ABSTRACT
Paradoxically, what might be an act of independence on the part of Senator Joseph I. Lieberman was not reflective of a win-at-any-cost psychology. In one's psychology is exactly where the capacity for courage develops. To locate such leadership, one must look first to the political leader's interior psychology—his character—and more particularly to the extent to which his principled ideals have developed and provide boundaries and purpose for the exercise of his ambition. The arithmetic of election politics in New York is such that since 1974 no Republican has ever won a state-wide race without the backing of New York's small but highly influential Conservative Party. Political leadership involves the mobilization, orchestration, and consolidation of public-mindedness for common purposes. A dishonest political leader forfeits the assumption of public trust that underlies social capital. In a divided society, character integrity is a critical element of leadership and social capital.
