One More Reason Petraeus Might Have Resigned

Marc Ambinder of the The Week reports on an intriguing and little-known factor that may have contributed to David Petraeus' quick decision to resign: It seems Petraeus was on the list of people who would have access to the nation's nuclear codes should the rest of Washington be wiped out in an attack. And the people on that list are held to ultra-high standards under something called the Personnel Reliability Program. "Adultery is not a minor sin under the PRP rules," writes Ambinder.

It's all part of the nation's secret Continuity of Government plans in the wake of a catastrophe. Petraeus' "exalted" role in those plans might well have led national intelligence chief James Clapper to insist he step down as quickly as he did, writes Ambinder. Read the full post here. (More David Petraeus stories.)