When it comes to the affairs of public officials, I like to take the French approach to such things…

[MrScorpio]

Blasé disinterest.

It's human nature, especially for men in power positions to have the occasional dalliance or two. C'est la vie! It would be naïve to think otherwise.

Now obviously in matters of national security a comme ci, comme ça approach would be inappropriate, so aside from the sexual infidelities to consider… We are talking about a man who was the Director of the CIA, ne-c'est pas? We should ask ourselves and all the parties involved, how has this harmed the nation?

I'd rather we stay focused on the salient aspects of national security interests, rather than on any prurience going on in either of their boudoirs.

So, I'm going to resist being prudish towards those two, by saying, "Ou la la, you shouldn't have broken your vows because you wanted to share la petite mort with each other." But I will say about the mishandling of classified data, “C’est vraiment des conneries! You both should have thought about the nation's security FIRST and FOREMOST.”

So sex, non and security, oui!

We should stay focused on the important things, Mes Amis, not this childishly titillating merde.

[ZombieHorde]

1. I generally agree, but there can a potential for blackmail in some cases. nt

[JVS]

2. I think our public officials are of such low quality that I'm disinclined to tolerate any infraction

If they were competent and generally interested in serving the public interest, I might feel otherwise. But we have such a collection of shitheel careerists who make a farce out of the term public service that I really feel that justice is better served by letting them all get crucified for anything, even if it were something as small as littering.

[ZombieHorde]

6. An interesting point. nt

[Canuckistanian]

3. Je suis d'accord

I don't think this "scandal" rises to the level of a security threat to the nation.

And for those who scream "blackmail", remember.. no foreign agents have been implicated or even mentioned here. This is all internal politics.

Petraeus may have been a horndog, but he is NOT, nor has he ever been an existential threat to America.

This fact seems have been lost in all the "moral outrage" against him.

[ZombieHorde]

7. True, but I think the concern is valid in many cases.

There is absolutely no evidence of black mail, or any legal wrong doing, but people in high security positions should probably keep themselves "clean."

[seabeyond]

4. that would be dsk... ? rah. nt

[babylonsister]

5. Vraiment! nt