Impeachment Proceedings

You only need 50% +1 to convict.

The Bill of Impeachment is first passed in the House by a simple majority. Then the Senate votes on whether or not to convict.

It's a purely political operation.

Now I have read the Constitution.

The House of Representatives...shall have the sole power of impeachment.

So the House does indeed start the impeachment by a majority vote.

The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments...And no person shall be convicted without the consent of two thirds of the members present.

Therefore 2/3 of the Senate is necessary, Githalion.

You're right!

It is a 2/3 Senate and simple majority House decision.

Duh! :/

You only need 50% +1 to convict.

See? You said you only needed a simple majority in the Senate to convict, so I corrected you.

...and a simple majority House decision.

No, the House of Representatives does not make a decision of any description, it simply starts the proceedings by majority vote. Like a committal hearing from the magistrates to the Crown Court (I don't know the US equivalents).

You don't know much about the US government. The president is "impeached" in the house (I forgot what majority is needed), and then he is put to trial by the senate, and 2/3 must impeach him or something.

*sigh* Don't you get pissed off by those people who never read your posts?

Look, being impeached doesn't mean being kicked out of office. The House impeaches the President by some vote, which basically says "Mr. President, you're done a bad thing." Then the Senate decides what to do about it, the most logical thing being to kick him out of office, but they can do whatever they want to punish him.

It's a valid point that technically "being impeached" simply means being tried, and does not cover actually being convicted.

HOWEVER...impeachment itself only covers being kicked out of office if convicted. I think you've misinterpreted one bit of the Constitution: what that sentence actually means is that someone can be kicked out of office AND then tried normally in a court of law... Am I right ?

DAMMIt! will that sig EVER work right?