Sen. Larry Craig or Rep. Mark Foley, both stain the office they swore to uphold.  My disdain for them has nothing to do with their alleged sexual preference.  I could care less about their sex life.  I do care about their integrity.  I believe Conservatives must have a higher calling of integrity.

Look, there are no perfect people but that doesn’t mean we can not strive to better ourselves.  Integrity is defined by Dictionary.com as:

1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished.

3. a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition.

Most think Conservatives are focusing on the moral or ethical principles.  Grant it, those are wonderful qualities to strive for but, more importantly, honesty, wholeness, and soundness are better descriptors of the higher calling I speak about.  Those are principles that can be achieved now (not in the future).

First, we as Conservatives must first be honest in our speech and actions.  Despite the criticism heaped upon President Bush, I  believe he has been honest in what he said and did.  Second, we must also be whole.  Wholeness refers to entirety.  We must preserve the wholeness of conservatism and all it stands for in words and deed.  Third, we must be sound.  Like the hull of a ship is sound, so should Conservatives also be sound.  That means being stable, trustworthy, and reliable.

Conservatives should offer no excuses for the Craigs and Foleys of the Republican party.  Those with a higher calling (as in politics) should also be held to a higher standard of honesty, wholeness, and soundness.