“I hope I don’t get killed by the studio for giving too much away,” Sorkin said, “but this entire movie is going to be three scenes, and three scenes only, that all take place in real time.”

Knowing as little as I do now, which is very little, what I see on the news, read in the paper, I think it’s a great example. Gen Petraeus plainly is a hero in the classic definition—not mine—a physical hero. He puts himself in harm’s way, he’s led men, won battles, protected us. But in a Shakespearean twist, he made a terrible mistake. He made a very human mistake. That is what at least in the short-term he’ll be known for. There’s some evidence that people who have done that can be rehabilitated [ed: cites Bill Clinton], so frankly it’s a story I would love to take on. Unfortunately season 2 of The Newsroom, which began shooting this week, our timeline literally ends the day before the Petraeus story broke, and I can’t include it. Otherwise, I would go there.

Aaron Sorkin when asked by Tina Brown how he would create the character of General Petraeus—and if he’ll cover the scandal on Newsroom. (Spoiler: He won’t.)