But since we see that avarice, anger, pride and stupidity commonly profit far beyond charity, modesty, justice and thought, perhaps we must stand fast a little, even at the risk of being heroes. Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder. I mean of the character and conduct of their rulers. Character is the only secure foundation of the state. A man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous.
Character is the most important qualification the president of the United States can have.
All leaders must face some crisis where their own strength of character is the enemy. You can hire pragmatic, and you can buy and bring in policy wonks. But you can't buy courage and decency, you can't rent a strong moral sense. A president must bring those things with him. They make the impossible happen.