It is very possible to be an effective but ethically good leader. However, it's quite rare, which contributes to why great leaders are so uncommon. It is acceptable to be flexible with ethical values as long as the end result is necessary and ethically moral. In today's world, the media very regularly reports on the latest political scandals, and technology captures evidence that decades ago would have gone unresolved. In some ways, these developments have further stressed the importance of appearing ethical to the eyes of the public and the media. Corruption and fund reallocation in particular are much less prevalent. Yet I'm of the belief that if everyone were 100% ethically righteous, then nothing would get done. We are often so afraid of doing something wrong that we can't do anything right.
Wars are perhaps a textbook case of times when leaders can act wrong, ethically, but in a way that supports the greater good. We even invented a legal basis for them to act this way in the form of war powers. Actions such as spying or wiretapping would normally result in a massive scandal in peace time, but are more or less accepted during wartime. The government has more control over the media and extends its powers further than would be deemed normally acceptable. In most cases (excluding the most extreme) it is necessary to implement this control. Wars gamble the fate of the entire country. It is almost impossible to come out on top if you're fighting with one hand (your unethical hand perhaps) tied behind your back.
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