July 08, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in the United States are divided on whether their president should be forced to face legal action, according to a poll by American Research Group. 45 per cent of respondents want the U.S. House of Representatives to begin impeachment proceedings against George W. Bush, while 46 per cent disagree.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in the United States are divided on whether their president should be forced to face legal action, according to a poll by American Research Group. 45 per cent of respondents want the U.S. House of Representatives to begin impeachment proceedings against George W. Bush, while 46 per cent disagree.

In April, Democratic Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich suggested the impeachment of U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney, declaring, "Now is the time for Congress to examine the actions that led us into (the Iraq war) just as we must work to bring the troops home." Kucinich said it is more "practical" to remove Cheney from office, as he would take over as head of the state if the president were impeached. 54 per cent of respondents favour the U.S. House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against Cheney.

In the U.S., the federal process for impeachment begins with a vote in the House of Representatives, followed by a trial in the Senate. Only two American presidents—Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998—have been impeached by the lower house. Both Johnson and Clinton were later acquitted by the upper house. In April 1974, Richard Nixon resigned after impeachment hearings had started.

Several Democratic lawmakers—including Michigan congressman John Conyers, California senator Barbara Boxer and Georgia congressman John Lewis—have openly discussed Bush's impeachment, either for not telling the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq, or for authorizing the National Security Agency (NSA) to wiretap the telephone calls and e-mails of Americans suspected of having terrorist ties.

In March 2006, Democratic Wisconsin senator Russ Feingold officially introduced a resolution to censure Bush for the NSA secret domestic electronic surveillance program. In 1834, Andrew Jackson became the only U.S. president to be censured for removing the nation's money from a private bank in defiance of the Senate.

On Jun. 28, Democratic Washington congressman Jim McDermott urged Cheney to resign, saying, "The vice-president holds himself above the law, and it is time for the Congress to enforce the law. For the good of the nation, the vice-president could leave office immediately. (...) When a sitting vice-president claims that he is not part of the executive branch of government to which he was elected, it is time to remove him from office."

Polling Data

Do you favour or oppose the U.S. House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against U.S. president George W. Bush?

	Jul. 2007	Mar. 2006
Favour	45%	42%
Oppose	46%	49%
Undecided	9%	9%

Do you favour or oppose the U.S. House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney?

Favour	54%
Oppose	40%
Undecided	6%

Source: American Research Group
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,100 American adults, conducted from Jul. 3 to Jul. 5, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.