Integrity - a modern example

The question of integrity is one that comes up frequently these days. It is perhaps a trait that is sought by the American populace in their politicians. It is truly something that may stand out because as a country we have been accustomed in having our politicians determine their views and opinions by sticking a finger in body orifice and then holding it up to see which direction the wind is blowing.
The example that comes to mind is the Presidency of William Jefferson Clinton. If I recollect the 90s accurately it always seemed that the White House would be polling people constantly. Wither which way the populace swayed was the direction our leader followed. Using political polls and focus groups have their purposes but to use them as political GPS devices is wrong. If our Founding Fathers had wanted a democracy that is what they would have set up. Contrary to what many believe a democracy was not desired, in fact it was greatly feared. The Constitution was set up to protect this new country from the mob of majority. Numbers, or might, does not always infer right.
Born, with the blood of labor from our ancestors, was a Republic. Those we choose, those we give authority to, we expect to lead. We expect them to make difficult decisions and then validate why those choices were made to us- their employers. It is a discussion for another time on accountability.

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Enough of the preamble now to the point. President George W. Bush's presidency is multi-faceted: many are upset with the course of the "War on Terror", others are upset with the rising cost of gas and the overall affect that it is having on the economy. Numerous other items may be suggested for another time and another blog. The specific of this muse is his stance on stem-cell research.
In a speech given to the country from his ranch in Crawford, Texas he outlined the process and his stand regarding this delicate subject. To place this into some perspective this was the first year of his presidency. As he describes in his speech their are many perspectives and all advocates of those perspectives were placing pressure on him to take a position on this research. People such as Michael J. Fox and Nancy Reagan were (and still are) strongly pushing for a more aggressive approach to stem cell research. George Bush took a stand and refused to budge- good for him.
Fast forward to 2008. Validation. Following is part of an article highlighting the latest in stem-cell research:

"Applause is due to several people. President Bush certainly deserves credit for holding the line on federal funding of destruction of human embryos. Without his adherence to the moral principle that human lives should not be destroyed for research purposes, it is possible that this discovery may never have happened or may have been delayed. Wisconsin Right to Life applauds state Senator Ted Kanavas' call to fund this new research. Credit also goes to Professor James Thomson for his recognition of the ethical and practical benefits of discovering a new way to generate pluripotent stem cells."http://wistechnology.com/articles/4352/

To read the full article follow this link here.

Thanks, President Bush, for standing up for those who are unable to do so themselves...jsf