Character Counts

by Bob Hostetler

I find myself in the strange position of agreeing with Washington State Congressman Jim McDermott. On at least one point.

McDermott, with fellow Democrats David Bonior (Michigan) and Mike Thompson (California), traveled to Iraq last week. Before taking this trip (paid for by whom? American taxpayers? Or Iraq?), McDermott told NBC's Today Show, claiming that "The President of the United States will lie to the American people in order to get us into this war." Once in Iraq, McDermott said pretty much the same thing to ABC's This Week, opining, "I think the president would mislead the American people," and adding, "You have to take the Iraqis on their face value." In other words, the congressman believes we must trust Saddam Hussein, not George W. Bush.

While that's an incredible position for a United States Congressman to take, McDermott is correct on one point: character really does count, in politics as in all of life. You may recall that, not long ago, McDermott and Bonior were of the opinion that character was irrelevant in politics; only a narrow definition of job performance mattered. This was, of course, during a different administration.

But McDermott and Bonior have apparently come around. They rightly recognize that character is key. And, while they take the odd position of preferring Saddam Hussein's character to George W. Bush's, they have at least identified the correct issue.

You see, despite many politicians' and pundits' cries for more (and more) evidence of Iraqi capabilities and intentions, no president or Congress can afford to reveal every piece or source of intelligence. Particularly these days, when military actions are debated and possible strategies are reported nightly on the news, a president who makes public too much intelligence surrenders yet another potential advantage to the enemy (and may place intelligence sources in danger of exposure…and elimination). A leader who lays all his cards on the table has nothing left in his hand with which to bluff…or trump.

Maybe, like McDermott and Bonior, you don't trust George W. Bush that far. On the other hand, maybe you take the president's statements at face value. Or maybe you're somewhere in between. In any case, your support (or lack of support) for the Bush administration's policies regarding Iraq-like many other issues both local and national-very likely involves, in one way or another, the character issue.

Therefore, it is of vital importance for the nation's voters to elect people of character to positions of power. As the Bible says, "An honest ruler makes the nation strong; a ruler who takes bribes will bring it to ruin" (Proverbs 29:4, CEV). For there will come times when people of principle-regardless of party-must hope or believe that their leaders have the requisite character to honor their oath "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…[and to] faithfully discharge the duties of [their] office." There will come times when the warrant for a certain course of action is found not in an indisputable tally of warheads and published memos of an enemy's intentions-and certainly not in the latest poll results-but in a democratically elected leader's ability to choose rightly, and wisely.

It is true locally as well as nationally: if we the people choose leaders of questionable or uncertain character, we will face more than scandals and crises; we will create situations in which those who are most informed are nonetheless ill-equipped to lead. Because character counts. Sometimes, it necessarily will be all we have to go on, particularly in times of war.

Let's keep that in mind next month as we once again face our greatest privilege-and responsibility-as citizens. Vote for men and women of character who can be trusted to lead rightly and wisely… in times of peace and in times of war.

This article appeared in the October 5, 2002 edition of the Hamilton Journal-News.

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