CIA Director General Petraeus Resigns
Director of CIA General David Petraeus announced his resignation today after admitting an extra-marital affair.
Petraeus was the Obama Administration's highest-ranking neocon holdover from George W. Bush's Administration.
NBC's Andrea Mitchell, who broke the story on air, said the resignation was announced in a letter to the CIA work force dated Friday.
Director of CIA General David Petraeus announced his resignation today after admitting an extra-marital affair.
Petraeus was the Obama Administration's highest-ranking neocon holdover from George W. Bush's Administration.
NBC's Andrea Mitchell, who broke the story on air, said the resignation was announced in a letter to the CIA work force dated Friday.
Mitchell added that Petraeus's letter notes he exercised "extremely poor judgment" with the affair, and that he was stepping down to deal with the subsequent "personal and professional issues."
President Obama released a statement Friday, saying that Michael J. Morell, the deputy director of the CIA, would take over once again as acting director.
Petraeus became head of CIA in September of 2011 following his tour as head of allied forces in Afghanistan.
Petraeus' wrote the following letter to the CIA work force:
HEADQUARTERS Central Intelligence Agency
9 November 2012
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.
As I depart Langley, I want you to know that it has been the greatest of privileges to have served with you, the officers of our Nation's Silent Service, a work force that is truly exceptional in every regard. Indeed, you did extraordinary work on a host of critical missions during my time as director, and I am deeply grateful to you for that.
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.
With admiration and appreciation,
David H. Petraeus
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Director of CIA General David Petraeus announced his resignation today after admitting an extra-marital affair.
Petraeus was the Obama Administration's highest-ranking neocon holdover from George W. Bush's Administration.
NBC's Andrea Mitchell, who broke the story on air, said the resignation was announced in a letter to the CIA work force dated Friday.
Mitchell added that Petraeus's letter notes he exercised "extremely poor judgment" with the affair, and that he was stepping down to deal with the subsequent "personal and professional issues."
President Obama released a statement Friday, saying that Michael J. Morell, the deputy director of the CIA, would take over once again as acting director.
Petraeus became head of CIA in September of 2011 following his tour as head of allied forces in Afghanistan.
Petraeus' wrote the following letter to the CIA work force:
HEADQUARTERS Central Intelligence Agency
9 November 2012
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.
As I depart Langley, I want you to know that it has been the greatest of privileges to have served with you, the officers of our Nation's Silent Service, a work force that is truly exceptional in every regard. Indeed, you did extraordinary work on a host of critical missions during my time as director, and I am deeply grateful to you for that.
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.
With admiration and appreciation,
David H. Petraeus
Director of CIA General David Petraeus announced his resignation today after admitting an extra-marital affair.
Petraeus was the Obama Administration's highest-ranking neocon holdover from George W. Bush's Administration.
NBC's Andrea Mitchell, who broke the story on air, said the resignation was announced in a letter to the CIA work force dated Friday.
Mitchell added that Petraeus's letter notes he exercised "extremely poor judgment" with the affair, and that he was stepping down to deal with the subsequent "personal and professional issues."
President Obama released a statement Friday, saying that Michael J. Morell, the deputy director of the CIA, would take over once again as acting director.
Petraeus became head of CIA in September of 2011 following his tour as head of allied forces in Afghanistan.
Petraeus' wrote the following letter to the CIA work force:
HEADQUARTERS Central Intelligence Agency
9 November 2012
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.
As I depart Langley, I want you to know that it has been the greatest of privileges to have served with you, the officers of our Nation's Silent Service, a work force that is truly exceptional in every regard. Indeed, you did extraordinary work on a host of critical missions during my time as director, and I am deeply grateful to you for that.
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.
With admiration and appreciation,
David H. Petraeus