Blago, Clinton, and Impeachment
As Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s impeachment trial enters its second day, conversations about Bill Clinton and his impeachment process will likely arise in any water cooler talk you might have in the next week. Here’s what you should know about the impeachment process:Contrary to popular belief, impeach does NOT mean “to remove from office.” One entry from Dictionary.com defines “impeach” as “to accuse (a public official) before an appropriate tribunal of misconduct in office.” (Source: Dictionary.com) Think of it as a formal accusation littered with lawyers and red tape. It’s the next step, conviction, that separates the impeached from those actually removed from office.
Armed with this knowledge, you should know that Bill Clinton WAS impeached but obviously not removed from office. Impeachment starts with the House – if they impeach an official (majority vote), then the Senate will try the individual where a two-thirds vote is necessary for conviction. Clinton was acquitted by the Senate after being impeached. Blagojevich is in a similar scenario but at the state level. The Illinois House almost unanimously impeached him, and now he is hoping the Illinois State Senate will show him some love.
Read on:
InfoPlease.com – A Short History of Impeachment
Wikipedia – Impeachment in the United States
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment