(CNN) -- The unexpected resignation of David Petraeus as head of the CIA must have come as a shock to many Americans, especially given his impeccable record as a distinguished military commander. But like the greatest heroes from Shakespeare, it would appear that he was not exempt from the time-honored temptations of human folly and self-destruction. And now the plot is thickening, as details emerge that Gen. John Allen, the commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, is involved somehow in the scandal. As Americans are coming to terms with the revelation of Petraeus' adultery, on the other side of the Atlantic, the feeling among the French can be summed up by a blasÃ© shrug.
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Matthew Fraser: The French don't see what's all the fuss is in the Petraeus scandal
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Fraser: It's impossible to imagine a French leader resigning because of adultery
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He says the French are baffled at American prurience and "puritanism"
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Fraser: In France, politicians can betray spouse without being suspected of screwing voters
In other words, while the Petraeus scandal may indeed be a legitimate affair of state because of the sensitivity of his position at the summit of the @placeholder, what really interests Americans are the juicy details of the four-star Army general's sexual conquest.