Perhaps, there are those who would call me naïve, old-fashioned, or completely out of touch with reality, but I was so disappointed by the recent revelations regarding an extra-marital affair by General David Petraeus and his subsequent resignation as Director of the CIA. To me, character matters, and Petraeus has presented us with an egregious display of personal failing.
My disappointment is two-fold. First, and most importantly, a supposed military leader and public figure has brought great pain to his wife, Holly, and his children. His public betrayal of his wife’s trust is a sad “ending” to his marriage of 38 years. Surely, his family deserved better, and whatever “issues” he may have felt in his relationship with his wife, should have been addressed privately. His family should have been afforded the respect they deserved. Based on Petraeus’ behavior, we are left with no other conclusion than to question his loyalty and love for the members of his family, judgment and decision-making ability.
Secondly, David Petraeus is not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill philandering husband. He is a retired four star general who had led the surge in Iraq and was the Commander of forces in Afghanistan. He gloried in wearing every aspect of his military service on his chest, but when it came to conducting himself according to traditional military values such as “duty, honor, and country”, David Petraeus came up far short of what everyone who has worn the uniform should have expected from him and from themselves. My extreme disappointment comes from my belief that ethics, values, and virtue are synonymous with military service. Ironic, isn’t it, that while a cadet at West Point, he could have been expelled for cheating on a quiz, but as a four star, cheating on his wife seems to be just a misdemeanor in the court of public opinion?
No doubt, David Petraeus worked hard and made many personal and family sacrifices during his Army career, but I expected so much more. We all should have expected so much more from someone whom we considered to have been one of our military leaders.