IT WOULD BE EASY TO HAVE THIS FLY BY AND FEEL LIKE ANOTHER
CLASH, ANOTHER FIGHT.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> AND YET IT IS SOMETHING
BIGGER.
BIGGER. >> YEAH, THIRD TIME IN U.S.
HISTORY.
HISTORY. I’M SORRY IF I REPEAT MYSELF.
BUT THERE AREN’T A LOT OF NEWS
EVENTS THAT YOU CAN DESCRIBE IN
THOSE TERMS.
THOSE TERMS. THIS IS THE ULTIMATE SANCTION
THAT CONGRESS, THAT THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES IS GIVEN THE
SOLE POWER TO APPLY TO A
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. AND IT HAS ONLY HAPPENED THREE
TIMES.
TIMES. I SPENT TIME TODAY FROM MY
COLUMN JUST LOOKING BACK AT
THOSE PRIOR IMPEACHMENTS, ANDREW
JOHNSON, BILL CLINTON.
BOTH OF THOSE IN THEIR DAY WERE
SEEN AS -- WERE CONTROVERSIAL,
SEEN AS PARTISAN.
YET NEITHER HAS BEEN ERASED.
NEITHER WILL EVER BE ERASED.
SO, THIS IS THE DEFINITION OF
HISTORY.
HISTORY. WHEN SCHOOL CHILDREN LEARN ABOUT
THE CONSTITUTION 100 YEARS FROM
NOW AND LEARN HOW IT WORKS AND
THE CHECKS AND BALANCES AND THE
THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT,
THEY’LL LEARN ABOUT THE DONALD
TRUMP IMPEACHMENT, HOWEVER IT
COMES OUT.
COMES OUT. >> I WONDER ABOUT THAT BECAUSE,
YOU KNOW, WE THINK ABOUT HOW WE
EVOLVE AS A COUNTRY, WHAT WE
DECIDE WE WANT TO PUT ON A
PEDESTAL, WHAT MERITS A STATUE
SHOULD COME DOWN.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE OPPOSE
MAKING A MARTIN LUTHER KING
HOLIDAY PRECISELY BECAUSE THEY
FEARED, I THINK, ONE OF THE
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN
AMERICAN LIFE, THAT WE DO TRY TO
RAISE BOYS AND GIRLS TO LOOK AT
MARTIN LUTHER KING NOT AS A
MIXED STORY, NOT AS A MIXED BAG,
BUT AN UNMITIGATED COMPLETE
AMERICAN HERO.
AMERICAN HERO. SO, IT IS WITH THE NEGATIVE.
JOHNSON AND CLINTON WHO BOTH DID
GET THROUGH THEIR IMPEACHMENTS
ALIVE, HISTORY FOCUSES ON THEIR
MISTAKES REGARDLESS.
MISTAKES REGARDLESS. CLINTON IMPEACHED OVER MISTAKES,
QUESTION WHETHER IT WAS ABUSE OF
POWER WAS LITIGATED.
JOHNSON NARROWLY BEAT IT.
HISTORY HAS NOT BEEN KIND
BECAUSE IT REFOCUSES THE FACT
THAT WHILE HE WASN’T UNIQUELY
RACIST, WE HAD A LOT OF RACIST.
HE WAS ACCUSED OF ABUSING HIS
POWER IN PURSUIT OF THE
CONFEDERACY AND RACISM.
SPEAK TO US ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS
TO HAVE A MARKER OF THESE
PRESIDENTIAL MISTAKES.
PRESIDENTIAL MISTAKES. >> I THINK IT MEANS A LOT
BECAUSE OF THE REASON YOU JUST
LAID OUT SO ELWELL.
IT FOCUSES ATTENTION ON WHAT
THEY DID WRONG, WHAT THEY DID TO
MERIT THIS ULTIMATE STANGSANCTIO
NOW, ANDREW JOHNSON, IMPEACHMENT
OR NOT I WOULD ARGUE WOULD STILL
BE ON THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST OF
PRESIDENTS OR NEAR THE LIST OF
PRESIDENTS BECAUSE -- YOU KNOW,
THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO SUPPORTED
WHAT HE WAS DOING AT THE TIME,
BUT HE WAS ESSENTIALLY TRYING TO
REVERSE THE CIVIL WAR.
AND HE WAS A TERRIBLE RACIST.
SO WAS JAMES BUCHANAN.
SO WAS WOODROW WILSON FOR THAT
MATTER.
MATTER. WHICH DOES RAISE ANOTHER POINT.
HISTORY REASSESSES PRESIDENTS,
IT REASSESSES EVERYBODY.
WE PUT UP MONUMENTS TO THE
PEOPLE WE ADMIRE AND MONUMENTS
SHOULD BE ERECTED OF PEOPLE WE
ADMIRE NOW.
ADMIRE NOW. WE LOOK BACK AT SOMEONE LIKE
MARTIN LUTHER KING AND SAY HE
WAS A GREAT MAN.
WELL, THERE WAS A LOT OF
CONTROVERSY ABOUT HIM.
THERE WAS MUCH LESS AGREEMENT
ABOUT HIM IN REAL TIME.
BILL CLINTON, I COULD MAKE AN
ARGUMENT THAT BILL CLINTON,
ASIDE FROM THAT MESSY
IMPEACHMENT THING WAS A REALLY
GOOD PRESIDENT.
GOOD PRESIDENT. OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT DISAGREE.
BUT WE ALWAYS HAVE TO LOOK AT
THE IMPEACHMENT, LOOK AT WHAT
CAUSED IT.
CAUSED IT. THAT MAKES US LOOK AT HIS
CHARACTER FLAWS.
CHARACTER FLAWS. AND IT KEEPS US FROM GIVING HIM