As House Democrats wrestle with the question of whether, or when, they ought to begin an impeachment inquiry against President Trump, many are looking to lessons from 1998, when House Republicans unsuccessfully sought to remove President Bill Clinton from office. But most analysis based on that era is distorted because it ignores a simple fact: Clinton should never have been impeached, because he should have resigned in shame as soon as news of his affair with Monica Lewinsky became public.

Clinton, then in his late 40s, had an affair with a White House intern in her early 20s. Specific details, which became public, are revolting. He then lied about it. He urged others to lie about it. That was wrong. Any human being with a functioning sense of shame would have left office immediately.