It's much easier to cheat than it is to be loyal. Everyone goes through down times. You just don't put yourself in those situations, you know?
The 'Axis of Evil' was - and is - very real, as the tyrants of Iran, Iraq, and North Korea knew full well.
You have to be as fully prepared for the dull game as you are for the great game, or else you won't be prepared for the great one.