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Impeachment by the People By Howard Zinn, AlterNet Remembering our country's history of grassroots movements can energize calls for impeachment of Bush and Cheney.

  Impeachment :          Impeach Bush and his Ilk!
                               Accountability means Impeachment, Removal, &
                                    Restoration of Civil and Constitutional Law

The word impeach simply means charge (an official) with an offence whilst in public office. The Constitution actually says nothing specific about under what circumstances anyone can be impeached. It simply defines the final process - that of the trial and penalties.

The Smoking Gun   ~~~The NSA, with full knowledge of the White House, crossed the line from routine surveillance of foreigners and suspected terrorists into illegal activity http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011706Y.shtml

Constitutional Basis for Impeachment - The Constitution spells out who can be impeached, what for, and by whom.            

Article 3, section 2.3 of the Constitution lays down that all crimes shall be tried by jury, except in cases of impeachment and Article 1, section 3.6 provides that only the Senate may try an impeachment. They must be under oath (or affirmation) to do so, and to be found guilty under this process there must be a vote of two-thirds of the Senate. In the event of the President being tried, 3.6 requires that the house be presided over by the Chief Justice, to avoid the conflict of having the Vice President, who would normally preside.

Should the trial be successful, section 3.7 defines the maximum penalties that the Senate can impose. These are removal from office and disqualification from holding any official office, although this doesn't preclude a criminal trial.

Article 2, section 4, requires that the President, Vice President, and all civil officers, must be removed from office if they are impeached, and then convicted of, "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors".

So what does all this mean in reality. Well, impeachment is simply the process by which the individual can be charged with an offence - they are innocent until proven guilty. And it also doesn't mean that they will be removed from office. It simply means that they will face a formal trial in the Senate.

Impeachment proceedings can be brought for any offence - there is no requirement in the Constitution that it can only be for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors"; these are merely the circumstances under which removal from office is obligatory - although, because the process is so cumbersome and time-consuming, it is rarely used and is limited to "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors".

States also have impeachment processes built into their local constitutions, and these too provide for removal from office in the event of a successful impeachment. The only exception is Oregon.

There have been numerous examples of the impeachment process - for details see Who Has Been Impeached.

The American constitution actually says nothing specific about under what circumstances anyone can be impeached. It simply defines the final process http://www.miketodd.net/encyc/impeach1.htm 
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