From Thomas Paine’s Corner
By Gerald Rellick

Recent calls for George Bush’s impeachment for his transgressions against the Constitution, the rule of law, and the citizens of the United States, have encountered opposition even from those who, while in agreement with the legal arguments, believe it’s futile to go down this path because of the enormous odds against success. Not only are both Houses of Congress controlled by Republicans, but many Democrats are reluctant to challenge the president on war-related issues while American troops are serving in harm’s way.

It’s worth reviewing briefly past presidential impeachments. The only two presidents formally impeached and tried by the Senate were Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Johnson assumed the presidency after Lincoln’s assassination and inherited a bitter and divided country. The articles of impeachment against Johnson were purely political, rooted in the heated issues of racism, slavery and reconstruction following the Civil War. Johnson was exonerated by the Senate, although by a mere one vote.

The impeachment of Clinton was no less politically motivated. It centered about Clinton’s sexual escapade in the Oval Office with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern, an act which was extremely irresponsible, but was never considered grounds for impeachment itself. However, the civil lawsuit against Clinton for sexual harassment by Paula Jones opened up the opportunity for the Jones lawyers to probe Clinton’s sexual past, whereupon he was obligated to testify under oath about his affair with Lewinsky. It is here that the Republicans in the House seized upon Clinton’s evasive testimony to charge that he lied under oath. It later surfaced that the special prosecutor, Kenneth Starr, acted in unethical fashion by colluding with the Jones lawyers to set Clinton up for what Starr hoped would be damaging testimony and grounds for impeachment. Starr and the Republicans won that round but the Senate rejected the charges. Above all, the American people saw through the political charade and continued to support Clinton throughout the impeachment and subsequent trial.

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