Character and Tactics matter

It has become common in some circles of those claiming to be followers of Jesus Christ to excuse questions of character and moral tactics in the realms of politics, war (terrorism), and even the debates and controversies within the Church.  There are two primary justifications for this attitude: (1) The stakes are high, therefore any way of "winning" is permissible, and/or (2) the other side uses such tactics, therefore we must too.  For those who try to justify the use of lies, character assassination, cheating, and even when push comes to shove, blowing our enemies to bits, it is necessary for us to remember that the Word of God has weighed in on this issue, repeatedly, and not on the side of those advocating a "win at all costs" mentality.
In Romans 3:8, Paul, while writing on a different matter, nevertheless illuminates this discussion with these words: "Why not say - as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say - 'Let us do evil that good may result'?  Their condemnation is deserved."  For Paul, it was slanderous to think that you could accomplish good by embracing evil.  How could God reward those who violate his Law in their efforts to serve him?  Likewise, when scolding the church at Corinth for sexual immorality, Paul warned them of the way in which sin grows and spreads, "Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?" (1 Corinthians 5:6)  If we countenance the use of immoral means to pursue moral ends, we open ourselves up to the corrupting influence of sin, even if we "win" by achieving our goal, we will lose when we stand before God to answer for not only our actions, but our motivations and methods as well.
The United States has been down this road before, and with disastrous results.  Facing the trial of WWII, racism was allowed to manifest itself in the internment of Japanese citizens, and expediency was allowed to prevail over morality when the cities of Germany and Japan were firebombed after it was determined that bombing strictly military targets had been unsuccessful. That the Nazis did far worse (and of course they did) is no excuse.  Nation after nation throughout history could be cited for choosing power over morality, that such Machiavellian thinking is common, does not excuse it before God.
The Church has been down this road before, and with disastrous results.  The Spanish Inquisition had as its goal the conversion of non-believers to the faith and the salvation of their souls, but who will stand up and celebrate the use of torture and forced-conversion at the point of a sword as the means to this end?  Example after example could be given of the Church's fateful compromises with power and money, choices that brought corruption and besmirched the message of the Gospel.
We face difficult times and difficult circumstances, and so did our ancestors, there is nothing new under the sun.  If you care more about achieving the goal that you long for than about how that goal is achieved, you aren't walking in the footsteps of Christ.  Every time we compromise morality for the sake of expediency, we not only weaken the witness of the Gospel, but we invite upon ourselves the judgment of God who will not hold us blameless for choosing wickedness over righteousness, power over purity, to "win" in this life at the expense of the next is the very definition of a fool's bargain.