George Washington and Benedict Arnold. Both were dynamic men of action with unquestioned personal courage; both were driven by passionate ambition from an early age; both were capable of inspiring the men they commanded to acts of extraordinary sacrifice and endurance; both were hot-tempered by nature. Yet, despite all of these superficial similarities, one of them ended up a traitor, the other Father of His Country.

It all boiled down to character, a case of honor versus glory. George Washington was guided by an indestructible sense of honor; Benedict Arnold was driven by a thirst for personal glory and the perquisites it could bring. Both men hungered for greatness, but to Washington, greatness meant subordination of self to a greater cause, learning from mistakes, and mastering personal weaknesses. To Arnold, greatness meant the triumph of self over others, wealth, privilege, and the indulgence of personal appetites. For him, causes were merely vehicles.

None of this detracts from Arnold's earlier achievements to America's independence. Arnold helped drive the British out of Boston in the early part of the War. He also took the offensive against the British in twin battles that ended in the surrender of an entire British army at Saratoga. But Arnold also had a consistent pattern of insubordination, excessive drinking, and lavish overspending. He tried to recoup his fortunes through his marriage to a young society beauty named Peggy Shippen. Shippen's connections led Arnold to a young British officer named Major John André, who served as a middle man for Arnold's later treason.

But, ultimately, it was Arnold's own nature that was key to his betrayal. As the many real and imagined slights and humiliations piled up, he had no core sense of duty or honor to counterbalance personal grievance. It was all about him—and so, as far as he was concerned, treason was just a career move.