Roger Ailes asked David Petraeus to run for president: What it says about Fox News

Just imagine the furor that would erupt if the head of another news organization was caught recruiting presidential candidates

Gen. David Petraeus in Afghanistan on July 7, 2011
(Image credit: Omid/Xinhua Press/Corbis)

David Petraeus, the former head of the CIA, undoubtedly has a few regrets in life, including the fateful decision to pursue an extramarital affair that ultimately cost him his job and stained his reputation. On the other hand, he's probably pretty happy that he decided not to run for president; the consequences of an adultery scandal during a major political campaign would have been exponentially worse. Still, if Fox News chief Roger Ailes had had his way, says Bob Woodward at The Washington Post, Petraeus would have joined the 2012 race:

Ailes asked a Fox News analyst headed to Afghanistan to pass on his thoughts to Petraeus, who was then the commander of U.S. and coalition forces there. Petraeus, Ailes advised, should turn down an expected offer from President Obama to become CIA director and accept nothing less than the chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the top military post. If Obama did not offer the Joint Chiefs post, Petraeus should resign from the military and run for president, Ailes suggested.

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Ryu Spaeth

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.