Impromptus today is headed “‘You’re [expletive deleted] dead!’ &.” Why? Because a Wisconsin assemblyman — a Democrat — pointed his finger at a Wisconsin assemblywoman — a Republican — and shouted, “You’re f***ing dead!” Only he did not use asterisks.

We all know that the Democrats are the party of “civility.” They say so constantly. It’s now clear that they are also the party of chivalry.

Anyway, I had a memory. Some years ago, I used “[expletive deleted]” in a concert review. I can’t remember why. There was just some occasion. When the review appeared in the paper, there was no “deleted.” It was just “[expletive].” I talked to the editor, saying, “What gives?” She had no knowledge of the Watergate transcripts (or at least of this aspect of them).

When I was in graduate school, Stephen Ambrose came to visit. He had just completed, or was working on, his three-volume biography of Nixon. I remember his telling us that, when the transcripts came out, everyone assumed that Nixon was terribly foul-mouthed. All over those transcripts, you saw “[expletive deleted].” It turned out, said Ambrose, that most of those were hells and damns.

As Ambrose put it, Nixon probably said to his secretary, “Take out the rough stuff, Rose.” Rose Mary Woods was a woman with certain standards.

I might also say this: Toward the end of his life, Ambrose was known as something of a conservative. He even published in National Review. But, at that time, on that campus, he was eager to establish his Left bona fides. He said, “I’m a Nixon-hater from way back” — and he told us how he had shouted at Nixon on the campus of Kansas State University (where he, Ambrose, was teaching).

I thought that was an interesting thing for a Nixon biographer to say: “I’m a Nixon-hater from way back.” I think, for his audience — us — he was trying to excuse a balanced account — his biography — of this president. Do you know what I mean?

One more thing (for now): It’s amazing how little it takes, in America, to be considered a “conservative.” Really, it takes just not being on the left.