was younger and she was a pretty lady. Time is not kind to everyone, but I am always impressed to hear what she has done for military families. However, I have no personal knowledge of it.

You kidding me? Just look at that dog!!

Update.. OK didn't read the caption, I guess Holly is the one in the chair with the blue coat (J/K)

Edited November 12, 2012 by Bishop

[brickhistory]

https://www.maninstitute.com/?p=1591

[Fuzz]

I have heard similar things about Petraeus from friends of mine in the Army. I am not a fan of the warrior/scholar/statesman model, and I think it almost always translates into shitty field commanders. However, promotion boards seem to get raging hardons for people with multiple academic degrees from Ivy League schools.

150-200 years ago that was the norm among generals, Peatreus was one of the key leaders to the success on the ground in Iraq not to mention pioneering the initial COIN strategy. I've read about his command of the 101st while in Mosul and the transformation from one the most violent to a relatively peaceful city, from everything I can tell he is an excellent combat leader.

I'm interested to hear something to the contrary.

[Guest]

Id heard he was a straight killer in Iraq, or more accurately, facilitated those who were. All I can say is, his methods were universally despised and did not achieve results in OEF. When petraeus took them helm, the leash was loosed significantly and we did more business in a month than the previous 6. Does any of it make a strategic difference? Not my place to answer. But guys who loved McChrystal in 06 started hating him in 09.

He was an animal in Afghanistan during the initial fight and Iraq during the surge.

COIN in Afghanistan was driven by Patreaus. He stepped in and changed things after McChrystal got fired because he had a perfect opportunity to try to save his legacy by shifting the failing COIN tactics onto McChrystal. Remember, he never hesitated to take credit for the success of the surge and COIN in Iraq.

He (re)wrote the book on COIN.

https://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-24.pdf

Edited November 12, 2012 by Rainman A-10

[tac airlifter]

He was an animal in Afghanistan during the initial fight and Iraq during the surge.

COIN in Afghanistan was driven by Patreaus. He stepped in and changed things after McChrystal got fired because he had a perfect opportunity to try to save his legacy by shifting the failing COIN tactics onto McChrystal. Remember, he never hesitated to take credit for the success of the surge and COIN in Iraq.

He (re)wrote the book on COIN.

https://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-24.pdf

That's a good perspective. I was an airlifter before & during the OIF surge, so I heard stories about what McChrystal did but had no actual experience with the fight except as vouyer. I was excited to be working for him in 09, but the reality didn't fit the stories. Listened to him speak on several occasions, he was, at that point, a true believer in COIN which I have come to believe is a fundamentally flawed theory of war. The teams I worked for were utterly disgusted. The pace increased when he left and Petraeus came on.

At that level though, it's more about how much aggression you allow vice how much you actually lead. The best GOs provide intent and wide boundaries for the few who get things done.

Either way, talking to the media and putting pussy on a pedestal took down 2 major leaders; losing sight of the basics has consequences.

[BQZip01]

Unfortunate, but hey here is the picture of the gal that brought down an american hero.

It takes two to tango...

Forget the moral/legal implications for a moment. Does it disturb anyone else that the Director of the CIA can't even keep his own affair a secret?

[old crow]

I'd hit it

[Vertigo]

It takes two to tango...

Forget the moral/legal implications for a moment. Does it disturb anyone else that the Director of the CIA can't even keep his own affair a secret?

I'm more concerned about the fact the FBI has found classified data on her laptop.

[jcj]

I'm more concerned about the fact the FBI has found classified data on her laptop.

This

[Azimuth]

Interesting tactic.

https://m.cnet.com/news/petraeus-reportedly-used-draft-e-mails-to-converse-with-mistress/57548733

[Day Man]

read about the draft tactic in a book about the Mossad a few years ago...interesting indeed.

[Keydet]

Now to use an e-mail system that doesn't highlight drafts as much as Gmail.

[HU&W]

Looks like the scandal has widened to include Gen Allen. Link

[Almansur]

[Dupe]

Looks like the scandal has widened to include Gen Allen. Link

This article describes Jill Kelley as an "unpaid social liaison at MacDill." Is that anything other that a groupie for generals? Hell, I didn't even know general officer groupies existed.

[Azimuth]

The lead FBI agent was removed from the investigation.

https://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-agent-petraeus-2012-11

[brickhistory]

Some humor on it:

SNL line: The book is titled "All In." The working draft was called "Just the Tip."

Gives new meaning to the advice given to COCOM and MAJCOM staffs: "think like a four-star..."

Too soon?

BTW, the Marine had the much hotter sideline. Petreaous' looked like that all-American Jill Metzger. Just sayin'...

[17D_guy]

This sounds like a completely legit reason to get involved with the spouse's club.

[ecugringo]

I just read the FBI agent has been removed from the case for sending shirtless pics to Jill Kelley. This is has a more interesting plot than my wife's TV shows.

Anyone else think the timing of this is all a bit strange with the Benghazzi testimony this week and the "Fiscal Cliff" meetings with congress. The media will jump on a sex case and report it to death, meanwhile our taxes all will go up and what really happened in Libya will be revealed.

[FallingOsh]

BTW, the Marine had the much hotter sideline. Petreaous' looked like that all-American Jill Metzger. Just sayin'...

Ain't that the truth. If you're going to ruin your career and your family over a chick, at least make it a Cowboys cheerleader on the USO rounds.

The latest article makes is seem as if the "threatening" emails weren't really threatening at all. Kelley just complained to her FBI friend, who had a crush on her, and he started a federal investigation trying to impress her. The investigation turned up Patraeus' name and he was caught with his hand in poon jar.

[Almansur]

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/photoshopped-book-title-from-paula-broadwells-gen-david-petraeus-biography-goes-viral-on-web

The gift that keeps on giving...

[hindsight2020]

This country is so passive aggressive about sexuality it's retarded. We rather scold people for their inability of being happy in a monogamous construct (a construct you have to work monastically at, not endemic to human nature) than face the fact that there are other things more important than people's private behavior and the realization that such behavior *gasp* hardly ever speaks in an all-encompassing manner about the person's ability to do their job. I would think the military, the epitome of the social exercise we call "compartmentalizing", would be right at home with such paradoxes.

I know we don't fire people because they're lousy absentee, borderline physically abusive, workaholic parents... so why would we because they like to buff more than one woman? ...and the c**t always gets away scot-free. Standard.

[Guest]

Hell, I didn't even know general officer groupies existed.

Then you haven't been watching the way some douchebags seem to be promoted regardless of their lack of talent.

GO groupies abound.

[FallingOsh]

This country is so passive aggressive about sexuality it's retarded. We rather scold people for their inability of being happy in a monogamous construct (a construct you have to work monastically at, not endemic to human nature) than face the fact that there are other things more important than people's private behavior and the realization that such behavior *gasp* hardly ever speaks in an all-encompassing manner about the person's ability to do their job. I would think the military, the epitome of the social exercise we call "compartmentalizing", would be right at home with such paradoxes.

I know we don't fire people because they're lousy absentee, borderline physically abusive, workaholic parents... so why would we because they like to buff more than one woman? ...and the c**t always gets away scot-free. Standard.

There are plenty of people who ruin their marriages one way or another and go on to have full careers. If you think we should just let military members, especially officers, especially senior officers, run around banging whoever they want regardless of their marital status, I think you're in the wrong business. There's no law that says you have to get married or stay married. If you can lie to the one person you should be 100% truthful to, then why wouldn't you lie to everyone else?

In the good General's case, being the country's chief spy, having a skeleton like that opens the door for countless issues. The potential for blackmail exists. There's obvious and apparently very real concern that classified information has been leaked. She could end up being some psycho that starts threatening every female you know. She could drive half way across the country shitting herself with the intent to murder people on the other end. It's not just the military side; Lockheed just fired their inbound CEO. (I know you said "this country" and not "this military.")

Like it or not, a person elevated to that level of trust should be trustworthy and they can't expect to be surprised by the fallout otherwise.

Edited November 13, 2012 by FallingOsh

[M2]

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/photoshopped-book-title-from-paula-broadwells-gen-david-petraeus-biography-goes-viral-on-web The gift that keeps on giving...

Worth posting...