As the Senate today resumes the impeachment trial of President Clinton, we again turn to the issue of impeachable offenses. In 1987, when Congress learned that the White House had been funneling funds from illegal weapons sales to Iran to the U.S.-backed Contras in Nicaragua, an independent prosecutor conducted an investigation into who had known about what, and who had directed the operation. In that instance, Congress did not go ahead with the impeachment of either President Reagan or Vice-President Bush.

Many people wondered why. Well-known writer and columnist Alexander Cockburn co-wrote a book on the issue with Jeffrey St. Clair called White Out: The CIA, Drugs and the Press.

Guest:

• Alexander Cockburn, syndicated columnist and regular contributor to The Nation and The New York Press. He is also co-editor of the newsletter “Counterpunch” and co-author with Jeffrey St. Clair of the book White Out: The CIA, Drugs and the Press.