Hasn't He Suffered Enough?..No.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

The biggest failure of the Obama administration has been on civil liberties; in particular the prosecution of leakers.   Pvt. Chelsea Manning is rotting in jail, Edward Snowden is in exile, and former CIA agent and torture whistle blower John Kiriakou spent 30 months in jail.  So what happens when former CIA director and four star general David Petraeus allegedly leaks classified information to his biographer with whom he was having an affair?  Senators from both sides of the isle come to his defense.

The Justice Department has recommended filing charges against Petraeus and it is yet to be seen whether they will follow through.  My feeling is that even if the Justice Department does pursue charges, Petraeus will be let off with a slap on the wrist.  "It's done, it's over. He's retired. He's lost his job," according to Sen. Diane Feinstein.

While it's true that Petraeus has lost his job, he managed to quickly replace it with a far more lucrative speaking tour.  In all likelihood, after Petraeus is convicted, he will follow the lead of other convicted felons Col. Oliver North, G. Gordon Liddy, and former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik and become a media contributor, likely on Fox News.

I don't think Petraeus' crimes are really that serious in the grand scheme of things, but there are plenty of lower level government employees rotting in jail for less. If and when these low level employees get out, they won't have nearly as good a life.  If we are a society that functions by the rule of law, then Petraeus must be held to the same standard that we hold lower level employees too.  Petraeus, after all, is a General and former CIA Director.  If anyone should know better, it should be him.


Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/11/politics/senators-defend-petraeus/index.html