If you’ve glanced at the headlines lately, you may have noticed that Washington is starting to look less like the capital of the world’s greatest republic and more like a crossover episode of CSI, Survivor, and The Office.

We’ve got Congress hauling in Jack Smith for a closed-door testimony that he wanted to give in public (a first in D.C. history, I’m sure). We’ve got eerie new photos of Epstein’s island: latex masks, chalkboards scribbled with “Power” and “Deception,” and enough strange decor to make you wonder whether Epstein hired Tim Burton as his interior designer. Then there’s Secretary Hegseth, who treated Signal like it was a fully compliant Pentagon communication system, and the military carrying out a follow-on strike against a disabled boat in the Caribbean, raising serious moral questions.

Different stories, but they all point to one deeper problem: a crisis of seriousness.

Everyone wants power. Few want responsibility.

As a conservative, I think government should be strong but also humble, competent, and restrained. Whether it’s prosecutors, Pentagon brass, intelligence networks, or congressional committees, the Bible reminds us: “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). Faithfulness means honesty, transparency, and a sense of duty, things Washington too often treats as optional.

In the Jack Smith case, both parties are trying to control the narrative like teenagers fighting over a group chat. Democrats want spectacle; Republicans want secrecy; the public wants clarity. Easy solution? Put everything on C-SPAN and let the chips fall where they may.

Then there’s Epstein’s island, proof that evil can look glamorous, polished, and expensive. Good on Congress for releasing new images, but let’s be honest: both sides have tiptoed around this scandal for years because powerful people from both parties mingled in that orbit. Democrats and Republicans alike have shown a remarkable ability to grow mysteriously quiet when the trail leads too close to their own donors.

Now to the Pentagon issues. First, the report that Hegseth’s Signal use put troops at risk. I’ll state the obvious here: secure war plans don’t belong in a group chat, and certainly not one where you might accidentally add a journalist. Then the Caribbean boat incident that’s been causing a ruckus for the past week or so. It’s stark reminder that strength without prudence can become cruelty, even if the intentions were noble. If survivors were visible, a follow-up strike becomes a serious moral misstep.

What ties all of this together isn’t ideology. It’s a breakdown of reverence. Reverence for truth. Reverence for human life. Reverence for the responsibilities attached to great power.

President Trump talks often about “restoring American greatness,” and I believe there’s real hope in that. But greatness doesn’t just come from boldness. It comes from wisdom. From accountability. From leadership that says, “We’ll do the right thing, even when it’s inconvenient.”

And let’s be clear: Democrats aren’t off the hook. Republicans aren’t off the hook. Neither side gets to wrap itself in moral purity while pointing at the other like Spider-Man memes. Both have skeletons. Both fudge the truth. Both play political theater with matters far too serious for theatrics.

Washington doesn’t need more drama. It needs more daylight.

As Jesus said, “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light… But he that doeth truth cometh to the light” (John 3:20–21).

If Jack Smith wants to testify publicly? Let him. If the Epstein documents exist? Release them. If the Pentagon messed up? Own it and fix it. If mistakes were made in the Caribbean? Acknowledge them, seek justice, and do better.

America is at its best when it chooses truth over tribalism, competence over chaos, and character over convenience.

And if Washington could just remember that for five minutes, the rest of us might finally get a break from this never-ending political soap opera.