Another example of an official who behaved reprehensibly in his private life but still governed effectively is President Franklin Roosevelt, the definitive symbol of the twentieth century. The American people elected him to the presidency four times although he was unfaithful to his wife. Despite the fact that President Franklin Roosevelt was an adulterer, he was still able to create Social Security, revive the economy from the Depression, and lead the country through World War II. The Monica Lewinsky scandal has focused the attention of the media and the nation on President Bill Clinton"s character and his efficacy as president. His character, or the lack of it, has not affected the economy. Throughout the entire scandal, the domestic economy of the United States has continued to perform at record levels, and unemployment and inflation are at levels last seen in the 1960s. The character of President Clinton has not affected his ability to govern, but it has taken away from time he could have been working on the problems of the United States. There might not be a relationship between character and the ability to govern, but behaving in a vulgar manner and exhibiting immorality affects the credibility of the nation, state, or locality. The character of Bill Clinton has not affected his job performance, but it has affected how other countries view the United States and has also diminished the respect many Americans have for the presidency.

             American history is about the many leaders of our country and how they dealt with adversities and with their own personal demons. The aforementioned presidents were able to continue to govern although their character could be viewed as corrupt. The Presidents and member of Congress discussed in the following paragraphs were not, in my opinion, able to govern effectively because their lack of character interfered. President Richard M. Nixon would have been regarded as one of the greatest foreign policy presidents in history if he had not been entangled in the quagmire that was the Watergate scandal.