Editorial: 'Petraeus-gate' distracts us from real threats

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http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/15/4986932/petraeus-gate-distracts-us-from.html


Editorial: 'Petraeus-gate' distracts us from real threats
By the Editorial Board
Published: Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 - 12:00 am

The sordid blowup over Gen. David Petraeus' affair and resignation from the CIA could not come at a worse time for the U.S. national security apparatus.

The civil war in Syria is spilling over into Turkey and Lebanon, creating the potential for a wider regional conflict.

If that weren't enough, Israel launched a massive set of strikes on Gaza on Wednesday, killing the military commander of Hamas. Those strikes are sure to spur further retaliatory violence from Hamas, while emboldening extremists in Egypt and other neighboring countries.

Along with pulling the country back from the "fiscal cliff," Congress and the administration should be fully focused on the volatile Middle East and other hot spots, such as Iran, Pakistan and the East China Sea, where Japan and China remain in a standoff over disputed territory. Instead of pulling together, Washington is turning a molehill of a sexual scandal into a mountain of innuendo and overblown claims.