A question no one is asking any more

I wrote below about Johnnie Walters, the I.R.S. commissioner who refused to do Nixon's bidding during his corrupt presidency, who passed away yesterday. He wasn't the only Watergate-era figure who died yesterday, though. Howard Baker, the Republican Tennessee senator who was a key figure in the select committee on Watergate, also died yesterday. Baker was a defender of Nixon and his party, but only up to a point. He did ask the question that framed the Watergate story:

Baker asked about Nixon:  "what did the president know, and when did he know it?" At one point, that used to be a legitimate question to ask. Again, I miss those days. RIP, Mr. Baker.