LETTERS: Do as they say, not as they do

To the editor:
   
Pundits constantly tell us that the 2004 presidential election was decided by "moral values."
   Alas, it appears that many of the self-appointed spokesmen of conservative moral values do not practice what they preach.
   Let’s look at the record:
   • Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh, who has preached that society must severely punish drug abusers, admitted he himself abuses drugs.
   • "Virtuecrat" Bill Bennett, author of "The Book of Virtues," is revealed to have amassed a multimillion-dollar gambling debt.
   • Bill O’Reilly, whose recent books include "The O’Reilly Factor for Kids: A Survival Guide for America’s Families," made obscene phone calls to a former co-worker.
   • Vice President Dick Cheney uttered profanities on the floor of the Senate.
   • Last but not least, President George W. Bush, a self-proclaimed born-again Christian, sent American troops into an unjustified war and lied to the American people about the reasons for the war, breaking at least two of the Ten Commandments in the process.
   Moral leadership is empty when moral leaders fail to practice what they preach.
Eddie Konczal
Monroe