Petraeus blames dehydration for temporary illness

General David Petraeus, Commander of US Central Command, has blamed dehydration for his "temporary illness" because of which he had to be ushered out of a Senate hearing for a short time on Tuesday.

General David Petraeus, Commander of US Central Command, has blamed dehydration for his "temporary illness" because of which he had to be ushered out of a Senate hearing for a short time on Tuesday.

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Petraeus and Michele Flournoy, undersecretary of defense for policy, were testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee about military operations in Afghanistan when he suddenly became lightheaded and had to be ushered from the hearing room.

The General returned about a half hour later, telling the Senators he felt better after drinking several glasses of water and eating a banana.

"I was just dehydrated," he said, joking that his temporary illness had nothing to do with the senators' questioning.

Petraeus offered to continue the session, but the hearing was cancelled for the day and has been rescheduled for Wednesday.