Unprincipled Politicians

[Werewolf]

You know - I'm starting to believe that having unprincipled politicians in office is preferable to principled ones.

Why you might ask would anyone believe that?

Well - take GW for example. I am pretty sure he's a principled guy. He acts on his values and does what he believes to be right and damn the consequences. Theoreticaly that's a pretty good way to be.

BUT! In my experience guys like that are pretty hard to move off their chosen path even if that path is wrong. They can't be moved because they know they are right. AND that is dangerous.

On the other hand an unprincipled man can be swayed from his chosen path fairly easily just by appealing to his vanity or self interest. Thus when one is going down the wrong path he can be diverted on to a more desirable highway.

I don't know if GW has gone down a wrong path or not - though when it comes to something like the patriot act I believe he has. The man genuinely believes that it is the right way to go, that giving up liberty for safety is a good thing. He will not be swayed. His principles will not allow it.

An unprincipled politician could be swayed regardless of his beliefs.

So I'm sitting here between a rock and a hard place trying hard to reconcile the above. In my heart I know that principled men are far superior to those without but I also know that they are far far more dangerous too. It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.

Comments?

[grampster]

Looks like eveyone agrees.

[matis]

On the other hand an unprincipled man can be swayed from his chosen path fairly easily just by appealing to his vanity or self interest. Thus when one is going down the wrong path he can be diverted on to a more desirable highway.

On the third hand, an unprincipled man can be diverted from his chosen (right) path fairly easily, too, nest pas?



Actually I don't think that unprincipled politicians exist.


They all have principles.  Problem lies in what these principles are: e.g. whatever serves their lust for power and control, greed for lucre, hunger for attention, etc.

So please don't say they don't have principles.




matis

[Waitone]

The most dangerous people are those who have no belief.  Everything is up for negotiation.  Those are the people who will bend to whatever wind is blowing.  

My problem with Bush is I simply can not estimate his beliefs.  He is aggressive against islamofascist terrormongers and gets into a real live shooting war and simultaneously does absolutely nothing to hinder those same islamofascist terrormongers from infiltrating our southern border.  He tells us our money is best spent by those who make it and therefore tax cuts are required.  He then proceeds to spend borrowed money like a crack whore.  He has no problem telling other countries what they should do for their own countrymen then refuses to say a word in his own defense when he is attacked with patent lies.  

Principled is not the word.  Schizophrenic (?sp) is probably more descriptive.

[grampster]

Handled or managed may be closer to the truth.  I think most of the power brokers get there pretty much by their own wits plus the help of others and then give up their wits once they get there.  They listen too much to the behind the scene people.

Man, would I like the bully pulpit for a half ho...no an hour.

[Standing Wolf]

The most dangerous people, in my experience, are those who not only don't have principles, but try to deprive those of us who have them of ours.

On an unrelated note: the problem with Bush is that his "principles" are nothing deeper than likes and dislikes, and he appears never to have devoted a single entire minute to thinking about America. I voted for Badnarik last time around. Scarcely a day passes when I'm not more glad I did.