Ask the 8a coach #6: Is 3 pre-clipped OK if down-climbed?

The crux in my project is to clip the third quickdraw. Is it OK to put any crash pads and skip the third clip and continue to the fourth and then down-climb and jump in order to always start with four pre-clipped? There is no absolute rule defining what is allowed and that is why 8a use the metaphor, Green-Yellow-Red traffic light, discussing ethics. In this case, I would say that if you send it the same day on your next try, it is OK. However, coming back the next day and hand dog up to the fourth and then go for it from the ground is not okay any more for me. On the other hand, I know several ascents which have been done in this way. It is just natural that we keep pushing the ethics and clearly, the community is not as strict as it was some 15 years ago. I think it is OK to have two or in extreme cases three pre-clipped quickdraws, if it is dangerous to clip the first but you should always do it in the same style as the FA. It is pretty lame to invent a reddish style and then downgrade it.