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General News: Petraeus Steps Down as CIA Director, Cites Affair
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| Photo by Maureen Moore. David H. Petraeus. |
November 09, 2012
By Joseph Oliveto
David H. Petraeus, the Cornwall-on-Hudson native who played an integral role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, stepped down as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency on Friday. In a statement posted on the official CIA website, Petraeus said, “Yesterday afternoon, I went to the White House and asked the President to be allowed, for personal reasons, to resign from my position as D/CIA. After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair. Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours. This afternoon, the President graciously accepted my resignation.”
Although Petraeus spent nearly four decades serving his country in the military, he did not receive major attention from the media until 2007, when he was appointed to the position of Commanding General, Multi-National Force – Iraq. While the roles he played in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were significant for the nation as a whole, they were especially important to residents of Cornwall and Cornwall-on-Hudson, many of whom saw Petraeus as a hometown hero. In 2009, the town officially granted Petraeus its support by agreeing to dedicate a section of Quaker Avenue to him.
The respect appeared to be mutual, as Petraeus was often happy to return to his hometown and lend his time to its people. He visited the Cornwall Public Library in October of 2009 to visit his Ms. Janet Dempsey, his former fourth-grade teacher, and delivered the commencement at Cornwall Central High School in June of 2010.
It remains unclear what lies ahead for Petraeus and his career. However, in his statement of resignation, he made sure to commend those with whom he served during his time in the CIA, saying, “Teddy Roosevelt once observed that life’s greatest gift is the opportunity to work hard at work worth doing. I will always treasure my opportunity to have done that with you and I will always regret the circumstances that brought that work with you to an end.
Thank you for your extraordinary service to our country, and best wishes for continued success in the important endeavors that lie ahead for our country and our Agency.”
Comments:
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It's odd that there are no comments on this news. Is this censorship by the web editor or closed ranks around the hometown boy? This is not a small personal problem - it will have far-reaching consequences, well beyond the former general. Perhaps most of us did not know him as well as we thought we did. Read more here: [email protected]
posted by D. Smith on 11/14/12 at 10:20 AM
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Perhaps most of us didn't know him at all? Perhaps most of us are waiting for actual evidence of "far-reaching consequences" before we start minding other people's business.
posted by Carlotta Shearson on 11/16/12 at 7:59 AM
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