Histrionics

GERARD V. BRADLEY

WHEN word came that four hundred professional historians had published a “Statement” about the impeachment inquiry, few expected it to back Ken Starr and Henry Hyde. It had been orchestrated, after all, by Kennedy court intellectual and Democrat for all seasons Arthur Schlesinger Jr. Still, we expected that the historians’ intervention would at least elevate the quality of the debate. Competent historical analysis is undeniably relevant to the question of what Congress should do about Clinton’s lying and obstruction of justice. And among the signatories were historians of high professional standing and impressive scholarly attainments. Introducing the Statement, co-drafter Sean Wilentz of Princeton described it as the contribution of “historians speaking as historians.”