Well instead of blaming this and that, why not try to find a middle path. IMHO, I actually think the problem is we expect more of our politicians than we do of ourselves or our friends. How many of us can say we've never lied? How many of us can say we've never held a hypocritical opinion? How many of us can say we've never done something to take advantage of a particular position we've been placed in? I wouldn't think it would be many. Politicians are human too. They make mistakes. Just like us. The problem is, when they make a mistake, they're required to deny it and cover it up, because if they just come out and say "I stuffed up", although they would get respect from some people, there would be far too much public pressure on them telling them to slink off quietly into the night.Thus, one slip up, and you spend the rest of your life digging a bigger hole to cover it up. I don't think it should be that way, and I'd love to see people more willing to accept politicians will sometimes do the wrong thing, and it's not really the end of the world in most cases. I'd much rather have someone who does a good job, and like everyone stuffs up every now and then but is willing to come clean on it, than some moron who spends all his or her time keeping his or her nose clean in the eyes of the public. So my take on it all is that there are very few people who are truly corrupt, it's just that many more people appear that way because we're judging them by false standards. If we take a more realistic view of how our politicians should behave, then yes, I think we will see better behaviour from them. At the least, they're more likely to be truthful about their minor transgressions. Now whether I think the politicians we have are particularly good at what they do, or whether I think the game of politics is one that best serves the general populace, is another issue. But as far as corruption goes, I think we tend to blow it way out of proportion. Just a thought....