the reason i compare him to matthew ridgway was that ridgway was in the korean war who did exactly that same sort of thing, but is gotten by the specialist, who read books like mine. >> did the paula broadwell book that came out about general petraeus, did you like that as a historian? >> i -- i had introduced paula, actually, to my book editor. i knew there were a lot of people who say they have a book in mind, and i say here, talk to my editor. i did blurb it, and i wrote something like this is a unique view of general petraeus. it feels like we're reading his e-mails. it's come back to haunt me. >>. >> i've been talking about it a lot this week, but on the theory of the general or political leader's sex life should be immaterial unless it affects his job. the converse argument is if he's got enough time to conduct a clandestine affair can he dedicate himself to the job at hand, what do you think of that? >> what i think is that spies are probably like soldiers. >> they're not really going to concern ems thises with the private life of a commander. what soldiers want in battle in a wa

matthew ridgway, another great general, in the korean war, he got a new wife for every war. he had affairs all over the place. so this is a new standard that is being applied somehow. i just wish, what i say in the book is don't fire people for personal indiscretions for what the military calls zipper problems. fire them for not being good at their jobs. that's the standard. >> here is what we're hearing, thomas. he wasn't fired. he resigned. >> exactly. >> why did he resign? >> i think out of a deep sense of personal disgrace, a personal honor that he had done the wrong thing, and now in a kind of samurai warrior-like way, he had to correct it. i think president obama should have said hey, fellow, you slipped up. david petraeus, guess what, you're a human being. now get back to work. i think that would have been the more presidential thing to do. >> what is the impact on all of this in the intelligence community and the military? >> david petraeus was always kind of an outlier in the military. the army didn't like him. they always seemed to sort of being someone different f