Douglas Murray makes a good point (though perhaps overtaken by events) that Al Franken’s conduct in 2006 might not be sufficient to justify the expulsion from the Senate that some conservatives have advocated. But by characterizing the call for expulsion, or at least hearings, as blurring “the difference between bad manners and rape,” Murray seems to suggest that these are the only two ways to describe a man’s sexual misconduct. In fact there is plenty in between that no woman should ever have to put up with, and even “bad manners” is all too often a euphemism, especially when the misbehaving person is in a position of power over the victim.

The MP’s line about “unwanted advances” that Murray quotes (“How do I know they’re unwanted until I make them?”) does not really clarify matters. To be sure, confusion does exist in some encounters between men and women, but before breaking the intimacy barrier, one is expected to at least perform some due diligence (worse comes to worst, you can ask) instead of plunging ahead furiously on spec. And while the occasional clumsy smooch from an overeager date may be part of many people’s lives, that’s a lot different from meeting with a powerful man and being forcibly molested — let alone having him grope you while you’re asleep and bring along someone to photograph the act.

Murray decries “the new etiquette” that has resulted from the recent exposures of sexual abuse by men in power. But if by “etiquette” he means treating women with respect, it’s actually the same old-fashioned virtue that has been taught (if not always followed) for centuries, now demonstrating its worth once again. And there’s nothing more conservative than that.