Men Sans Honor

At the highest levels of diplomatic principle one's personal honor is of the utmost importance. Whenever events go astray, the expectation is for someone to resign taking responsibility and shield the persons of greater prominence. Contemporary practice when the situation goes wrong, the most expendable person offers his/her resignation or faces being asked for ones resignation if the circumstances are so egregious that the call for resignation by ones superior serves to ameliorate the probable guilt of that superior.

Over the centuries, the practices of resignation have varied from quite severe to nearly symbolic. Ancient Romans "fell on their swords" to demonstrate their culpability and faith in their commanders or Caesar himself. More contemporaneously, one Takes One for the Team or Resigns With Honor. Ostensibly the goal is to preserve the honor of the Office, the Monarchy, or the Enterprise such that successors are not saddled with the burdens left behind by the offending predecessor.

If the outcome of a resignation is acceptable it is rarely contested. Nobody asks whether the sacrificial lamb was indeed the one responsible if the actual guilty party is deposed and allowed to slip away into obscurity.

Resignations also serve to obviate the need for a lengthy confrontation from which nobody will escape unscathed. Honorable men know when the game is over. In the game of chess there are two principles of honor that have been played out over the centuries. One, is that the King is never removed from the board. He may be checkmated, that is put in the position of jeopardy by the opposing color pieces and he cannot block the jeopardy nor move to a space with no jeopardy. At this point the game is over with the knowledge the King is defeated.

The other principle is when the King realizes he cannot win but the opponent cannot trap him in checkmate.  This condition is Stalemate and the honorable King Resigns.

America has a President who does not subscribe to the rules of honor and honorable defeat. Dictators, men without honor, practice what is known as "Scorched Earth" as a means of deflecting attention and pursuit as they must retreat.  They would prefer to see the world destroyed than merely lose their power. The earlier incarnation of Scorched Earth was practiced by victors who punished the vanquished and acted to keep them from ever rising again after the victor moved on.

Richard Nixon, regardless of his crimes and culpability for them, chose resignation to preserve the dignity of the Office Of the President. Many Congressmen and Senators who literally get caught with their pants down choose resignation and then to face the charges.  Do this spares the legislative body from having to contend with his indictment and prosecution while trying to conduct the Peoples' Business and all the recriminations for his association with the Legislature. There are many currently appointed positions filled with men sans honor. They serve as the Bishops, Knights, Rooks and Pawns of the Kings. They will be sacked one by one as the King repeated retreats to the sanctuary of the corner.

Our current American President has shown no such honor. Although any one of the allegations against him would have served to gain resignation by anyone in Congress, he has no concern for the honor of the Office he temporarily holds.  Rest assured, his time will be up in 16 or 64 months and a new President will have the task of rehabilitating the honor and reputation of the Presidency, Congress, DOJ, and America herself. His place on the chess board is one where he may be able to infinitely dodge checkmate while remaining forever on the defensive. He will continue to do significant damage until removed or he resigns.