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Originally Posted by 70Chip

The Democrats could end this war tomorrow by cutting off the money. They won't, though, because it's good politics for them. They need the war to go on through next fall. They won't impeach the President for the same reason. Their plan is to keep the current political atmosphere, which is toxic for Republicans, frozen in place until they can get a Democratic President elected. At that point Iraq will drop off the media radar regardless of the situation on the ground and we will get their full on domestic agenda shoved down our throats. We are moving into an activist, Liberal cycle after thirty years of conservative domination. If I weren't such an optimist I would say that it will be difficult for the country to survive this. Turning and turning in the widening gyre..

Oh yeah, I meant to address Gtripp's post. An impeachable offense is whatever the house says it is. There is only the phrase "high crimes and misdemeanors" which is subjective. One of the impeachment articles against Nixon was over his bombing of Cambodia which may have been morally wrong but was not a crime in any meaningful sense of the word. It was impeachable because it got enough votes.

Also for those who are too young to remember the last impeachment extraveganza, "impeachment" refers to the formal charges brought to the floor of the house by the judiciary committee and passed by simple majority vote. It's like an indictment. Removal from office is a seprate proceeding that takes place after a trial in the Senate and requires a two-thirds majority. Often people say impeachment when they mean removal. Three Presidents have been impeached. None has ever been removed, although surely Nixon would have been. Johnson, Andrew was "acquitted" by one vote if memory serves. My point is, it's alot easier just to wait for the next election which is how the founders wanted it.

Now that I think about it, I believe that the Judiciary Committe voted articles of impeachment against Nixon but I don't know that the full house had the chance, so I suppose you could say that Nixon was not truly impeached. Maybe someone else here knows.

Only two presidents have been impeached Bill Clinton and Andrew. Nixon steped down which stopped the impeachment process.