Who would have thought in August 1998, that a “simple affair” between a president and one of his interns would have such dire consequences for our country….

“The failure of the strikes (cruise missile strikes in August 1998 against Afghanistan, Sudan), the “wag the dog” slur (that President Clinton fired the missiles just to deflect attention away from him being caught lying about the Monica Lewinsky affair), the intense partisanship of the period, and the nature of the al Shifa (pharmaceutical facility in Sudan hit with US missiles on concern it was producing nerve gas) likely had a cumulative effect on future decisions about the use of force against bin Ladin (emphasis added).”
-911 Commission Report, page 135

Much was said about the importance of the Monica Lewinsky affair, pro-Clintonites would say it was “much ado about nothing” and an action that did not rise up to the level for an impeachment. But according to the 9/11 Commission, the affair made the then Commander in Chief, in effect vulnerable to his critics and had the tragic consequence of influencing in part “…future decisions about the use of force against bin Ladin”.

This is why a president’s moral character is as important as any other attribute.