I think Petraus is owned, perhaps for worse behaviors than the affair/classified security breach. He has turned so deep state, or, may be he always was, but something is strange among these military candidates from which Trump has to pick.
They can’t wait to be seriously considered, so they can spit in his eye after they reject him.
Not a gracious one among the lot. They are not content to reject the position quietly, they have to smear him as well.
I don’t know if I would be as hard on these men as you are being. They all put in 30+ years in the military working 60+ hours a week. Most of them have jobs that require half the effort, 1/10th of the heartburn, and pay many times what they would make in the administration. Some of them are enjoying “consulting” and having no second career. A few of them are enjoying grandchildren and vacation travel with their spouses who faithfully followed them with a moving van and a suitcase for decades.
They do not owe us anything so perhaps it is polite when a trial balloon is floated to simply say “no thanks” and move on. Just a simple point to consider. The rat race of D.C. is not that attractive to many of them and trust me - these guys put a lifetime of effort into three decades and the majority that I knew and know work harder than their subordinates.