How to Pick a President: Why Virtue Trumps Policy
... 王不可为自己加添马匹，也不可使百姓回埃及去，为要加添他的马匹； 因耶和华曾吩咐你们说：“不可再回那条路去。” 他也不可为自己多立妃嫔，恐怕他的心偏邪；也不可为自己多积金银。 他登了国位，就要将祭司利未人面前的这律法书，为自己抄录一本， 存在他那里，要平生诵读，好学习敬畏耶和华他的 神，谨守遵行这律法书上的一切言语和这些律例。 免得他向弟兄心高气傲，偏左偏右，离了这诫命 ... (申命记 16:14-20a)
耶和华对撒母耳说：“百姓向你说的一切话，你只管依从；因为他们不是厌弃你，乃是厌弃我，不要我作他们的王。”
撒母耳将耶和华的话，都传给求他立王的百姓，说： “管辖你们的王必这样行：他必派你们的儿子为他赶车、跟马、奔走在车前； 又派他们作千夫长、五十夫长，为他耕种田地，收割庄稼，打造军器和车上的器械； 必取你们的女儿为他制造香膏，作饭烤饼； 也必取你们最好的田地、葡萄园、橄榄园，赐给他的臣仆； 你们的粮食和葡萄园所出的，他必取十分之一，给他的太监和臣仆； 又必取你们的仆人婢女，健壮的少年人和你们的驴，供他的差役； 你们的羊群他必取十分之一，你们也必作他的仆人。 那时你们必因所选的王哀求耶和华，耶和华却不应允你们。”
百姓竟不肯听撒母耳的话，说：“不然！我们定要一个王治理我们， 使我们像列国一样：有王治理我们，统领我们，为我们争战。”
(撒母耳记上 8:7,10-20)
Virtue is a suite of values-soaked abilities that in active combination form a person's character and give shape to a life. Our choices and actions both reveal and reinforce our character. You cannot judge whether a person will be a good leader — a good President — without knowing and evaluating his or her character — how life has stamped or marked them. A President is, among other things, a decision maker. Decisions flow out of values and experience, that is, out of character. The classical virtues, embraced by Greeks and Romans alike, are prudence (practical wisdom), justice (fairness), fortitude (courage), and temperance (moderation). They not only thought these desirable and useful, but also believed you could not be fully human without them. Each of the four virtues makes the others possible, and a lack of any one of them renders the others ineffective. Courage without wisdom is mere foolhardiness. Justice not backed up by courage is mere wishing. And any of the other virtues is vitiated if one lacks the self-control found in moderation. Virtue involves the whole person—intellect, emotion, will, values, actions.
The other great source of virtues was Judeo-Christian, especially the virtues of faith, hope, and love. The medieval period inherited both traditions, kept virtue at the center of education, and embraced these seven as "the cardinal virtues."
The greatest fear we have regarding leaders is that they will misuse the power we grant them. The corrupting potential of power is well documented. But power need not corrupt and in a virtuous person it will not. Psychologist Erich Fromm distinguishes between power used for domination and selfish ends, and what he calls "potency" or "generative power." Such power is strength for others (a definition of virtue), and it motivates creativity and service. All the proper policies and ideology and technical competency in the world will not protect a leader from using power corruptly. In fact, the greatest temptation for a well-meaning leader is to use power corruptly in order to accomplish seemingly benevolent ends. The best insurance against corrupt power is to choose leaders with the combination of virtues necessary to use power well.
Source: How to Pick a President, Christianity Today, June, 2008