Obviously, the Petraeus affair isn't the first controversy of its kind.
In presidential politics, there have been many notable scandals – Watergate, Iran-Contra, Monica Lewinsky – most of which are second-term scandals that follow convincing re-election victories.
Our own John Avlon has a new book out that explores how these scandals unfolded through influential newspaper columns at the time called Deadline Artists: Scandals, Tragedies, and Triumphs.
"If you're Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, and your marriage is breaking up - that's an awful thing. But to see that speculation in people, it's gotta sting a little bit." (Chappelle)