Common wisdom is that Ben Carson did something surprising when he endorsed Donald Trump for president.  But if you've been paying attention to Ben Carson for any period of time, you won't have been surprised.  It was a predictable act for one who has a track record of behaving in ways that belie his supposed commitment to personal integrity.

Here are just a few examples of how Carson has demonstrated himself to be more interested in his own advancement than in honesty.

1. Mannatech

In spite of a well-documented history with the company, a multi-level marketing organization that sells "scientifically proven health, weight and fitness and skin care products" and that has a history of legal trouble, Carson has continued to maintain that he and Mannatech had "no relationship."  Considering that the record shows almost a decade of support in the form of paid speeches, video appearances, and personal testimony in support of Mannatech products, I have to question Dr. Carson's definition of the word "relationship."  If this is what it looks like to not have a relationship, I would love to see what it means to have one. 

2. Plagiarism

Carson has acknowledged and apologized for several instances of plagiarism of which he has been accused, both in college and as recently as his 2015 book America the Beautiful.  Carson claims he had never heard of plagiarism and did not know what it was in college, something I find very hard to believe, as it was all my English teachers ever talked about.  But allowing for the possibility that Carson's English teachers were cut from a different cloth from mine, I remain puzzled that a man who credits reading with turning his life around would not have a better understanding of the need to respect the words of others.  His apology is cheapened by the refusal to take responsibility for his behavior, instead chalking his misdeeds up to ignorance. 

3. Selective indignation

During the Carson-Cruz flap over the Cruz campaign's publicizing of Carson's supposed plan to drop out of the race, Cruz repeatedly apologized for his campaign staff's missteps.  Also repeatedly, Carson accepted the apology but then went on to continue talking about the Cruz camp's "dirty tricks."  For someone who is vocal about his Christian identity, that's an odd way to accept an apology.  More in keeping with the Christian doctrine of forgiveness is the admonition to speak of the offense no more.  But in this as in other areas of his campaign, Carson has shown his willingness to base decisions on political expediency rather than the Judeo-Christian values he claims as his moral compass.  The readiness with which he has forgiven Donald Trump the far worse things Trump has said about Dr. Carson, even as Trump continues saying them after Carson's endorsement, suggests a double standard when it comes to Carson's practice of forgiveness. 

4. Saying he wouldn't endorse someone and then doing so

As has been observed by many, on March 4, Ben Carson wrote on his Facebook page that he was "committed" to not endorsing anyone.  One week later, he endorsed none other than Donald Trump.  It would appear that not only does Carson have "relationship" trouble, but he also struggles with the definition of "commitment." 

Ben Carson, like so many candidates this season, enjoys portraying himself as an outsider unfamiliar with the world of politics as usual.  But if the definition of politics is doing what needs to be done to get ahead, it appears from where I'm sitting that Ben Carson figured it out long ago.