In reading the posts today at one of the quote and quip political sites there was a Bill Maher comment about the Arnold scandal.  He snarks that we in America are overly interested in sex scandals in the political world and “can’t we compartmentalize?”  The response to such comment is of course, “Geez, are you really that effing stupid?”  Now I have watched Maher on occasion and I can tell you from a very limited experimental probability he is absolutely that effing stupid but this particular comment really puts the liberal central philosophical flaw on full display.  To wit: Character can be compartmentalized. Mr. Maher and others who have defended the most flawed of persons such as Mr. Clinton, Mr. Spitzer, Mr. Rostenkowski, and so many others find no such compartmentalized generosity when discussing Mr. Gingrich.  But the hypocrisy notwithstanding where is the logical argument?  I agree that Mr. Gingrich’s personal failings, if they are actually as reported, are enough to render his candidacy as unacceptable.  I believe that Mr. Spitzer is best suited for CNN where he can pal around with other reprobates and utilize his experiences in office to analyze others. But his flaws of personal morals and strength of character absolutely disqualify him from holding any office of real and not reflected relevance.  Mr. Gingrich is most qualified to teach others from the mantle of pundit and commentator as a brilliant historian and strategist.  But, his only passing acquaintance with the concept of fidelity and lifelong commitment render him as hardly trustworthy with the keys to the kingdom.  And, for sake of clarity lets not worry about the really big decisions.  Mr. Obama has proven, though I find him a poor example of a President, that even when you campaign to get elected on the premise that the last guy was a lying sack of crap, when it comes to the big decisions like how to prosecute a war political BS falls to the wayside.  Mr. Bush utilized Guantanamo Bay and military tribunals because it was the right thing to do and the strategy was the least of many evils.  Mr. Obama and the bought and paid for press railed against his choices as not just bad policy but the very essence of evil.  Yet, when the reality of dealing with an enemy that has no sense of proportion sets in, even the harridan-esque Mr. Obama keeps Gitmo open, the tribunals running and sends in the Seals to do the dirty work of killing the bad guys.  The nightmare scenario of having a person of weak character in a seat of real power is in the little deals they are willing to make.  Weakness of character allowed a whole generation of legal minds to accept the “living constitution” argument because it is so much easier to affect social change by judicial fiat.  Of course it is a ridiculous notion created to bypass the will of the people by folks who “know better” than you about how to live your life. Weakness of character is what allows a man who has sworn to uphold the constitution to stand in front of a crowd of people and admit he took illegal campaign contributions but since there was “…no controlling legal authority.”, he did it anyway.  Weak moral character is what allows the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the United States and Member of the Bar to lie under oath to a Grand Jury and put his political standing ahead of his sworn duty to uphold the law.  Weakness of character is what allows a man of great faith to authorize a burglary of his political opponents offices and then lie about it when lies would no longer do him any good. Weakness of character is what lets bad judicial appointments happen and excessive regulation and bridges to nowhere and highway mile marker signs every tenth of a mile and buildings and highways named after sitting Senators and congressional junkets to more fully understand the environmental impact of  the tides on Caribbean beaches.  I am not arguing that it is possible to only run a perfect person for public office.  I believe that only one person of perfection has ever walked the earth and He didn’t go to an Ivy League school and so could never get elected.  Man is flawed but it is not a mistake to sleep around on your wife.  A mistake is when you add  5 numbers in your head and get the wrong answer.  When a grown person decides to follow through on his or her baser desires they are saying something about themselves.  They are telling us all that they will put self ahead of sacrifice.  They are telling us that honor and commitment will come in second to ambition and power.  There is no compartmentalizing character.  It is who you are morning, noon and night.  It is who you are in the easy moments and the tough times.    Mr. Maher, it may be easy for you to overlook the character flaws of those we look to for leadership.  Me, I believe what Maya Angelou says, “When a person tells you who they are, believe them.”