Yes, we're supposed to believe that. And it happens just many times as it doesn't happen. What it boils down to is integrity. A person of character and integrity will not abuse the position of trust they are in (beit political office or otherwise).

I am in a position of trust that could be abused for my personal wellbeing. I can steer business to vendors that would be more than happy to offer "finder's fees" or discounted work on my house in exchange for executing contracts with them. That I abide by the procedures established by the board of directors is less because it is what others expect of me than because it's what I expect of myself. I may live in a state where the governor and the mayors of a number of large cities felt free to take advantage of their power but that doesn't mean I have to. We all make choices in this world and at some point are called upon to live with them.

So at the end of the day, if Halliburton's profits are the result of an abuse of power linking back to VP Cheney then he should be held accountable...and all shareholders will suffer.

I feel so bold as to say that all of us here at Pixies would agree with that statement? But none of us here are capable of locating a smoking gun of that caliber so we're left criticizing opinions and arguing semantics.

__________________
Though I am different from you,
We were born involved in one another.

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.

Complete surrender should not just come at moments in which one faces overwhelming odds, but in the calm when it seems one is personally in complete control of one's life.