I Quit.

The most unfortunate resignation in American History was that of Attorney General Elliott Richardson during the Nixon administration. It was in the midst of the tumultuous Watergate investigation and resulted from President Nixon’s unfortunate habit of imbibing a few cocktails and then calling up cabinet ministers to implement new policies. In some instances it had a salutary effect as in the instance when he was drunk and wanted some Chinese food. Nixon hated that they always mixed up his order so he decided he would have his lawyer call and threaten them and thinking of lawyer he thought of Jew and so he called National Security Advisor Kissinger and demanded that he get over to the Chinks and get it all straightened out. Thus détente was the direct product of a yen for chop suey.

The case of Attorney General Richardson had a much less salubrious result. The investigation that was being pressed by Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox was beginning to get close to the White House and the beleaguered President wanted to end it. After most of a quart of Jack Daniels he dialed up the Attorney General and demanded that he fire Cox. Unfortunately he was slurring and what Attorney General Richardson heard was
“No more Cox, get rid of Cox, no more Cox in the Justice Department.” The hearing impaired Richardson heard that as “No more cocks.” That could not stand since Elliott Richardson was a card carrying Massachusetts liberal weenie, he would be lost without cock. The clinical term for this malady is the “Tucker Carlson Syndrome.” So the Attorney General resigned rather than give up cock.

On such misunderstandings does history turn.
(I Quit, the History of Resignations in American History by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pocket Books 2007)