… No two presidents are alike, of course, and no two impeachment battles are alike. Nixon resigned in disgrace in 1974 once it was clear that he would be impeached by the House and removed by the Senate. Clinton was impeached by the House but acquitted in the Senate, and finished his term as a largely popular figure. …
In both cases, impeachment began as a partisan affair — Democrats investigating Nixon, Republicans pursuing Clinton. Most Americans initially opposed removing either president from office. But the two impeachments went in opposite directions. …
Lesson One: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) is correct: An impeachment effort can succeed only if it has bipartisan support. CONT.
Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times