Robert Gates’s Dishonorable Act

Jan. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Robert Gates has been anextraordinarily distinguished public servant. A recipient of thePresidential Medal of Freedom, he has worked for eightpresidents, serving as defense secretary under both PresidentGeorge W. Bush and President Barack Obama. The nation owes him adeep and enduring debt of gratitude. But his new memoir,“Duty,” raises troubling ethical questions.

A former public official has a special obligation -- infact a duty -- not to betray the confidence of a sittingpresident, especially in the area of national security. Even ifprivate conversations involve people who are no longer inoffice, the official should hesitate before using them toembarrass or attack those with whom he worked closely --certainly if his own motivations include selling books, settlingscores, justifying his own positions or even defending his placein history.