Impeachment

An American History

By: Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, Peter Baker, Jeffrey A. Engel

Narrated by: Fred Sanders

Four experts on the American presidency examine the first three times impeachment has been invoked—against Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton—and explain what it means today.

Impeachment is a double-edged sword. Though it was designed to check tyrants, Thomas Jefferson also called impeachment “the most formidable weapon for the purpose of a dominant faction that was ever contrived.” On the one hand, it nullifies the will of voters, the basic foundation of all representative democracies. On the other, its absence from the Constitution would leave the country vulnerable to despotic leadership. It is rarely used, and with good reason.

Only three times has a president’s conduct led to such political disarray as to warrant his potential removal from office, transforming a political crisis into a constitutional one. None has yet succeeded. Andrew Johnson was impeached in 1868 for failing to kowtow to congressional leaders—and, in a large sense, for failing to be Abraham Lincoln—yet survived his Senate trial. Richard Nixon resigned in August 1974 after the House Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment against him for lying, obstructing justice, and employing his executive power for personal and political gain. Bill Clinton had an affair with a White House intern, but in 1999 he faced trial in the Senate less for that prurient act than for lying under oath about it.

In the first book to consider these three presidents alone—and the one thing they have in common—Jeffrey A. Engel, Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, and Peter Baker explain that the basis and process of impeachment is more political than legal. The Constitution states that the president “shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors,” leaving room for historical precedent and the temperament of the time to weigh heavily on each case. This book reveals the complicated motives behind each impeachment—never entirely limited to the question of a president’s guilt—and the risks to all sides. Each case depended on factors beyond the president’s behavior: his relationship with Congress, the polarization of the moment, and the power and resilience of the office itself. This is a realist view of impeachment that looks to history for clues about its potential use in the future.

Must Listen. A need to know for any Citizen

An excellent explanation of how & why the impeachment tool was written into the Constitution.
Clear & interesting after actions of each use of impeachment, successful & unsuccessful, along with the effect on any following uses.
Basicallyyes it is a need to know for snybody that wants to be an informed & involved Citizen of the United States of America.

great timing

this book will give you a better understanding of what impeachment is all about. it's a very good read.

LISTEN TO THIS NOW.

This could not be more relevant. All Americans should listen as soon as they can.

REQUIRED READING FOR ALL AMERICANS

Our society relies on learning about history and politics through sound-bites. This book is a fast read and covers why we have the process, how the process is defined and gives three very clear and factual accounts of when and how the process has already been used in our country.
Instead of yelling to impeach or not, we all need to take the time to carefully consider the information provided here. Then we can carefully review facts to determine the course we need to take and what the probable outcomes might be.
Well done, Gentlemen. Thank you for an exceptional education in one book.

May not scratch your personal itch, but read it anyway!

A deep dive into the history of presidential impeachment in the U.S. Very well researched and thoughtfully written. This country is almost certainly headed for another impeachment inquiry. We need to better understand what impeachment is and what it is not, and how to evaluate not only the circumstances where such actions are warranted, but also to evaluate when we are better off as a people to let the ballot box decide the ultimate fate of a president’s continued employment in the service of the people.

This book is not an easy one to read because it is history and requires the ability to follow the narrative very closely in order to fully understand the facts and outcomes of each case. But if you make the effort you will be rewarded with greater depth of insight into both the process and the pitfalls of presidential impeachment. I urge every citizen to read this book. Now.