The Great Act of General Petraeus

It all started when Jim Kelly filed a complaint to CIA that she was receiving harassing emails from someone. The CIA quickly traced these emails back to Paula Broadwell, 40, mother of two, the biographer of General Petraeus and subsequently his lover. General Petraeus is the former director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, successfully commanding America’s surge of troops in Iraq during the years 2007-2008. Some people believe that this was due to the general’s vanity, the fact that he prefers to be surrounded by admiring staff, academics and through this affair, journalists as well. Soon after the emails were discovered to have been sent by Mrs Broadwell, FBI director Robert Mueller and Attorney General Eric holder were informed. The following is a detailed timeline of the entire situation.

In spring 2006 Paula Broadwell met David Petraeus. At the time, Paula was a graduate student at Harvard University and David was the US Army lieutenant-general. Roughly a year later, General Petraeus is confirmed publicly to be the commanding general for the troops that were currently fighting in Iraq. Mrs Broadwell then begins a case study of General Petraeus’s leadership and how he managed to get to his current position. Because of this she is invited to join him and his team for a run along the Potomac River in Washington. But then in October 2008, General Petraeus takes position of the commanding general of the US central Command. As well, Jill Kelley becomes his family friend. Two years later, in June 2010, General Petraeus is confirmed as the commander of international forces in Afghanistan. A few months later, Mrs Broadwell decides to build on her PhD research by doing a biography of General Petraeus and as a result, begins to travel frequently to Afghanistan, gaining exclusive access to the General and his team of commanders. That fall, General Petraeus retires from the military and takes up the post as the director of CIA. They begin to have an affair.

It is early in the summer of 2011 now, and Jill Kelley begins to receive harassing emails from an anonymous person. She reports this to one of her acquaintances in the FBI, prompting an investigation by them. At about this time, the affair between General Petraeus and Mrs Broadwell ended, according to Petraeus’s spokesman. Soon after this, the investigations of the FBI regarding the harassing emails Jill Kelley has been receiving were traced back to none other than Mrs Broadwell, a 40 year old mother of two. FBI Director Robert Mueller and Attorney General Eric Holder are informed of the situation. On the 21^st of October, Mrs Broadwell was interviewed by the FBI and admits to the affair. A day later, the same thing happens to General Petraeus; he denies to have disclosed any national security information during the affair. A week later, Mrs Broadwell gives a speech at the University of Denver, in which she refers to unreported information about a deadly attack a month earlier on the US consulate in Benghazi.

On November 6^th,  two weeks later, President Obama has been elected for a second term. In addition to this, James Clapper the director of National Intelligence, is informed of the affair revolving around General Petraeus. On the 7^th, the White house is informed by Clapper of the affair. This also happens to be General Petraeus’s Birthday.  President Obama arrives in Washington a day later, and having been informed by the White house of the affair, meets with the general afterwards. The general asks permission to resign. The day after, on the 9^th of November, Obama accepts the resignation and the news becomes public before the congress is notified. Afterwards,on the 13^th, General John Allen, the top US commander of Afghanistan is under investigation for potentially “inappropriate” contact with Mrs Kelley, 37.

The turn of events has been shocking to many needless to say. There is much discussion about the actions of General Petraeus both before and after his exposé. Did his choice to resign from his post show enough moral conscience for him to be forgiven? How is it possible that a man who has successfully safeguarded the security of an entire nation, has fallen due to such personal reasons?