Have we been fed a myth about General Petraeus? According to this article, we have. According to former intelligence officer and VietNam veteran, G. Murphy Donovan, Petraeus is a politician, more than a general. Interesting read.
General David Petraeus illuminates two grand military issues at just the right moment: officer corps character and flag officer performance. Petraeus could be the poster child for a clueless Gilbert and Sullivan character too -- "The very model of a modern major-general." Major-general was the highest rank to which an officer might aspire to in the last century. Grade inflation has created the contemporary glut of four stars, including Petraeus.
David Petraeus gloried in wearing every token of service on his chest, including presumably the good conduct ribbon. Or maybe not! The good conduct medal only goes to grunts, not officers. Clearly, the good conduct award should hereafter be a badge of misplaced military expectations.
Nonetheless; the US Army, West Point, and officers like Petraeus continue to pay lip service to traditional military values and ethics like "duty, honor, and country." The second imperative seems to have been honored in breach by the former ISAF commander. It's hard to believe, as it was with Bill Clinton, that Paula Broadwell was a "one off."
Or maybe the West Point honor oath is more relevant: "a cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal; or tolerate those who do." Ironically, cheating on your wife seems to be a moral misdemeanor in the Army; while cheating on your trigonometry quiz could lead to dismissal. Alas, Cadet David gets the hat trick here. On the larceny count, Petraeus stole reputation from both sides of his family. His wife Holly is the daughter of a former West Point commandant.
Read much more:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/...#ixzz2CM79Esqd
And to hear General Petraeus break forth in song, click here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSGWoXDFM64