Last Saturday, while preparing to celebrate Independence Eve, I received two letters requesting political support. One was from Dan Choi, an Army Lieutenant who was standing trial for speaking three truthful words, “I am gay.” He is an infantry officer, an Iraq combat veteran, and a West Point graduate with a degree in Arabic. He said, “I refuse to lie to my commanders. I refuse to lie to my peers. I refuse to lie to my subordinates.”

Because of the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, he was scheduled to face a panel of colonels who will decide whether or not to fire him for moral and professional dereliction.

Choi concluded the letter by stating this: “National security means many things, but the thing that makes us secure in our nation and homes is love. What makes me a better soldier, leader, Christian and human being is love. And I'm not going to hide my love.” Finally, he asked for a letter urging the panel not to fire him.

I can’t understand his sexual preference. I find it really quite alien, a curiosity of human behavior. I do however appreciate and respect his honesty and openness. Hence, I seriously considered his request.

The second letter, dated June 17, was from Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina. It was not an appeal to support him in coping with his well-publicized affair with an Argentinean mistress; instead it focused on economic policy. His letter was no doubt drafted well before his breach of trust became public. Had I not known of his deceit, I would have been strongly inclined to respond positively.

The timing of the two letters was remarkable. We had just hosted a FREE conference, which included friends who divide their time between Boston and Paris. They considered America’s reaction to Governor Sanford’s infidelity quite provincial. They contrasted French President Francois Mitterrand’s numerous affairs; his mistress Anne Pingeot and their daughter, Mazarine, both attended his funeral. Typical American responses to Sanford were strong disapproval.

Further, the FREE conference included a reading by Steve Pinker, an MIT colleague of our Francophile friends. Pinker wrote, “Even if there are parts of the brain that compel people to do things for various reasons, there are other parts of the brain that respond to the legal and social contingencies that we call ‘holding people responsible for their behavior.’ For example, if I...cheat on my spouse, my friends and relatives and neighbors will think I'm a boorish cad and refuse to have anything to do with me.”

I’ve known my Boston/Paris friends for a long while and respect them greatly. I have only spoken with Pinker once, yet I must side with him. Yes, I agree that one who cheats on a spouse is “a boorish cad.”

However strongly I agree with Sanford’s claims regarding his economic philosophy, can I trust him? And if I can’t trust him, can I support him? I can’t. Whatever their intrinsic merits, his alleged causes are tainted. I won’t sign on.

I’ve lectured in France many times and recognize our cultural differences. Obviously “cheating” depends on cultural context. But we’re here—and so is Sanford.

I understand that politicians and those dependent on them operate on different standards. Decades ago, I worked under a university president who, to accommodate the governor, hid and denied the existence of a peer review of academic quality. He demonstrated weak character. And he was ultimately forced to resign. Character really is destiny. Sanford, among many other politicians, confronts this eternal verity.

Whatever I think of Lt. Choi’s sexual proclivities, I admire his honesty and character. But, unlike my response to Lt. Choi, Governor Sanford’s letter goes unanswered. I think this appropriate as we celebrate the values of character and culture that led to our Declaration of Independence.

America is a special place. Let’s remember and cherish the values that made it so as we celebrate its creation.