As president, I will prohibit all candidates and federal office holders from accepting contributions from lobbyists.

CNN: Edwards' October 13, 2007, speech on restoring democracy

In 1997 Mr Hashimoto was browbeaten into accepting a policy that will see the post office turned into a public company in 2003.

ECONOMIST: Japanese finance

But Robert Archbald, a commerce-court judge, was dismissed from office by the Senate in 1913 for misconduct that included accepting free trips to Europe.

ECONOMIST: The misty road to impeachment

But, had Edwards been convicted of violations of federal campaign finance laws for accepting donations meant to cover up his affair, an untold number of candidates for political office would find themselves vulnerable to the whims of the Department of Justice and would face prosecution for activity that would seem in no way illegal.

FORBES: The John Edwards trial: The prosecutors' ball of steel wool predictably sinks

In another experiment, a group of college students were asked to rate how willing they were to engage in unethical behavior in various everyday scenarios -- such as taking a ream of printer paper from the office where they work, failing to correct a cashier's error in their favor, or accepting ill-gotten tips about an upcoming exam.

CNN: Are rich people more unethical?