Minding Other People's Business

For some reason, The Powers That Be have determined that the sex life of the CIA chief is directly related to our national security. David Petraeus offered his resignation after the FBI unraveled the awful truth: The once-esteemed, many-starred General had been naked with someone not his wife. More than once. And they sent each other dirty emails, which right away signals a cyber crime, which is worse than just a regular crime. There were breaches and pseudonyms. Things were explicit.

This shocking news is detailed in an over-the-fold report on page 1 of today's Wall Street Journal. Investigations now abound, with lots of old men in uniforms reading through the salacious material and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the "top Democrat on intelligence issues," getting off on the details, since one can assume she has no such nefarious skeletons in her own matronly closet. She has gone on record as saying she is "frustrated she wasn't told earlier" about the affair, and is pissed that the FBI knew about it months before she did. (Not fair!)

The whole thing reminds me of some other sex stories that have titillated the public: John Edwards and his love child, Bill Clinton and his intern, Anthony Weiner and his weiner. What I wonder is, why does anyone care? How broken and empty are we that the lives of others are more compelling than our own? And what about those folks on Staten Island, who are still without power two full weeks after superstorm Sandy?