Friday, Nov. 16, 2012 | 2:01 a.m.
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There is much hue and cry from politicians and pundits that David Petraeus has done the “honorable” thing by resigning. That characterization flies in the face of the concept of honor.
Even Petraeus taught subordinates that honor and integrity are characterized by what one does when no one is looking. He failed to walk his walk. When no one was looking, he cheated on his wife and owned up to it only when it was destined to become public.
He did the right thing by resigning. However, doing the right thing is not equivalent to doing the honorable thing.
The honorable thing would have been to not have an affair in the first place. It would have been to resign when he started the affair. Certainly he is a smart, capable, outstanding commander and should continue to get credit and our appreciation for that. But honor? No. The affair is without honor.
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