There is nothing new in this article, by the recently sworn-in American citizen Charles Cooke, but it is an outstanding summary of vital information (not an argument, really, just accurate information) that almost everyone has forgotten.

Certainly, it would be a good thing if we could assume without much reflection that Congress were jealous of its prerogatives and hostile toward partisan corruption. But if it isn’t, as seems to be the case at the moment, that doesn’t actually change much in practice. The powers the three branches enjoy are written in stone; they do not ebb and flow in response to transient irritations. And, if the branches use them stupidly, the designated backstop is not Santa Claus, but the people.

It does occasionally overstate the case – in light of the supermajority vote requirement, it stretches the truth to say Congress can impeach the president “on a whim” – but not by much.