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Did Petraeus REALLY resign over an extramarital affair?

Did Petraeus REALLY resign over an extramarital affair?

  • YES - anyone who dares question this is a psychotic conspiracy theorist

    Votes: 13 43.3%
  • NO - we may never really know the real reason, but the official story is a load of BS

    Votes: 17 56.7%

  • Total voters
    30
So you believe whatever you're told unless irrefutable proof is provided suggesting otherwise?
extra ordinary claims require extra ordinary evidence.

Evidence that Petraeus resigned because an affair--Petraeus says so.
Evidence that Petraeus resigned for some other reason.... ..... .....

It think it's more of a case of drawing conclusions from the facts at hand rather than from the speculation at hand.

fwiw, i think we're all free to change our mind if new evidence comes to light.

ymmv


I am still holding on to my ET theory.
Unless you can prove that it's wrong.
 
So you believe whatever you're told unless irrefutable proof is provided suggesting otherwise?

Well, it sure as hell beats the crap out of subscribing to every nutbag conspiracy theory that comes along. Tell me, why is it that you don't believe General Petraeus?
 
extra ordinary claims require extra ordinary evidence.

Evidence that Petraeus resigned because an affair--Petraeus says so.
Evidence that Petraeus resigned for some other reason.... ..... .....

It think it's more of a case of drawing conclusions from the facts at hand rather than from the speculation at hand.

fwiw, i think we're all free to change our mind if new evidence comes to light.

I'm not asking anyone to "prove" anything. We have what Petraeus officially names as his reason for resigning, and then we have the idea that that's not the real reason. Neither of these will be "proven," at least not here. It's not an "extraordinary claim" that the reason he gave wasn't the real one.
 
Well, it sure as hell beats the crap out of subscribing to every nutbag conspiracy theory that comes along.

It's not a "nut bag conspiracy theory" to simply state that one does not believe the official reason given by Petraeus as to his resignation. It's simply a matter of sensing that one is being lied to, and that's it.

Tell me, why is it that you don't believe General Petraeus?

If he had said "I just want to spend more time with family," as iguanaman suggested he could have used as a cover story if he needed, would you have believed that cover story too?

I don't believe people as powerful as the Director of the CIA are appointed simply on merit nor do they resign for the simple, ultimately silly reasons they offer upon resignation. It's much more politically complex than that. But I guess some people stick to their fairytale notions of government.
 
I'm not asking anyone to "prove" anything. We have what Petraeus officially names as his reason for resigning, and then we have the idea that that's not the real reason. Neither of these will be "proven," at least not here. It's not an "extraordinary claim" that the reason he gave wasn't the real one.

I like the ET explanation offered by Simon W. Moon. There's as much proof of that as any other reason.

Maybe more facts will come to light that cause me to change my mind. But I'm willing to take the man at his word until they do.
 
A Message From Beyond - NYTimes.com

MY WIFE’S LOVER

My wife is having an affair with a government executive. His role is to manage a project whose progress is seen worldwide as a demonstration of American leadership. (This might seem hyperbolic, but it is not an exaggeration.) I have met with him on several occasions, and he has been gracious. (I doubt if he is aware of my knowledge.) I have watched the affair intensify over the last year, and I have also benefited from his generosity. He is engaged in work that I am passionate about and is absolutely the right person for the job. I strongly feel that exposing the affair will create a major distraction that would adversely impact the success of an important effort. My issue: Should I acknowledge this affair and finally force closure? Should I suffer in silence for the next year or two for a project I feel must succeed? Should I be “true to my heart” and walk away from the entire miserable situation and put the episode behind me?​
 
It's not a "nut bag conspiracy theory" to simply state that one does not believe the official reason given by Petraeus as to his resignation. It's simply a matter of sensing that one is being lied to, and that's it.



If he had said "I just want to spend more time with family," as iguanaman suggested he could have used as a cover story if he needed, would you have believed that cover story too?

I don't believe people as powerful as the Director of the CIA are appointed simply on merit nor do they resign for the simple, ultimately silly reasons they offer upon resignation. It's much more politically complex than that. But I guess some people stick to their fairytale notions of government.

And some people just love conspiracy theories - especially if we can somehow blame....wait for it....OBAMA!
 
There is no way to know.

Resigning over an affair by itself makes no sense and going on nation television acknowledging an affair certainly isn't face saving for him and certainly not for his wife.

That is the oddity of it. If he felt he needed to resign due to an affair (which makes no sense), then ANY normal person would have just resigned - a reason not required to resign. For him to to do some Jimmy Swaggert-style "Forgive me for I have sinned" on a national and International broadcast to everyone on earth is bizarre.

And if that is the reason, he is a TOTAL ASSHOLE for that public declaration, which actually then is just him bragging about having an affair and to the humiliation of his wife of 37 years. If he felt he had to resign, then he should have just resigned.
 
A Message From Beyond - NYTimes.com
MY WIFE’S LOVER
My wife is having an affair with a government executive. His role is to manage a project whose progress is seen worldwide as a demonstration of American leadership. (This might seem hyperbolic, but it is not an exaggeration.) I have met with him on several occasions, and he has been gracious. (I doubt if he is aware of my knowledge.) I have watched the affair intensify over the last year, and I have also benefited from his generosity. He is engaged in work that I am passionate about and is absolutely the right person for the job. I strongly feel that exposing the affair will create a major distraction that would adversely impact the success of an important effort. My issue: Should I acknowledge this affair and finally force closure? Should I suffer in silence for the next year or two for a project I feel must succeed? Should I be “true to my heart” and walk away from the entire miserable situation and put the episode behind me?​


Honestly, if you are telling the truth, I don't see how you can possibly stand it, unless your marriage is just a matter of convenience. Dishonesty in such an intimate relationship is a deal-breaker in my book, unless, of course, when it is brought out in the open and the spouse should show some real sense of contrition. Everyone makes mistakes, and those kinds of mistakes are usually due a fault in the relationship to begin with, where both parties are to blame. If true love exists and there are others (children) that will be hurt by the split, if at all possible, it is good to reconcile, but to live a sham is shameful, project or no project.
 
And some people just love conspiracy theories - especially if we can somehow blame....wait for it....OBAMA!

It was actually my intent to get people to come out and shout "conspiracy theory" at the mere suggestion of a lie or cover story. I have no theory on all this. The fact that I sniff out bull**** does not obligate me to prove the real story with a novel's worth of material.

Either you can tell when you're being bull****ted or you can't.
 
he's an american hero, he should not be swept under the rug for obama's failure to lead.

We don't even know that is the case right now. I mean, it's certainly possible, but there's nothing that indicates that sort of conspiracy.
 
Conspiracies are never pointless. If they were pointless, no one would conspire. Did you mean conspiracy theory?

It's pretty simple. Either you believe and/or acknowledge you're being lied to, or you believe everything the media reports on behalf of our government. Thanks for answering.

Sorry... what? How about.... either you simply accept the world isn't full of conspiracies with big bad boogie men, or you come up with a realistic interpretation for why Petreaus resigned. Saying that he resigned so he wouldn't have to testify in front of congress makes you looks about as clueless as the average pundit.
 
The fact that I sniff out bull**** does not obligate me to prove the real story with a novel's worth of material.
You're welcome to believe anything you wish. You only have to provide evidence if you wish to persuade someone else. If you have no desire to persuade or debate, then you're posting because of idk what.
Either you can tell when you're being bull****ted or you can't.
I'm sure you're one of the few people in the world who has no errors of thought or perception of facts--just like everyone else on the interwebz.

The typical internet user ... has an IQ of 147 and a 9-inch penis.
 
Honestly, if you are telling the truth...
I am worried that you think I wrote the letter. I didn't. I suspect that the husband of the woman Petraeus was fooling around with wrote the letter. That's why I included it in this thread.
 
There is no way to know.

Resigning over an affair by itself makes no sense and going on nation television acknowledging an affair certainly isn't face saving for him and certainly not for his wife.

That is the oddity of it. If he felt he needed to resign due to an affair (which makes no sense), then ANY normal person would have just resigned - a reason not required to resign. For him to to do some Jimmy Swaggert-style "Forgive me for I have sinned" on a national and International broadcast to everyone on earth is bizarre.

And if that is the reason, he is a TOTAL ASSHOLE for that public declaration, which actually then is just him bragging about having an affair and to the humiliation of his wife of 37 years. If he felt he had to resign, then he should have just resigned.

No. It makes PERFECT sense. It is incredibly dangerous to national security to have a CIA director who has this kind of dirty secret that could be used as blackmail against him. In fact, that is precisely why CIA operatives (and any other individuals who have access to classified information) are required to be subjected to extensive background checks - to ensure they don't have any skeletons in their closet.
 
It's also why the FBI regularly monitors the computers of government employees - including the CIA.
 
No. It makes PERFECT sense. It is incredibly dangerous to national security to have a CIA director who has this kind of dirty secret that could be used as blackmail against him. In fact, that is precisely why CIA operatives (and any other individuals who have access to classified information) are required to be subjected to extensive background checks - to ensure they don't have any skeletons in their closet.
Also, if you run a crew, it's helpful if you can hold yourself to at least the same standards you hold them to. It's better if you hold yourself to higher standards. imho anyway.
 
There has to be more going on here than just the story as reported.

Someone resigns in order to keep the dirty secret hidden. Petreus resigns by exposing the secret? There has to be an even bigger secret that talk of the affair will keep hidden. If I had to guess, I think that Petreus probably had a disagreement with the administration and this is the easiest way out for him. Either that, or Petreus is planning a career in politics and jumped right out in front of the story as fast as he could.
 
To late Petraeus was the one that Ordered the CIA timeline be released even though Team Obama wanted him to Wait until after Clinton 's so called Independent Investigation. So anything that was put with the Time line can be answered. Also CNN has stated Petraeus could be summoned to Congress under subpenoa. Not that he will but that he could.

I think we're going to see more hoop hopping and stories changing before this is over. It stinks from the head down how they're saying to the public and Media "just believe us because we're the GOV". That's what made them go after Water Gate like tigers on the loose. It's not that anyone even did anything so bad it's all the covering, sneaking, innuendo and double speak that stirs the pot.
 
I think we're going to see more hoop hopping and stories changing before this is over. It stinks from the head down how they're saying to the public and Media "just believe us because we're the GOV". That's what made them go after Water Gate like tigers on the loose. It's not that anyone even did anything so bad it's all the covering, sneaking, innuendo and double speak that stirs the pot.

A President ordering a break in of the opposing parties heaquarters before an election is not a big deal?
 
No. It makes PERFECT sense. It is incredibly dangerous to national security to have a CIA director who has this kind of dirty secret that could be used as blackmail against him. In fact, that is precisely why CIA operatives (and any other individuals who have access to classified information) are required to be subjected to extensive background checks - to ensure they don't have any skeletons in their closet.



Yes, everyone knows the right thing to do if you have an extra-martial affair is to go on national and international television and announce it to the world. That is the best way to get right with your spouse, is to tell everyone you possibly can as loudly as possible that you were cheating on her. He really should post videos of screwing that other woman if he wants to do it perfectly right by his wife.

Just ask Jerry Springer. He'll tell you. If you are having an affair you should publicize it as widely as possible for your spouse's sake.
 
A President ordering a break in of the opposing parties heaquarters before an election is not a big deal?

LOL.. I didn't mean Water Gate wasn't I meant that the Patraeus deal may be over blown. But actually I've often heard it said Nixon didn't do anything other politicians hadn't he just got caught because of his obsessive taping of everything.
 
There has to be more going on here than just the story as reported.

Someone resigns in order to keep the dirty secret hidden. Petreus resigns by exposing the secret? There has to be an even bigger secret that talk of the affair will keep hidden. If I had to guess, I think that Petreus probably had a disagreement with the administration and this is the easiest way out for him. Either that, or Petreus is planning a career in politics and jumped right out in front of the story as fast as he could.

Why does there HAVE to be more? Because you want it to be so? Life isn't like that.
 
Yes, everyone knows the right thing to do if you have an extra-martial affair is to go on national and international television and announce it to the world. That is the best way to get right with your spouse, is to tell everyone you possibly can as loudly as possible that you were cheating on her. He really should post videos of screwing that other woman if he wants to do it perfectly right by his wife.

Just ask Jerry Springer. He'll tell you. If you are having an affair you should publicize it as widely as possible for your spouse's sake.


First of all, Petraeus was a public figure in a public position. When he resigns unexpectedly, the public wants to know why. So Petraeus explained why in a simple statement. Refusing to explain why he resigned WAS NEVER AN OPTION. Furthermore, it may be that Petraeus and his wife end up getting divorced over this. An if that happens it would't take a genius to put two and two together and conclude that Petraeus must have been having an affair. Then, not only would the public know that he had an affair the public would also know that he had tried to lie to us about it.

Second of all, announcing publicly that he had an affair is not disrespecting his wife. Sleeping with another woman - now that's where Petraeus disrespected his wife. That's where the wrong was committed, not in announcing it. You really think his wife would have been happy if Petraeus never admitted publicly what he did wrong and instead just let the public continue on praising him for being such an outstanding military leader and public figure? Don't be silly. Lying to the public about it does nothing to change the fact that he cheated on his wife.
 
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