It’s hard to be an intern in Washington and not think of Monica Lewinsky. I’m sorry, I know it’s been more than 10 years, but here, now, working in a government internship, I just can’t get it out of my head.

To start with, Monica was 21. I’m painfully close. And while I’m building up the courage to flirt with the occasional younger employee, I’m not exactly scoping out my higher-ups with a lustful eye. Maybe they just don’t have the mojo Slick Willie did.

But this leads to the other thing I just can’t stop thinking about. How the hell did Monica get access to Bill? First, there’s the regimented schedule, as my anonymous friend pointed out. “The President is not alone for more than fifteen minutes at a time during the day,” he said. “That means Monica had to be Speedy Gonzalez.” If you don’t get it, I’ll tell you when you’re older.

Second, not only did Monica have to be fast then, it also means that there were tons of people who knew exactly what was going on. Anyone who has worked in government or any big corporation can tell you that there are assistants, secretaries and handlers all over the place, and you don’t see the big boss without going through them. It’s really hard to get appointments with people above your direct supervisor, and I don’t work anywhere near as important as the White House. (I’d tell you where I do work but I want to make it to at least the third week before getting fired. Writing about your office in conjunction with Monica can get you fired. Which shows the lingering effect of the scandal.)

Sure, we can excuse the Secret Service, but as those of you who watch The West Wing know, there is at least a secretary and a personal assistant immediately outside the Oval Office whenever the president is in. There’s also a Chief of Staff, cabinet advisors, and countless others going in and out of meetings with and around the President. Among this parade of puffy politicians, we interns are pretty faceless, blending seamlessly into the background, but still. I guess everyone just kind of laughed it off with an “Oh, Bill” sort of chuckle.

Maybe nobody cared because this sort of thing does happen all the time, and I just haven’t been working long enough to witness it. Or maybe I’m just not a 21-year old female, attracting all sorts of attention from older men, which in her case was apparently embraced. Maybe she was trying really hard. Maybe I’m just incredibly unattractive.

Sex scandals without interns do happen all the time, and I guess when you’re not the president, it’s easier to apologize, duck under the radar or blackmail people into silence. As infamous as the infidelity and hypocrisy of Mark Foley, Newt Gingrich, Larry Craig, and David Vitter should be, in a few years their personal lives might still be a wreck, but the national name recognition will have dissipated. Already forgot those sex scandals? Point made. Incidentally, all of these guys are Republicans, and after thinking hard for a few minutes, I just couldn’t come up with any Democrats other than Clinton. There must be some, so let me know if you think of any. Maybe they were forgotten even faster.

Leaving Monica for a second, one scandal you shouldn’t forget is the story of Bob Allen. If you’re not from Florida or a political junkie, you might have missed it, but the bloggers had an absolute field day. Allen is a Republican in the Florida state legislature, who was arrested this summer for soliciting sex from a plainclothes police officer in a public bathroom. There was no foot tapping here; Allen was willing to pony up big bucks. He offered the policeman $20 and a blowjob. That’s right,and, not for.

Read the police report: it’s great, and easy to find online. My favorite detail is that it wasn’t even a sting operation. The cop was staking out a nearby building for robbery when Allen approached him. Post-arrest Allen also asked if it would help that he was a state legislator. It didn’t. And now pleading that he’s innocent, Allen has some of the best excuses I’ve ever heard, including that he was scared and thought he should play along. This seems odd since he did the approaching. But I’ll leave that for another day.

But unfortunately for her, no one will ever forget Monica Lewinsky. Try playing some word association games and see what the first thing people think of when you say “Monica” out loud. It must be tough to be someone else with the same name. And it must be tougher to be her.

Far worse, and more illegal things have happened in Washington than what conspired between Monica and Bill. But for me, and interns everywhere, that will always be the scandal to remember. And the word “intern” still feels a little bit dirty.

Michael is a junior majoring in political science. He and Sagar Doshi will be taking turns writing from their swanky D.C. internships. Contact them at sagarandmichael@gmail.com.