Saturday, February 18, 2012

Impeach This

BEWARE OF ABSOLUTES -- TV Weekly referred to Bill Clinton as "the first President to be impeached since Andrew Johnson in 1868." True, but it implies that there were others who were impeached before Johnson. Not true. Only two Presidents have ever been impeached -- Clinton and Andrew Johnson -- but neither was convicted. (Richard Nixon was not impeached: He resigned before the full House could vote on articles of impeachment approved by a House committee.)
An impeachment is like an indictment; it's a list of charges, nothing more. The House of Representatives is like a grand jury; it hears the evidence and approves the impeachment, which then goes to the Senate for trial. The Constitution is remarkably easy to read.
Note to candidates: Try it sometime.

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