Nixon’s resignation needs a new legacy

On August 9, 1974, President Richard Nixon deviated from his usual health-conscious breakfast of wheat germ, cottage cheese and fruit and instead ordered up an unctuous spread of corned beef hash with a poached egg. Bleary-eyed from lack of sleep — he had spent the night calling old friends and fine-tuning his farewell speech — he decided to indulge one final time. Then he traded his fork for a pen and signed his last document as president, a one-line note that read, “I hereby resign the office of President of the United States.”...