Includes bibliographical references (pages 359-386) and index.

Part 1. Introduction. 1. Case study of Cuyahoga County, Ohio: The American way of ethics -- 2. Introduction -- Part 2. The ethical inquiry of career public servants: Balancing public and private morality in governing methods. 3. "What am I to be?": Personal loyalty, thick-thin morality, and the crisis of conscience -- 4. "What will I do?": Clarifying self-interest -- 5. "Will I do it?": Clarifying the costs of ethical voice -- Part 3. Great political ideas and American constitutionalism: Balancing liberty and equality in government. 6. Political philosophy, the American constitutional heritage, and constitutional thinking -- 7. Federalism, Constitutional Law, and the politics of freedom -- 8. The political ethics of constitutional change and constitutional stewardship -- Part 4. Political institutions and democratic public service: Balancing liberty and authority in bureaucratic governance. 9. Bureaucratic governance perspectives and democratic public service: Institutional ideals and threats -- 10. Racial profiling: Abuses of bureaucratic authority that threaten the liberty of citizens -- 11. The political ethics of constitutional professionalism -- Part 5. Conclusion. 12. The new American way of ethics: The political ethics of constitutionally centered public service.