Stunning Impeachment Poll

In early January, AfterDowningStreet commissioned a fourth poll with Zogby (more info on ADS’ polling initiative here) regarding impeachment. The question asked of 1,216 adults from Jan. 9-12 was: "If President Bush wiretapped American citizens without the approval of a judge, do you agree or disagree that Congress should consider holding him accountable through impeachment?"

The results? 52% agreed and 43% disagreed (+/- 2.9% margin of error). Respondents were asked to identify themselves by political ideology—Progressive, Liberal, Libertarian, Moderate, Conservative, or Very Conservative—and in each category except Conservative and Very Conservative, a majority outside the margin of error supported impeachment.

Progressive—90%. Libertarian—71%. Liberal—65%. Moderate—58%. Conservative—33%. Very conservative—28%.

What’s particularly notable about these numbers is that is even those identifying as Very Conservative support impeachment by a higher percentage than those of all political affiliations who supported impeachment and removal of President Clinton in the fall of 1998. The average support across 10 polls in August and September of that year for the impeachment and removal of President Clinton was only 26%.

That’s not only a smaller percentage than even those identifying as Very Conservative; it’s also half the total percentage of Americans who agree that Bush should be held accountable by Congress through impeachment if he wiretapped American citizens without the approval of a judge (which, of course, he has already admitted doing).

And still the media considers this a non-story. I’m, ahem, disinclined to agree.

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