When in doubt, look to Cicero

My old friend Cicero came to mind as I was reading over Charlie's post about Colin Powell this morning. The Roman orator once stated that "Ability without honor is useless." Cicero died, honor and virtue intact, for defending the republic. I cannot say as much for Powell's honor and credibility. If he had indeed been against this war he should have done the honorable thing and resigned. I understand Charlie's point here:

"By remaining in the administration he was in a far better position to try and influence policy - unsuccessful as he was - than if he had left his post. Imagine, if you will, in our run-up to the War, in the post-9/11 fervor, Powell suddenly announcing that he was against Bush's FoPo and resigned. Would he retain influence over the administration? Would Surber and Reynolds think more or less of him in that scenario than now?"

Its an argument of American pragmatism, but being pragmatic isn't always the right course of action. Should it matter what Surber and Reynolds think of him at the moment? History is always kind to people who stand up for their convictions in the face of conflict. That is true Patriotism and I have a hard time identifying Powell as someone with a sense of some.