Barbara Walters revealed Gen. David Petraeus as her pick for "Most Fascinating Person of The Year."
Walters said that Petraeus held the same spot on her list just two years ago for his military service, but was selected this year due to the scandal surrounding his extramarital affair.
"Gen. David Petraeus was not chosen this year for his war record, or his exemplary service to his country. This is about military honor, colliding with sex and lies in the digital age," Walters said.
Petraeus resigned as head of the CIA, citing an extramarital affair, one week after the November election. The press learned that Petraeus was having an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. The story continued to unfold, becoming more and more complex as new characters were introduced and additional lies uncovered.
"The story was irresistible," Walters said. "The keeper of the nation's secrets unable to conceal his own." She later added, "Still it was hard to understand how a man like [Petraeus] could fall so far from grace ... The contradictions in his character and his career are a reminder that no one, however powerful, is free of human frailty or immune to reversals of fortune. And that for us makes David Petraeus the most fascinating person of 2012."
Walters picked Apple founder Steve Jobs as her "most fascinating person" of 2011.
Related
Before You Go
