Resignation is a common act for a Prime Minister in a Parliamentary system. Only one President in our history has resigned, Richard Nixon.
It seems to be forgotten that Nixon only resigned when it became absolutely clear that he would loose the vote in the Senate, and by a huge margin. Unlike this case, the Nixon case was all about proof. There was never any doubt in the vast majority of people's opinion, both in the general public and in Congress, that if the charges against Nixon could be proven largely true, that they were easily enough to justify impeachment. The whole issue was whether Nixon himself, rather than just an ever widening group of his lieutenants, were involved in the vast conspiracy of illegal acts and abuse of office to destroy enemies and cover up the break-in to steal information from the opposite party's campaign headquarters.
So when the proof came in, through the White House tapes which the Supreme Court order be turned over to Congress, there was an avalanche against Nixon. A unanimous vote was possible.
Clinton will not, and should not, resign "for the good of the country" unless and until a vote against him is absolutely inevitable.
The Constitution has erected a high bar against impeachment. It can only be done for High Crimes and Misdemeanors. The latter word referring to abuse of office in the Constitution.
This perjury under these circumstances is the smallest and most forgivable perjury imaginable. It is no high crime.
It is also absurd to claim that any crime committed by the President is a high crime, because he is the one who committed it, and he is the "chief law enforcement officer of the land." As applied specifically and firstly to the President, the Constitution explicitly states that only a high crime, and not just any crime, is required for impeachment.
Doug
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