In the wake of David Petraeus' resignation as CIA director -- and the extramarital affair that precipitated it -- the press has been engaged in a great deal of soul-searching about its role in burnishing the general's formidable legacy in the years since he appeared on a 2004 cover of Newsweek alongside the question, "Can This Man Save Iraq?"
"Like many in the press, nearly every national politician, and lots of members of Petraeus' brain trust over the years, I played a role in the creation of the legend around David Petraeus," Wired's Spencer Ackerman reflected over the weekend. "The biggest irony surrounding Petraeus' unexpected downfall is that he became a casualty of the very publicity machine he cultivated to portray him as superhuman."
Yes, Petraeus received remarkably favorable reviews from the press and from politicians on both sides of the aisle -- particularly after spearheading the 2007 U.S. troop surge in Iraq and revamping and reviving the military's counterinsurgency doctrine. But when it came to his handling of Iraq, Afghanistan, and the media, Petraeus had his detractors as well. In case you missed it amid the admiring coverage of the former four-star general in recent years, here's a look at what some of his most vocal critics had to say.
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