I posted this in our local Opinion Section of the Idaho Press Tribune today:

 

Give Patraeus credit for his honesty 

 

   This week in politics, there was a ray of sunshine. The head of the CIA, David Patraeus, resigned. Not because he was a bad guy sharing secrets with the enemy, not because he was lying to Congress, not because he was a traitor to our country, but because he crossed an imaginary ethical line; he had an affair while he was married. An affair!

• Wait a minute. If everyone in a position of power resigned because they admitted to or have been accused of an affair?   No President Eisenhower, FDR, Jack Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Bill Clinton. In fact, check this list of those accused of scandals:   
• Robert Decheine, chief of staff to Rep. 
• Steve Rothman     
• Herman Cain, political candidate for the presidency, sexual harassment.  
• David WU, unwanted sexual advances. 
• Anthony Weiner, photos of his … you know what. 
• Chris Lee: another photo buff. 
• Eric Massa: groping male staffers.
• Tom Ganley: sexual imposition. And that’s just this year! 

From 2000 to 2009 there were 19 cases including such well-known folks as John Edwards, Larry Craig, Mark Foley and Strom Thurman. Before that, of course, many many other alleged errors in ethical judgment in the sex area including one president and one speaker of the house. General Patraeus shows us that there are still some honorable people in government. Some would say he should never have had the affair in the first place, but I would counter with the old saw “glass houses” or “cast the first stone.”
     The general did a wrong thing, and he stood up and said, “I did it. I take full responsibility for it. Let me resign because of it.” How many other philanderers out there would do the same?    Thank you, general, for your honesty, if not integrity.    n John Belville, Nampa