Can a leader do the right thing by doing something morally wrong?

In a 1973 essay, philosopher Michael Walzer argued that politicians sometimes face genuine moral dilemmas where every option involves wrongdoing — lying, breaking a promise, even ordering something terrible — to prevent a greater harm. He claimed a leader can be right to act this way and still be genuinely guilty of a moral wrong, with 'dirty hands' no good outcome fully washes clean.

— Michael Walzer, Political Action: The Problem of Dirty Hands — Philosophy & Public Affairs, 1973