President Lacks Character

by C.J. Carnacchio

There was a time when presidents were thought of paragons of virtue and integrity. The mention of the White House brought to mind thoughts of George Washington who could not lie about that fallen cherry tree or Honest Abe Lincoln. Today, many would say that this is just naive thinking, but there was a time when the president was looked to for not only national leadership but also moral leadership. Now when children ask their parents about the president they say, "Mommy, what's oral sex?"

It is truly troubling how many Americans are willing to dismiss President Clinton's martial fidelity as a private matter that does not affect his ability to govern. The true measure of a leader, as George Bush and Bob Dole failed to impress upon the electorate, is his character. A man's character, whether it be in private or public matters, says a lot about him as a person and a leader.

A man who is willing to lie or cheat in his private affairs will have no difficulty doing the same in public matters. President Clinton has broken his marital vows, the most sacred of all covenants, before. He finally admitted, in one of his recent depositions, that he did indeed have an affair with Gennifer Flowers. If he is willing to lie and cheat on his wife, the woman he pledged his life and fidelity to, what is to stop him from lying to the American people? While it is true that no one is perfect and we all have fallen far from grace, should we not expect more from the man we charge with the security of our nation?

The fault for the disgraceful state of the executive branch lies not only with President Clinton but also with the American public itself. If we had a king who was an immoral lout, we could easily place the blame for the disgrace he brought to the monarchy square upon his shoulders. But this is not a monarchy, it is a democratic republic. The man who occupies the Oval Office is a direct reflection of the American people and what a sad and ugly reflection it is.

To many Americans, words like character and dignity are just that, words. It seems that as long as the people have their gross animal needs satisfied, they could care less about the character of the man who has sworn to defend the Constitution. But it must be remembered that no matter how economically prosperous a nation is, when morality has been cast aside, no nation will stand for very long. A sound financial base is of little help when the bank of morality is empty. The Roman Empire proved that. Shall Nero warm up his fiddle for our fall as well?

The president should be a man who commands respect and governs with a certain quiet dignity. Leadership demands someone who is better than the rest of us, not someone who exemplifies the worst in us. President Clinton does not even possess the character to manage a McDonald's much less be the president. God bless America? No. God help America. MR

This article was published in the 11 March 1998 edition of The Michigan Review (Volume 16, Number 8).
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