How far we have fallen.... Recalling JFK's "City Upon A Hill" Speech JAN 9th, 1961

We as a nation have allowed people who are highly unqualified to take control of our governments on the Federal, State and Local levels.  The people who are in charge are a mere shadow of those who were elected in the past..... Think about people like Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Truman, IKE and JFK....Compare them to the faux leaders who are in our halls of government now....

There is no comparison.  We do not have the quality leaders we need. There is no comparison and we need better leaders now more than ever.


Take a listen to the enclosed link and read the words that JFK spoke just before he was to be inaugurated.  This speech sums up in 8 minutes what we need from our leaders.  You don't have to agree with JFK's political views but you can't argue with his principles of what we should be getting from our leaders on all levels of the government we elect and who should serve the people, not the other way around.

http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/OYhUZE2Qo0-ogdV7ok900A.aspx

City Upon A Hill
President Elect John F. Kennedy
Massachusetts General Court,
January 9, 1961


I have welcomed this opportunity to address this historic body, and, through you, the people of Massachusetts to whom I am so deeply indebted for a lifetime of friendship and trust.

For fourteen years I have placed my confidence in the citizens of Massachusetts--and they have generously responded by placing their confidence in me.
 
Now, on the Friday after next, I am to assume new and broader responsibilities. But I am not here to bid farewell to Massachusetts.

For forty-three years--whether I was in London, Washington, the South Pacific, or elsewhere--this has been my home; and, God willing, wherever I serve this shall remain my home

It was here my grandparents were born--it is here I hope my grandchildren will be born.

I speak neither from false provincial pride nor artful political flattery. For no man about to enter high office in this country can ever be unmindful of the contribution this state has made to our national greatness.

Its leaders have shaped our destiny long before the great republic was born. Its principles have guided our footsteps in times of crisis as well as in times of calm. Its democratic institutions--including this historic body--have served as beacon lights for other nations as well as our sister states.

For what Pericles said to the Athenians has long been true of this commonwealth: "We do not imitate--for we are a model to others."
 
And so it is that I carry with me from this state to that high and lonely office to which I now succeed more than fond memories of firm friendships. The enduring qualities of Massachusetts--the common threads woven by the Pilgrim and the Puritan, the fisherman and the farmer, the Yankee and the immigrant--will not be and could not be forgotten in this nation's executive mansion.

They are an indelible part of my life, my convictions, my view of the past, and my hopes for the future.

Allow me to illustrate: During the last sixty days, I have been at the task of constructing an administration. It has been a long and deliberate process. Some have counseled greater speed. Others have counseled more expedient tests.
 
But I have been guided by the standard John Winthrop set before his shipmates on the flagship Arbella three hundred and thirty-one years ago, as they, too, faced the task of building a new government on a perilous frontier.

"We must always consider," he said, "that we shall be as a city upon a hill--the eyes of all people are upon us."
 
Today the eyes of all people are truly upon us--and our governments, in every branch, at every level, national, state and local, must be as a city upon a hill--constructed and inhabited by men aware of their great trust and their great responsibilities.

For we are setting out upon a voyage in 1961 no less hazardous than that undertaken by the Arabella in 1630. We are committing ourselves to tasks of statecraft no less awesome than that of governing the Massachusetts Bay Colony, beset as it was then by terror without and disorder within.

History will not judge our endeavors--and a government cannot be selected--merely on the basis of color or creed or even party affiliation. Neither will competence and loyalty and stature, while essential to the utmost, suffice in times such as these.

For of those to whom much is given, much is required. And when at some future date the high court of history sits in judgment on each one of us--recording whether in our brief span of service we fulfilled our responsibilities to the state--our success or failure, in whatever office we may hold, will be measured by the answers to four questions:

First, were we truly men of courage--with the courage to stand up to one's enemies--and the courage to stand up, when necessary, to one's associates--the courage to resist public pressure, as well as private greed

Secondly, were we truly men of judgment--with perceptive judgment of the future as well as the past--of our own mistakes as well as the mistakes of others--with enough wisdom to know that we did not know, and enough candor to admit it?
 
Third, were we truly men of integrity--men who never ran out on either the principles in which they believed or the people who believed in them--men who believed in us--men whom neither financial gain nor political ambition could ever divert from the fulfillment of our sacred trust?

Finally, were we truly men of dedication--with an honor mortgaged to no single individual or group, and compromised by no private obligation or aim, but devoted solely to serving the public good and the national interest.

Courage--judgment--integrity--dedication--these are the historic qualities of the Bay Colony and the Bay State--the qualities which this state has consistently sent to this chamber on Beacon Hill here in Boston and to Capitol Hill back in Washington.

And these are the qualities which, with God's help, this son of Massachusetts hopes will characterize our government's conduct in the four stormy years that lie ahead.

Humbly I ask His help in that undertaking--but aware that on earth His will is worked by men. I ask for your help and your prayers, as I embark on this new and solemn journey.

What part of " conflict of interest" doesn't the VP of the UNITED STATES get ???

Headlines have been recently full of issues involving federal contracting and the waste of federal tax dollars by federal contractors and/or conflicts of interest.

These are serious issues and ones the FEDS don't take lightly because they are violations of Federal law. The law applies to all citizens equally as that is the foundation of our legal system.

For reference :

From the GSA (General Services Administration)

https://www.acquisition.gov/Comp/far/current/html/FARMTOC.html

Part 3—Improper Business Practices and Personal Conflicts of Interest

Subpart 3.6—Contracts with Government Employees or Organizations Owned or Controlled by Them
3.601 Policy.
(a) Except as specified in 3.602, a contracting officer shall not knowingly award a contract to a Government employee or to a business concern or other organization owned or substantially owned or controlled by one or more Government employees. This policy is intended to avoid any conflict of interest that might arise between the employees’ interests and their Government duties, and to avoid the appearance of favoritism or preferential treatment by the Government toward its employees.

(b) For purposes of this subpart, special Government employees (as defined in 18 U.S.C. 202) performing services as experts, advisers, or consultants, or as members of advisory committees, are not considered Government employees unless—

(1) The contract arises directly out of the individual’s activity as a special Government employee;
(2) In the individual’s capacity as a special Government employee, the individual is in a position to influence the award of the contract; or

(3) Another conflict of interest is determined to exist.


Subpart 3.10—Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct
3.1000 Scope of subpart.
This subpart prescribes policies and procedures for the establishment of contractor codes of business ethics and conduct, and display of agency Office of Inspector General (OIG) fraud hotline posters.

3.1003 Requirements.
(a) Contractor requirements

b) Notification of possible contractor violation. If the contracting officer is notified of possible contractor violation of Federal criminal law involving fraud, conflict of interest, bribery, or gratuity violations found in Title 18 U.S.C.; or a violation of the civil False Claims Act, the contracting officer shall—

(1) Coordinate the matter with the agency Office of the Inspector General; or

(2) Take action in accordance with agency procedures.

So you might be wondering what does all this have to do with the price of Tea in China?

President Barack Obama promised to run the most transparent White House in history—disclosing donations, shunning lobbyists, and broadcasting important meetings on C-SPAN.

Well it seems that if it walks like a duck, looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is highly likely it is a duck.

VP Joe Biden is a "vendor" on a Federal Contract to rent a piece of property he owns to the Secret Service.

As the vendor on a fixed-price contract, Mr. Biden technically now is a federal contractor. In this case, we are talking about a huge conflict of interest on the part of the Vice President who cannot be " vendor" and VPOTUS at the same time as being on a government contract as that is a text book case of " Conflict of Interest ".

Any 1st year law student could see it and the fact that it was set up and put in place w/o a bid or review shows a glaring inability of the VP or the Administration to understand that violating Federal Law is NOT acceptable for the holder of the second highest office in the land.

Of course this will be dismissed by the Administration as a "non-issue" but should raise the ire of anyone who expects that the VPOTUS needs to learn that unethical means unethical and that leadership & integrity are non-negotiable. Either you are an ethical leader or you are not - there is no grey area.

In this case, the Administration and the VP are a case of "Classic Failures". And this doesn't surprise me but it should be a prime reason to send him & his buddy the "empty suit in residence" at the White House packing in 2012.


Biden charging Secret Service for cottage rental

The U.S. Secret Service does more than protect Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. — the agency also pays him rent.
By Jim McElhatton
-The Washington Times
Sunday, July 31, 2011

Since April, Mr. Biden has collected more than $13,000 from the agency charged with protecting him and his family for use of a rental cottage adjacent to the waterfront home he owns in a Wilmington, Del., suburb.

Mr. Biden, listed not as vice president in federal purchasing documents but as a “vendor,” is eligible for up to $66,000 by the time the government contract expires in the fall of 2013, the records show.

Officials say the arrangement came about when a previous tenant moved out of the cottage and the Secret Service moved in.

Edwin M. Donovan, special agent in charge at the Secret Service's Office of Government and Public Affairs in Washington, said the agency pays $2,200 in rent per-month, the same amount a previous tenant had paid before moving out.

He said the close location provides a level of security for the Biden family the agency might not have had otherwise. Asked if the Secret Service typically pays rent to the people it protects, he said, “It’s a rental property so we pay rent there.”

Taxpayer watchdogs say the Secret Service should do everything it can to protect Mr. Biden, but they wonder whether he should be collecting rent from the agency while it’s doing its job.

“He should be afforded every single protection available to him and his family, as should every vice president and president,” said Leslie Paige, spokeswoman for the Washington-based Citizens Against Government Waste.

“But this arrangement seems bizarre to me,” she added. “You’d think the vice president, who shepherded the deficit committee, would think twice about charging the Secret Service rent. Why would he need the money? I don’t get it.”

According to Mr. Biden’s office, the vice president’s mother lived in the cottage until she died in January 2010. At that time, the Secret Service had been renting properties in the Wilmington area for agents who were providing a protective presence at Mr. Biden’s personal residence.

Mr. Biden later asked the Secret Service if the agency wanted to rent the cottage property, but the Secret Service declined and Mr. Biden rented it instead to a private tenant, according to the vice president's office. But almost a year later, when that tenant moved out, the Secret Service approached Mr. Biden about renting the cottage.

“The cottage was an existing rental property at the time the Secret Service signed its lease,” said Kendra Barkoff, a spokeswoman for Mr. Biden.

Last year, Mr. Biden and his wife, Jill, reported earning $379,178, including $11,000 in income from the cottage, according to the Bidens’ tax return. The Bidens did not list any rental income for 2009.

The Secret Service was the contracting agency on the two purchase orders so far that have paid Mr. Biden $13,200 combined for use of his cottage.

The first purchase order to Mr. Biden, for $2,200, was signed April 1, and the second, for $11,000, was signed June 2. The records both list Mr. Biden by name as the vendor under a section of the purchase order called “contractor information.” The purchase order describes Mr. Biden as a sole proprietor with no employees and no annual revenue.

The Washington Times inquired about the rental arrangement after Mr. Biden’s name appeared as a vendor in federal spending records. As the vendor on a fixed-price contract, Mr. Biden technically now is a federal contractor.

He’s been outspoken in calling for greater accountability in federal contracts. When Mr. Biden and President Obama launched the “Campaign to Cut Waste” last month, Mr. Biden said, “The President and I are committed to changing the way government works and we are stepping up the hunt for misspent dollars.”

During the presidential transition, Mr. Biden and Mr. Obama pledged to end the abuse of no-bid contracting and require competitive bidding on nearly all contract orders for more than $25,000 across the federal government.

Though the overall rental contract has a total value of up to $66,000, the agreement was approved through simplified acquisition procedures that do not require bidding.

“To an outside observer who pays the taxes that help fund protective services, this might seem like an odd arrangement, but apparently there’s some law or administrative procedure that facilitates it,” said Pete Sepp, vice president of the National Taxpayers Union in Alexandria, which monitors federal spending.

Mr. Sepp also had a thought on what Mr. Biden could do with the rent money he collects from the Secret Service: “Every elected official can do the same thing average Americans can, which is to write a check to the Bureau of the Public Debt to bring down the national debt.”

The Secret Service, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, is required by law to ensure the safety of current and former national leaders and their families, such as the president, past presidents, vice presidents and presidential candidates.

Sebastian Junger - "Everyone's against war, any sane person's against war, and yet everyone goes to see war movies..."

An acquaintence of mine from Middleboro, MA recently inquired about the "tone" of my comments here, especially regarding my rather spirited bashing of POTUS & his administration, The Governor of Massachusetts and many of those held dear by the Left. He stated that I was regurgitating Fox News.

In my defense, I rarely, if ever have cited FOX News on this blog....I read many different sources and try to gain a multi-faceted view. Hate to say it, our Nobel Prize Winner in the White House and his lefty ilk were the ones spouting " Protest is Patriotic" for years....seems a little hypocritical for any Lefty Leaning person to now say it is uncalled for as the shoe is on the other foot... Can't take the "heat", stay out of the kitchen.

For the record, I am "unenrolled" and follow neither party as I vote the Man/Woman and NOT the party.

Actually, I digress. Enclosed is a copy of an article written about a person whom I have much respect and admiration for, Massachusetts native and War Correspondant Sebastian Junger.

He admits to being a Lefty politics wise but supports the Afghanistan War. He has felt the heat of battle and understands what most of the Lefties back stateside have no clue on....Do He & I agree on all things ?? NOPE. Then again, I disagree with one of my Heroes in life, US Senator John McCain but that doesn't stop me from supporting him either. The difference is Sebastian Junger & John McCain both make intelligent arguements and have HONOR. They are thinking and caring passionately about what they are espousing.

OBAMA, Pelosi, Deval Patrick, Geitner, Napolitano, Biden ??? NOPE....None of them are worthy to stand next to Sebastian Junger or Senator McCain as the only thing they care about is controlling your life and your money. They are devoid of honor and integrity as a group. My opinion, and solely based on my observations. Many agree with me and many disagree. If I had to go somewhere "hot", I'd trust John McCain & Seabstian Junger long before I would consider trusting any of the aforementioned bunch.


OK - I digressed a 2nd time. Now the words from Sebastian Junger. Read on as it is worth your time to hear what he says. I hope one day to meet Sebastian just as I have met John McCain. I would really like to get to know him better.

Sebastian Junger reflects on friendship, war and peace

After the death of photojournalist and friend Tim Hetherington in Libya, Junger resolves to cease front-line reporting. But war, he says, remains one of humanity's master narratives.

By Reed Johnson, Los Angeles Times
June 9, 2011


Last Oscar season, author Sebastian Junger and photojournalist Tim Hetherington walked the red carpet together.

Their documentary "Restrepo," recorded while they were embedded with a U.S. Army platoon in Afghanistan's remote and dangerous Korengal Valley, was nominated for an Academy Award. For months the two men had lived with the troops, sharing the same food, the same stifling quarters, and the same long stretches of boredom punctuated by moments of adrenaline-fueled terror.

Barely two months after the Oscars, on April 20, Hetherington was killed in a mortar attack in Misurata, Libya, where he was covering the rebel uprising against Moammar Kadafi's regime. In the months since, Junger has resolved to pull back from combat journalism.

"I'm not going to do any more front-line reporting, because I don't want to put my wife through what I went through with Tim," he said during a recent stopover in Los Angeles to promote the new paperback edition of his 2010 book "War," which Junger was compiling while he and Hetherington were filming "Restrepo."

"It was a very obvious thought to come to in the wake of all this. Tim's death made war reporting feel like a selfish endeavor."

It's a startling concession from an author whose eyewitness accounts from Liberia, Afghanistan and other global hot spots can make readers imagine they're inches away from the mortar blasts and AK-47 rounds.

Written in sinewy, stripped-to-the-waist prose, "War" not only paints vivid profiles of the U.S. soldiers Junger met, and the harrowing conditions they endured, it also penetrates deeply into the strange, terrifying allure of combat and the motivations of the young men who mostly wage it. The book has drawn critical comparisons with such canonical literature as Michael Herr's Vietnam-era "Dispatches" and the World War I and Spanish Civil War reflections of Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell.

In this month's Vanity Fair magazine, Junger eulogizes Hetherington's valor and vision in conveying the world's suffering to others. Another photojournalist, Chris Hondros, was fatally wounded in the same Libyan attack that killed Hetherington, and two other photojournalists were injured.

Before Hetherington's death, Junger said, the perils of war reporting had always felt abstract. He's not judging other journalists' decisions to place themselves in harm's way, but he's had enough.

"I thought it couldn't happen to me, and I'd never known anyone who had got killed — couple guys that got shot. You know, there's a lot of denial. I mean, denial works."

A trim 49-year-old with intense storm-gray eyes, Junger has the demeanor of a youthful college English professor who moonlights as the track coach — an Ivy League mind outfitted in solid blue-collar principles. He projects a restless curiosity, a touch of rah-rah adventurism, a dash of low-key machismo.

The author and his wife of six years, Daniela, a Bulgarian native to whom "War" is dedicated, have no children but are discussing starting a family.

Junger said that his father, a theoretical physicist, opened his mind to science and the idea that the physical and human worlds "can be understood and should be understood." His mother, a painter, gave to her son a more aesthetic and spiritual mode of understanding. Journalism merged his left- and right-brain tendencies "in kind of a nice way."

Despite his own vow to pull back from the trenches, Junger still not only considers war to be a great journalistic subject, he regards it as one of the three or four master narratives of human life — or, at least, guys' lives.

"Look at the cave paintings in France. What do they show? They show the game animals that they've hunted — a form of warfare, in a way, violence. They show warfare, they show men fighting each other. They show fertile females. I mean, what topics preoccupy men? You want to look into the male brain? It's like, OK, I need to kill game, I need to sustain myself — basically, career. Conflict and combat, manliness and proving yourself. Hot chicks. And the final one is shamanism, connection to the divine. That comprises the entirety of what's on the walls of the caves in France. That's the male brain, that's human society in a lot of ways."

Stories of violent conflict and men acting gracefully (or otherwise) under duress have been the alpha and omega of Junger's writing career, in books such as "The Perfect Storm" (1997), about a fishing boat disaster, and "Fire," about men who earn their living, and sometimes their deaths, by doing perilous jobs in places like Sierra Leone and Kosovo.

As a writer, Junger credits Hetherington with "opening my eyes up" to the rich complexity of visual experience. When he was trying to organize "War" around a unifying principle, Junger asked himself, "What would Tim do and how would Tim think about this material?"

Junger concluded that his friend "wouldn't be organizing it in an event-driven, linear way, he'd be looking for some deeper structure that reflects the human experience." That helped Junger eventually build "War" around three thematic blocks. "Fear" elucidates the primal emotions and human frailties that combat unleashes. "Killing" illuminates military tactics, political gamesmanship and the grotesque seductiveness of high-tech weaponry.

The book's final section, "Love," explores the ties of loyalty and affection that bind soldiers to one another far above any mere ideology.

"Everyone's against war, any sane person's against war, and yet everyone goes to see war movies," Junger said. "All my lefty friends — and in case you hadn't picked up on it I'm pretty left-wing — went to see 'Saving Private Ryan.' They're going to see 'Saving Private Ryan' because war is dramatic and compelling and important and reveals tremendous things about the human soul. And you get it on oil rigs, you get it in logging camps, you get it on fishing boats, you get it in platoons."

If all war is insane, and yet horribly compelling, in Junger's view there are good wars and bad wars. Afghanistan, which he has reported on since the 1990s, is among the former, he believes. Even before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, drew the U.S. deeper into the country, he said, it was clear that only the international community could end Afghanistan's endless civil wars.

Junger believes that if the U.S. and its allies can ever pressure Hamid Karzai's corrupt government to reform so that the people will support it, U.S. forces can withdraw and Afghanistan can achieve peace, security and at least a form of "middle-ground" democracy between the failed state it was in the 1990s and "democracy like we see it in Iowa."

By contrast, invading Iraq was an error, he thinks, and he refused to cover it because "I don't want to risk my life covering a mistake."

There's one other dangerous assignment that Junger shuns: writing fiction. In his early 20s, inspired by the brainy tough-guy holy trinity of Raymond Carver, Richard Ford and Tobias Wolff, Junger tried his hand at a few short stories, but they rightfully ended up buried in a closet, he said.

"I mean, a bad novel is hard to write," he said. "A brilliant novel, like I don't even know how that happens. So that's why I don't do it. Writing fiction feels like it would be like going off the diving board into a swimming pool that has no water in it.

"Maybe one day I will, and the pool will be filled with water and it'll be nice, but right now it doesn't feel that way."

" The courage of the living and the dead taught me that. They taught me to dread dishonor above all other injuries..." - Senator John McCain

For many in this life, the daily challenges are daunting. The daily commute, the job, the issues at home, financial , etc., etc. These times are not easy on any of us. Life in these United States has been an uphill fight for most families for several years, and trending to be so for the foreseeable future.

There are others who have been challenged and faced great adversity all along. Senator John McCain is one who fits into that smaller sub-set. Politically, you may like him or not. He has been called the " Maverick " of the Senate and others have derided him for his ability to work across the aisle when asked to.....one thing that he is firm about is his personal honor, and what it means to him.

He wrote about this issue at length in his biography and it is telling that he understands what it means in this day and age to ensure your honor is something you defend as too many have willingly gave it away for minor gratuities or other material gains. I also have witnessed colleagues who would give up their personal integrity for things that only displayed that the person in question had no clue as to what your personal honor really means.

Senator John McCain is a man of honor. Whether you feel his political views are correct is not part of that assessment as I do not agree with him on all matters but I respect his integrity. He has been tested in battle, has served his country and has shown that when the chips are down, he is the man you would want in your corner.

I have met him and we share a friendship with based on being warriors. I respect him for the leadership he has shown this country under extremely trying circumstances. In 1999, he was honored by the JFK Presidential Library with the "Profiles in Courage Award" which was presented in recognition to his personal and political courage.

I have enclosed his acceptance speech at the bottom of this post but I wanted to highlight a certain piece of it that speaks directly to the issue of "Honor" and what it means to those who value it above all else in our personal and professional lives:

" I wish I could pretend to you and to myself that my efforts were comparable to the courage with which I have seen many good men live and die, and whose inspiration has given me heart in difficult times. But I cannot. For my actions are less a profile in courage than a profile in shame.

When I was a young man, and all glory was self-glory, I responded aggressively and often irresponsibly to anyone who questioned my honor..... But as I grew older, and the challenges to my self-respect became more varied and difficult, I was surprised to discover that while my sense of honor had matured, its defense mattered even more to me than it did when I believed that honor was such a frail thing that any empty challenge could threaten it.

The courage of the living and the dead taught me that. They taught me to dread dishonor above all other injuries."

This is the gold standard and one I have personally tried to maintain as it is the mark of excellence and what separates each of us from the shallow idiots and fools who would give up their integrity and honor freely. I hope you gain from his example as I have.

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Acceptance Speech / Profiles in Courage Award - Senator John McCain

Thank you. I am deeply grateful for the honor of this award. As often as we are targets of public abuse, politicians are also the beneficiaries of undeserved acclaim. After awhile, one keeps both scorn and praise in perspective. They come with the job.

Today is different. I am genuinely moved by this award, and humbled by the high ideal it is intended to honor, and the excellent company that I keep as one half of the first shared Profile in Courage Award. In his last campaign, Russ Feingold gave to this nation an inspiring example of civic courage. It is one of the great privileges of my political career to be his partner in this, as yet unfinished, endeavor, and whatever comes of our effort, his friendship has made it a rewarding experience.

The cause of campaign finance reform serves two important purposes for me. One, which I will address in a moment, should be the common concern of all public officials – our honor. The other is the progress of conservative political reforms.

I am a conservative, and I believe it is a very healthy thing for Americans to refrain from expecting too much from their government. Self-reliance is the ethic that made America great, not consigning personal responsibilities to the state.

I like to think that we conservatives practice the self-reliance that we so devoutly believe to be a noble public virtue, and rely on our ideals and our integrity to enlist a majority to our cause, rather than subordinate those ideals to the imperatives of fundraising.

I would hope that we would fight for those ideals as hard and as effectively as Ted Kennedy fights for his. I believe we need to reform government, make it smaller and less removed in style and substance from the people it serves. I believe we should reform our tax code. I believe we need to save Social Security and Medicare. I believe we need to reform liability laws. I believe we should genuinely deregulate the telecommunications industry. Indeed, there is virtually no end to the reforms I feel are important to the country, and which should be priorities on any conservative’s agenda.

But we will never achieve these reforms until we first reform the way we finance our political campaigns. As long as the influence of special interests dominates political campaigns, it will dominate legislation as well. Until we abolish soft money, Americans will never have a government that works as hard for them as it does for the special interests. That is a sad, but undeniable fact of contemporary politics.

During hearings for the 1996 Telecommunications Act, every company affected by the legislation had purchased a seat at the table with soft money. Consequently, the bill attempted to protect them all, a goal that is obviously incompatible with competition. Consumers, who only give us their votes, had no seat at the table, and the lower prices that competition produces never materialized.

We can never agree on HMO reform because agreement is impossible when trial lawyers give lots of money to Democrats and insurance companies give lots of money to Republicans.

In truth, we are all shortchanged by soft money, liberal and conservative alike. All of our ideals are sacrificed. We are all corrupted. I know that is a harsh judgment. But it is, I am sorry to say, a fair judgment. And even if our own consciences were to allow us to hide from it, the people we are privileged to serve will not.

Most Americans believe that we all conspire to hold on to every political advantage we have, lest we jeopardize our incumbency by a single lost vote. Most Americans believe we would let this nation pay any price, bear any burden to ensure the success of our personal ambitions – no matter how injurious the effect might be to the national interest. And who can blame them. As long as the wealthiest Americans and the richest organized interests can make six figure donations to political parties and gain the special access to power such generosity confers on the donor, most Americans will dismiss the most virtuous politician’s claim of patriotism.

In John Kennedy’s memorable phrase, “without belittling the courage with which men have died, we should not forget the courage with which men have lived.” I’ve seen more than my fair share of both kinds. And I could not forget them if I wanted to.

I wish I could pretend to you and to myself that my efforts were comparable to the courage with which I have seen many good men live and die, and whose inspiration has given me heart in difficult times. But I cannot. For my actions are less a profile in courage than a profile in shame.

When I was a young man, and all glory was self-glory, I responded aggressively and often irresponsibly to anyone who questioned my honor. I still remember how zealously a boy would attend the needs of his self-respect. But as I grew older, and the challenges to my self-respect became more varied and difficult, I was surprised to discover that while my sense of honor had matured, its defense mattered even more to me than it did when I believed that honor was such a frail thing that any empty challenge could threaten it.

The courage of the living and the dead taught me that. They taught me to dread dishonor above all other injuries. They taught me to be afraid of shame.

I believe public service is an honorable profession. I believed that when I entered the Naval Academy at seventeen and I believe it still. I am an old man now, and I should be content with a life that has been more blessed than I deserve. But the people whom I serve believe that the means by which I came to office corrupt me. That shames me. Their contempt is a stain upon my honor, and I cannot live with it.

That is why I support the cause that you distinguish with this award. I thank you for it, and pledge that I will try to remain worthy of the honor.

Thank you.

Remarks delivered by U.S. Senator John McCain, recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award Ceremony, May 24, 1999.