How the Mighty Have Fallen

             Every time I’ve seen a picture of Gen Petraeus in uniform, I have been dazzled by his amazing display of military decorations. My heart swells to think that someone could be a recipient of such acclaim and honor in our present day. His very presence has been a symbol of encouragement and hope for a nation which is being attacked on many fronts. Having been the top military man in Iraq and Afghanistan, and then CIA director, he exudes a sense of strength and confidence. Only God knows how much our citizens need such an example! We have been starved these days for genuine leadership in high places.

            Whatever his part in the recent hearings on the Benghazi embassy situation, the report of his affair with his female biographer is disturbing and demoralizing. The effect of the shockwaves is immeasurable. Not that anyone is throwing stones at the weakness of his humanity, but the fact of his supreme office as a top military commander demands top-flight integrity and honor. To whom much is given, much is required. Gen. Petraeus failed to stand in the line of personal duty, sending the wrong message to all his subordinates. Sin has deep and long range consequences, and it’s time to stop making excuses, especially for those in elevated positions.

            It’s somewhat refreshing to know that the General admitted his failure, and resigned his position. But in light of the secrecy surrounding the massacre of four American diplomats in Benghazi, there must be more to the story. Was the Petraeus scandal part of a blackmail plot to keep the general quiet? Just asking. Certainly his sex life shouldn’t be a problem, since under Clinton’s regime I thought it was determined that “sexcapades” had nothing to do with one’s job performance? Something doesn’t add up here, but that doesn’t nullify the disappointment and damage done to the general’s office, family, friends, subordinates, and country.

            But with all the political ramifications aside, let’s consider the heart of the matter. I was struck by Ret. Lt. Col. Ralph Peters’ piece in the New York Post called “General Failure.” As a high ranking officer, Col. Peters certainly puts things into proper perspective. While recognizing the “battles” regarding human weakness, Peters expresses his disappointment in Gen. Petraeus’ fall “for Miss Fatal Attraction 2012;” but what really made him angry was the general’s hypocrisy.

            “Petraeus preached a gospel of perfect virtue—always a foolish move—and became another fallen televangelist,” says Peters.

            He goes on to say that Petraeus is just an example of an epidemic among senior officers who are being investigated for “misbehavior, double standards and outright criminal acts. Our nation’s military leadership is sick.”

            Peters criticizes the general’s desire to make himself a “media phenomenon,” which set him up for a publicized fall. This love of the spotlight, while not a crime, was an annoyance to his fellow officers; they saw a problem even beyond his sleazy affair with “a squirrley hustler on the make”—his “writer;” this might have been “written off” as an all-too-common mistake, but the known hypocrisy was his ultimate undoing.

            Gen. Petraeus held himself up as a “paragon of self-discipline and model family man.” He rigorously enforced “General Order No. 1,” which prohibits our troops from “fraternization, all sex, alcohol consumption, the possession of pornography,” and any other activities that would make the price of war more bearable. Troops that screwed up were beat up! Meanwhile, generals could weekend in Paris and “get drunk (as Gen. Stanley McChrystal did), but the grunt who goofs in a firefight faces court-martial.”

            Whatever the excuses, Petraeus had to go, for he was the one who insisted that “leaders set the example.” And so it should be. But what about “Commander-in-Chief” Bill Clinton, who dipped the banner of integrity in the proverbial mud?  What message did he send to his subordinates and the American people? His in-office escapades certainly had a profound effect upon our nation’s young people, who expanded their definition and practice of “sexual relations.” Not only was he not removed, he remains a “hero” in the present regime. What’s happened to us? Has sin and immorality become passé? Has wrong become right? Are presidents and generals now above the law?

            Col. Peters also mentions Gen. John Allen, Petraeus’ successor in Afghanistan, who is also involved in the present Benghazi fiasco. The FBI uncovered a great number of Allen’s flirtatious e-mails to socialite Jill Kelley, who hosted events at the U.S. Central Command in Tampa, where both Allen and Petraeus worked. Allen is also a married man. This doesn’t sit well for the top-dog commander who’s supposed to be running a war!

            Added to that scenario, are the excessive sex violations committed by Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair, former deputy commander of the 82^nd Airborne; his offenses include a number of malicious sex crimes. Not to mention four-star Gen. William “Kip” Ward, former head of the Africa Command. He is about to lose a star and pay a fine of $82,000 for cheating on government travel. Peters remarks, “had Sgt. Peters done that, I would have gotten a dishonorable discharge and, probably, jail time.”

            What’s even worse are the many in and out of the military that condone such conduct, and take issue with any form of repercussion or punishment. There is clearly a crisis of ethics and morality atop the military, but that has filtered down throughout our society at large. The sense of entitlement has blinded the sense of duty, honor, and country. This is a heart issue that has affected those in every aspect of leadership; not only generals and presidents, but congressmen, judges, law officers, principals, teachers, and parents.

            The 14^th Century English poet Chaucer once said, “If gold rusts, what will iron do?” If there’s corruption in the leadership, what can be expected from those who follow? These problems have always existed in human history, but the growing epidemic of immorality and crime in our land is distressing. The removal of God, prayer and the Bible from our public life has undoubtedly had profound bearing on our present state of affairs.

            Yes, the mighty are falling, but does anyone care? Who will rise up to fill the vacant ranks with peerless character, wisdom, and personal integrity?