Public officials should not only avoid unethical conduct while in office (otherwise known as Clinton's Sin these days), but also the appearance of impropriety. Yes, this is a higher standard than we hold regular citizens to, but to do so is necessary to make sure that graft and corruption doesn't exist in government.

For example, recent revelations about the sealed, no-bid contract awarded to Halliburton subsidiary, Brown & Root, raise real questions about the connections between Dick Cheney and his former company:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Army Corps of Engineers says a contract awarded without competition to a subsidiary of Halliburton included not only putting out oil well fires in Iraq but also "operation of facilities and distribution of products."

Officials previously have said the multi-million dollar contract only dealt with putting out oil well fires and performing emergency repairs as needed....

If the Iraq military action was really about the people of Iraq, then the contracts should be "cost and labor" (i.e., no profit). All proceeds from the sale of oil should be put in reserve and used for Iraq reconstruction. Instead, it looks like Cheney's Chums will be profiting from the war.