Embattled Gen. John Allen should not be forced from command or have his postwar recommendations for Afghanistan be second-guessed on Capitol Hill, due to his alledged involvement in the growing sex scandal surrounding former CIA Director David Petraeus. 

Read more...

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday that she sees no security threat in the scandal surrounding former CIA Director David Petraeus.

The California Democrat emphasized that she still wants to know why lawmakers were not told sooner of the FBI investigation that uncovered the extramarital affair that led Petraeus to resign on Friday. But those concerns are less serious, she said, than any surrounding national security threats.

"I don't have any reason to think that there are any national security issues at stake in what has transpired," Pelosi told reporters in the Capitol on Congress's first day back in Washington after a seven-week recess.

"We have to find out who, what, when and why would Congress [not have known]," she added. "But, again, if it doesn't involve national security, the notification requirement doesn't trigger. If it involves poor behavior, yeah, it would have been nice to know before we saw it on TV."
Read more...

The former four-star general who led U.S. forces in Africa has been knocked down to three stars and ordered to repay thousands of dollars in unauthorized DOD spending, according to recent reports.  

Carney said Obama was “certainly surprised” to learn of the Petraeus affair two days after his reelection.

U.S. commanders in Afghanistan are close to finalizing their postwar recommendations for American forces in Afghanistan, with those troop numbers due to the White House "within the next few weeks," according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. 

The show must go on without Gen. John Allen.

The Senate Armed Services Committee said that Thursday’s confirmation hearing will be held as scheduled — but only Gen. Joseph Dunford’s nomination will be considered.

Allen and Dunford were both expected to testify at the confirmation hearing for Allen’s nomination to become NATO Supreme Allied Commander-Europe and head of U.S. European Command and Dunford’s promotion to replace Allen as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

The Defense secretary is considered to be among the senior Obama administration officials who will depart the administration in 2013.

Allen is under investigation for “potentially inappropriate” communications with the woman who sparked the inquiry leading to Petraeus's resignation.

Kerry is said to have been gunning instead for the position of Secretary of State, to replace retiring Hilary Clinton.