In law school, the subject of ethics is taught as distinct.
from morals.
The reason is to give life to the established rules of profesional conduct.
Look at the recent tv ad attempting to tie President Bush
with the chain dragging murder in texas.
If morals replaced political ethics or professional ethics,
the aquisition and consolodation of personal power would not
be sustainable.
I personally do not agree with the absolutist separation.
Judicial nominiees would unlikely be able to be delayed
on the senate judiciary committee under a moral standard vs
the current ethical but morally relative standard.
The advertisement may have been morally reprehensible BUT,
it complied with the letter of the political advertising rules.
This ties in with the fact moral relativism does not work
and therefor the professional bodies use ethics to replace
moral because today's ethics "no-no" is ok by tommorow's
rule change. (see CFR)
Morality may evolve but ethics change at the stroke of a pen.
please forgive typoz (sic)