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General Petraeus Scandal Worthy of Greek Tragedy — But Is He Icarus or Narcissus?

Nov. 14, 2012 3:08pm

Before joining the Blaze, Buck served as an officer in the Central Intelligence Agency, assigned to the Counterterrorism Center and Office of Iraq Analysis. He […]

Before joining the Blaze, Buck served as an officer in the Central Intelligence Agency, assigned to the Counterterrorism Center and Office of Iraq Analysis. He also served as an analyst for the NYPD Intelligence Division. He has field experience in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. Buck has a B.A. in Political Science from Amherst College. He is a native of New York City, where he currently resides.

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buck@theblaze.com

Photo Credit: AP

Two four-star generals, a shirtless FBI agent, socialite twins, and a biographer apparently driven mad by obsession — that’s where we are today in the General Petraeus scandal. But while the media gleefully wades into the salacious wreckage of personal lives and careers, they are missing the much more important lessons about government power and accountability.

The Petraeus affair is indeed a Greek tragedy, but is it Icarus or Narcissus?

Stay with me, this is not an idle comparison. Perhaps in part because his name sounds Greek (actually Germanic-Dutch origin), the Petraeus affair has drawn its fair share of “Greek Tragedy” headlines. The literati overuse the term, but if applied with more precision, ancient Greek Myths can illuminate some truth behind the increasingly bizarre and brazen Petraeus fiasco.

First we have Icarus, son of genius inventor Daedalus, who was imprisoned on the Island of Crete by King Minos. To escape, Daedalus invented wings, held together with wax, and warned his son not to fly too close to the sun. The son, in a fit of hubris, went too high in the sky, the heat melted his wings, and he drowned.

This timeless tale of hubris is probably closest to the media narrative of General Petraeus. With his tremendously successful career in military and government service, Petraeus was hailed in the media as the true warrior-scholar. The dominant narrative is that his fall from grace resulted from the human failings we all share. Essentially, anybody can make a mistake and be overtaken by hubris for a moment. Right?

Ah, but there is another tale, more known for the word it leaves us than the fable it passed down—that of Narcissus. He was a hunter so taken in with his own beauty, he falls in love with his own reflection in a pool of water and stares at it until he falls in and drowns.

This gives us the term narcissist, and if you want to understand what brought General Petraeus low, this is the place to start: narcissism.

Many shy away from anecdotal attacks on reputation, particularly of a highly touted Four Star General. But “King David” Petraeus, as he was known during his command in Iraq, had a reputation for imperiousness and an impeccably high self-regard. You were either with him or against him, and being against was not good for your own career aspirations.

Petraeus’s handling of the media is the stuff of legend. This reached points of hagiography before word of the Broadwell affair broke. Until that bombshell landed, Petraeus was given the lion’s share of credit for turning around the Iraq War and bringing some modicum of stability to Mesopotamia with the surge.

This should have raised more eyebrows than it did. Credit for the success of the Iraq surge belongs to the hundreds of thousands of enlisted, non-commissioned and officers on the ground who risked or lost their lives, were away from loved ones, and honored America with their bravery and sacrifice. Generals may receive more applause—and at times more blame—than they deserve, but in the case of Petraeus, this disparity reached new heights.

And we haven’t yet touched upon the more recent revelations of narcissistic inclinations. Why would anyone running a secret intelligence agency think it appropriate to have close and continuing contact with a biographer while still on the job? Why did Petraeus take the CIA Director position if he was compromised? He could have retired from the military and sorted out his private life. Government service is not a permanent prison.

But alas, the narcissistic mind believes one is needed—even essential— and therefore irreplaceable. Petraeus thought he was the best and only man for the job. That the sort of unethical conduct we have seen from General Petraeus—and now perhaps General Allen—would likely end the careers of those lower on the bureaucratic scales in either the military or CIA tells the whole tale.

There may be much more to the Petraeus scandal than we yet know, and the political intrigue is already growing thick. But from the facts that have already been established, we can see General Petraeus as another powerful, self-deluding government official who began to think the rules did not apply to him. And he was wrong.

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Comments (17)

RevRiles
Posted on November 23, 2012 at 6:42pm
I am tired of our leaders getting power (and then dropping their pants!)

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PeterB.
Posted on November 18, 2012 at 11:37am
More like Nero Burning down the U.S

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larmijo
Posted on November 15, 2012 at 6:58pm
Great article, Buck. Gen. Petraeus does seem to be in love with himself and therefore “above the law” (like some others in the White House). He also, as he said, used extremely poor judgement and rightfully resigned. My issue is, because of this blemish, he was used by the White House to lie and be the fall guy for their massive, ever-growing cover up. This is even worse, IMO. I can only hope that now that he has been used and is no longer serving, he will tell the real story about Benghazi regardless of how it may damage the administration’s reputation.

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gbrules
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 11:56pm
yet another great piece from Buck. Petraeus is indeed Narcissus

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lauslausdeo
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 5:44pm
Gen. Petraeus’ resignation and his testimony tomorrow are either acts of cowardice or acts of contrition. I hope that before testifying tomorrow, Petraeus thinks long and hard about the Administration he has gotten in bed with. I hope he thinks long and hard about the murdered Americans in service to their country, who were abandoned by this Administration. To cover up their own failure and folly, this Administration didn’t hesitate to use Petraeus’ failings and folly against him as their latest firewall of protection. In recognizing too late his own expendability, I hope Petraeus truly thinks about our troops and how the Administration cavalierly uses them as faceless, expendable pawns in a frightening, farcical, and fatal foreign policy. When Petraeus thinks about where the truth and his true allegiance lies, I also hope he considers the slipshod treatment our troops have received of even their right to vote. If Petraeus is a true soldier and a leader worthy of our troops, he will toss aside the White House covers, get out of that bed he has made, and tell the whole truth– consequences be damned! Whether Petraeus’ flaws are hubris or narcissim, the only path of redemption for him is the humility and self-sacrifice of a full admission.

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leonardo44
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 4:49pm
Clearly the public image of this man did not match reality. And you sure are not going to get the truth about Petraeus reading that biography written by his mistress, Paula Broadwell..unbelievable. And then Broadwell goes around promoting the book touting their “close relationship”, What a circus! It would be comical if there were not four dead americans as a result of the attack on our consulate and what now appears to be questionable statements made by a likely personally compromised Petraeus. Character is who you are and what you do when no one is looking. I have to agree with the premise that Petraeus being sworn in as CIA director knowing that he had a covert relationship that could erupt into scandal clearly puts him into the “dangerous narcissist” category, not what we need in our CIA directors.

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Luzmaria1
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 4:42pm
Most generals are political entities. This one has benefited too much from an adoring inside Washington press corps. When he took O’s CIA directorship, he told his story. Put him under oath, then take his pension. Let him take a job as a mall security guard. Anyone so lax deserves little more.

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- freenj
  Posted on November 14, 2012 at 5:18pm
  His pension is over $200K a year, and he is already collecting. Wonder what he was getting for top spy job? Nice pension money but it will not be touched.
  If he needed sex and companionship that bad he should have ordered some hookers.
  
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ranger549
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 3:52pm
Yeah . . . Pretty much all I have heard is what a wonderful general he is/was and how he turned Iraq around and the news media always shows him walking with all these aides around him as if he were King David . . . I’ve got news for The General . . . you are a liar, a cheat, a thief, and not trustworthy . . . Plain and simple . . . Remember, always . . . the secret is, there are no secrets. The Libya lies and mess and the killing of our men there all comes down to a hurtful, physical attraction that has done nothing but harm The General’s family and the nation as a whole. Sad, sad, sad.

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- neverending
  Posted on November 14, 2012 at 4:45pm
  You are joined by many in that conclusion. His wife and kids will be hurt the most and they do not deserve it.
  
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- RLTW
  Posted on November 14, 2012 at 5:46pm
  We deserve the general throwing himself of his sword and revealing the truth about Libya, I for one don’t care about what he and this admin have done to his credibility, I want him to spill his guts and suck up the consequences.
  
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DZ-015
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 3:50pm
I kind of see Petraeus as the warrior Odysseus who, after the Trojan War, takes the long way home. During his decade long journey, he falls under the spell of the nymph Calypso for several years.

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repairsea
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 3:45pm
He is more like Dumbassis.

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strawberry411a
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 3:33pm
Yes. Accolades belong to the combat soldiers on teh ground. Not the whore mongering desk bound Harvard grad with so many ribbons they don’t fit on his uniform. How did he get a Bronze star V for valor having never been in actual combat>?

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- Gourdy
  Posted on November 14, 2012 at 3:54pm
  I disagree with you. I think that any soldier who volunteers is to be commended. In addition to combat soldiers there are whole lot of support and logistical military members.
  
  Petraeus screwed up royally, but I don’t think that negates his total service to America.
  
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Gourdy
Posted on November 14, 2012 at 3:32pm
I think this is a bit overwrought! The fact is, a lot of men down on the poor and anonymous end of the social spectrum also cheat on their wives — it is a personal tragedy for the spouses and children they hurt. General Petraeus’ biggest mistake was thinking that this wouldn’t have eventually become a national story. I don’t think the fact that a man cheated with another woman is such a shock.

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- blackstone22
  Posted on November 14, 2012 at 8:52pm
  Most people who cheat on their wives don’t have their mistress write their biography and then have her appear on every major t.v. show talking about their “close relationship” all the while the Petraeus is head of the CIA. Don’t whitewash this, it’s a question of honor, duty and integrity. Don’t drop your standards just because the left has.
  
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