Confucius believed that the noble-minded should rule, and he articulated various principles that defined noble-mindedness.  Among the most important characteristic is xin,which can be translated as "trust," "good faith," "confidence," or "sincerity."  The Chinese character for xin suggests the idea of "standing by your words."  Here is one of the many instances of Confucius holding up this ideal:

The Master said: "This is what the noble-minded aspire to: slow to speak, quick to act." (4.24).

    Words that do not match actions are insincere.  Before any sort of justification or self-congratulation, Confucius tells us, actions must already have made manifest the humanity and good faith of the noble-minded leader.  Michael Brown failed in this regard in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  Instead of quick, humane action, he hesitated and then spun a web of obvious insincerity.  If he was truly noble-minded, he would take responsibility for his failings and step down on his own accord.  He he hasn’t, and maybe he won’t.  But that’s not too surprising: there seems to be a terrible shortage of noble-mindedness in DC these days.