What qualifies a president for impeachment?

I was wandering around Y!A and I've been seeing a lot of questions about why we haven't impeached President Bush yet, and I was just wondering what exactly a President has to do in order to be impeached? Can a President be impeached just because the American public doesn't like him? Are there certain (for lack of a better word) things a president has to do before he can be impeached?





Also, please note that this question IS NOT about whether you or I think Bush should be impeached or not. I just want to know what a president has to do in order to be impeached.





Thanks!|||No, public opinion does not play a role in impeachment.





Treason, bribery, high crimes and misdemenors is the exact phrasing in the Constitution, and it can only be brought by a simple majority in Congress.





Clinton was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice, though he was acquited of the second charge. Nixon actually wasn't impeached since he resigned before the process was completed and then was pardoned by President Ford.|||To answer your question, it takes 218 Members of the House of Representatives to agree on some alleged high crime or misdemeanor the President has committed. If they can agree (218 being a majority vote in that body) then Article(s) of Impeachment are drawn up, case managers are assigned and those managers then present those articles to the Senate for that body to consider whether or not to vote for removal of the President from office.


The definition of a high crime or misdemeanor has never been clarified. It appears to be whatever those 218 Members of the House use as a definition. In the case of President Andrew Johnson, he was accused of violating a law which was later declared to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. |||"The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."





Note that impeachment does not necessarily mean removal from office, although impeachment would open that possibility.