When Colin Powell died recently, people around the world paid tribute to one of America’s most honored statesmen. Powell had served our country his entire life and it was gratifying that so many people recognized what an honorable man he was.
Although he was lauded for his military and diplomatic skills and praised for his service as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and Secretary of State, it seemed to be his exemplary character that appealed to everyone the most. Powell demonstrated perfectly that character counts. He earned international respect because he treated others with respect, and served both Republican and Democratic presidents equally well.
He had one costly mistake. Although he was originally against invading Iraq, he eventually went along with the decision to go to war. He told the UN Security Council it was necessary for the U.S. to invade Iraq because Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, and he then bore the brunt of criticism when no weapons were ever found. Powell deeply regretted his role in invading Iraq and publicly apologized for relying on faulty intelligence. He accepted the fact his UN speech permanently harmed his reputation.
We’ve had many leaders who served their country with honor, but there are others who did not. There are also examples throughout our history of presidents who have not been honorable. We witnessed Richard Nixon’s crimes as president. The good he had accomplished, especially in foreign affairs, was overshadowed by his compulsion to control everything. His behind-the-scenes conduct went against every tenet of his Quaker religion but until Watergate, the public had little awareness of who the man really was.
Before he was elected president, Bill Clinton had a good reputation as a master politician that had survived his bad reputation as a womanizer. However, his impeachment because of his misconduct with a young intern in the White House forever tarnished his presidency. The Trump presidency likewise will go down in history marred by two impeachments, nepotism and incompetence, failure to deal effectively with the pandemic and his unconstitutional attempt to overturn the election.
Lessons learned from these scandals demonstrate how essential it is to be objective about the politicians we support. As a young student of politics, one of my heroes was John F. Kennedy. It was disappointing to learn later about his conduct in the White House that was revealed long after his death. Apparently, the press was aware of his serial extramarital activities, but never made it public. We can be thankful there’s no such inclination on the part of the press today.
History has proven time and again how important it is for political figures to be of good character. They should have strong values that guide their policies and actions, both before and during their time in office. This is what makes it so troubling that many in politics today lack good values. Some of them seem to have come from the bottom of the barrel. They are making headlines for a variety of transgressions, yet their misconduct is often ignored. Even more troubling is their behavior is often reinforced by both their supporters and leaders.
Bad behavior and incendiary language have become so commonplace among today’s politicians and their supporters, we are becoming immune to it. Political extremists feel free to repeat and retweet vulgar, disrespectful jokes and memes at will. Twitter is awash with characters who reside in a world of insults and conspiracies, relying on social media for their information and expressing nothing but contempt for democratic values.
We should expect leaders to be of good moral character, no matter who they are. Character really does count. We can’t accept leaders who don’t tell the truth. We shouldn’t tolerate leaders who cheat, whether it’s cheating on their spouse, taxes, financial dealings, or promises to the American people. It is mind boggling when leaders of such poor character are able to attract followers (and voters) willing to excuse their inexcusable flaws.
And how does it happen that deeply flawed politicians can have their sins ignored by the religious right, including some of the most prominent religious leaders in the country? Amazingly, there are even a few influential pastors who eagerly declare a corrupt politician to be a messenger sent by God.
That seems like an awful insult to God.