Thursday, July 2, 2009

Character matters, regardless of party

Another politician has been caught with his pants down--literally--and it’s becoming tiresome. South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford is the latest to think the grass is greener on the other side of fidelity. So, instead of exploring a run at the 2012 Republican presidential nomination he’ll be playing pinochle with John Edwards, Elliot Spitzer and David Vitter.

However, Sanford’s adultery isn’t the prime reason to dismiss his political viability. Even the staunchest of evangelicals knows that an affair doesn’t necessarily prevent someone from fulfilling a governmental obligation. Look at Israel’s King David.

David committed adultery with Bathsheba. He then manipulated his subordinates in a failed attempt to conceal his transgression. Eventually, his deceptions would have Bathsheba’s husband eliminated.

Talk about political intrigue. It seems our apples aren’t falling far from an age-old tree. Yet David retained his throne and to this day remains one of Israel’s most revered leaders.

It’s up to South Carolinians, the Sanford family and Sanford himself to determine his fate as governor. Neither the national media nor the main political parties should make that call. Even so, Sanford’s White House aspirations disappeared on a flight to Argentina, and not because of adultery alone.

Personal character does matter. It is indispensable in assessing presidential timber. Sanford’s indiscretions felled his tree. Beyond violating his wife, children and staff, Sanford violated his office. He vanished without properly delegating his authority or communicating his location. That’s selfish and irresponsible.

Elected officials are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Sound harsh? Not at all. Thomas Jefferson once said, “When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself as public property.” Contemporary politicos may argue with that point, but I’ll side with Jefferson.

Mark Sanford may be a private person. But Gov. Sanford is public property and he owed South Carolina better than he gave.

However, a word to the wise is in order. Democrats should tread lightly in using Sanford’s infidelity as a political tool. They’ll only end up with egg on their faces.

Bill Clinton had numerous affairs while Governor of Arkansas. Yet Democrats defended him to the White House and beyond. It was all about sex, if you’ll recall, and everyone lies about sex. Thus Democrats have no case against Sanford’s adultery. They must either defend his infidelity as irrelevant, like they did Clinton’s, or admit that adultery matters to them only when it’s politically advantageous.

Conservatives do believe that Sanford’s unfaithfulness--to both his wife and the governorship--matters. We’re not ready to sweep it away for convenience’s sake. Yet it’s disappointing to see his star flame out, not just for him but for the republic overall. He’s one of the few governors who properly understands the relationship between the states and the federal government.

Most governors grovel for federal funds, even though all federal funding is taken from their states to begin with. And they’ll gladly accept any federal diktat to get their paws on the money. Sanford correctly recognized that the “stimulus” money Washington promised had rightly belonged to his state first and could be used as the state saw fit. It is the proper federal-state relationship, and few there are with the guts to support it. That’s why Sanford was a rising conservative star. Not anymore.

For conservatism to regain its popularity, which the GOP has effectively squandered, its proponents must remain consistent. We didn’t excuse Bill Clinton, Jim McGreevy, Elliot Spitzer, or John Edwards. All were exposed and examined. Sanford is no exception regardless of whether or not he remains in office.

If we don’t demand character in our public officials it indicates a lack of character in our private lives. We shouldn’t excuse politicians who dishonor their office. And if we learn nothing else from all this philandering we should learn this: we cannot and should not look to politicians--who can’t even keep their pants up--to solve our problems.

We’re all human and humans fail. But it’s high time we established character as a prerequisite for public office. It’s high time we make it a part of our lives, too.

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