Sunday, November 25, 2012

Petraeus, the comeback general. He may benefit from the Bill Clinton rule.

Los Angeles Times ^ | 11/25/2012 | Doyle McManus

Gen. David H. Petraeus, long the most famous overachiever in the U.S. Army, is already on his way to a new career distinction: breaking the land speed record for rehabilitation from a scandal.
It was only two weeks ago that Petraeus resigned from his job as director of the CIA after it became clear that his affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, couldn't be kept under wraps.
The dust hasn't settled yet on the chaos kicked up by the FBI's discovery of the affair, touched off by Broadwell's jealousy of another woman who liked men in uniform. Did Petraeus allow Broadwell to put unauthorized hands on classified information? Did the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. John Allen, say anything indiscreet in emails to Tampa socialite Jill Kelley? Does the shirtless FBI agent get away scot-free? And did all this madcap socializing affect anyone's performance on their day jobs?
Never mind. We're a fast-moving society — and, it appears, a forgiving one. At home in suburban Virginia, Petraeus is no doubt still making amends to his high-achieving wife. But in the larger world, the retired general is already contending with an avalanche of opportunities for his next big job.
He's had offers to teach from at least four universities and had conversations about seats on corporate boards. He's thinking about giving speeches, writing a book on leadership or even becoming a talking head on television.
And that's not all.
"Down the road, a return to public service isn't out of the question," a friend who talked with Petraeus told me last week. Not as an elected politician but as a potential Cabinet officer in a future administration.
"He just doesn't see himself as a politician," the friend said.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...

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