ABSTRACT
Reformers leery of destroying the strength of the presidency need not pursue uncritically every old or new idea for revising the basic structure of the American government; a reasonable point of departure is to seek a design of presidential accountability without the fatal weaknesses of the impeachment device. The occasion for contemporary discussion of alternatives to impeachment is the demonstrated need for a better way to remove a discredited president from office. The focus of the discussion is bound to be on the criteria and the procedures for removal. When a president can be removed only by impeachment and conviction, it is logical that the vice-president should take over the presidency. The idea of a special election of the president and vice-president may at first meet with public surprise, yet it is a return to the oldest constitutional assumptions.
