Vermont Senate Vote to Impeach Bush

Linzyhop · 04-20-2007, 03:28 PM

what do you guys think about this?

Vermont Senate OKs Bush, Cheney Impeachment Resolution

Friday, April 20, 2007

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Citing "serious questions of constitutionality" in White House actions, Vermont senators voted Friday to call for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

With no debate, the Senate voted 16-9 in favor of the resolution, the ayes all coming from Democrats. Three Democrats and all six Republicans in the chamber at the time voted against it.

"I think it's going to have a tremendous political effect, a tremendous political effect on public discourse about what to do about this president," said impeachment supporter James Leas, a vocal advocate of withdrawing from Iraq and of impeaching Bush and Cheney.

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, who engineered Friday's vote, said the resolution reflected what he believes is the sentiment of Vermonters. That's why he used a parliamentary maneuver that nearly guaranteed the resolution would fly through the Senate with no debate.

"We all know there isn't a president of the United States who deserves impeachment more than George Bush," said Shumlin, D-Windham. "How many speeches to you need to make the point?"

Sen. William Doyle, Republican leader, said the resolution should have been referred to the Judiciary Committee but he did not object even though he knew the move was coming. "I kind of knew what the result would be," Doyle said.

Some Democrats sided with the Republicans, including Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Sears, D-Bennington, who said the Legislature was the wrong forum for the issue. "I thought there was a better way to deal with this," Sears said.

Early in their session, Vermont lawmakers became the first to demand the immediate withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. But activists have been frustrated in their demands for a resolution calling for impeachment.
Speaker Gaye Symington, D-Jericho, has ensured that a House impeachment resolution remains bottled up in the Judiciary Committee.
She says an impeachment resolution would be partisan and divisive and distract Washington from efforts to get the United States out of Iraq, which she says is more important.

Shumlin has said he supports impeachment, but was hamstrung because Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, a Republican who presides over the Senate, would likely bury a Senate resolution in committee.

But Dubie was absent on Friday and — with Shumlin in charge — the resolution was taken up as one of the first items of business. Many senators were surprised it was being considered; there was no effort to derail it, though.
"I think it's fantastic," Leas said. "This is a great achievement and Peter Shumlin deserved a lot of credit for listening to the people, listening to his conscience and taking action."

Nonbinding resolutions favoring impeachment passed in more than three dozen communities at town meetings last month, which Shumlin said supports the Senate's action. "Forty towns passed impeachment resolutions. The supporters of impeachment, whom I am among, made an extremely compelling case that the Senate should move forward with its own resolution," he said.

The Senate resolution is not specific in its complaints, but says Bush and Cheney "have exercised the duties of their respective offices with respect to both domestic and foreign affairs in ways that raise serious questions of constitutionality, statutory legality, and abuse of the public trust."
The resolution mentions the war in Iraq and says the administration's "domestic leadership on issues relating to individual privacy and personal liberty under law has raised constitutional issues of the greatest concern to the nation's citizenry."

U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., is asked in the resolution to introduce a resolution in Congress initiating impeachment.

7960 · 04-20-2007, 04:00 PM

Originally Posted by Linzyhop

what do you guys think about this?

I think Berkeley is gonna be pissed.

hsmith · 04-20-2007, 04:17 PM

This would matter if the state congresses still appointed US Senators.

RMNIXON · 04-20-2007, 05:52 PM

How about a National Vote to remove Vermont from the Union along with San Francisco Bay?

The Grand Leftist Duchy of Vermont. We make Teddy Bears and Hate the Neo Cons!

grembert · 04-20-2007, 08:51 PM

There are only 25 Senators in Vermont's state government? -- The vote was
16 to 9 --- They could all ..... I can't think of an ending to that

Ardentfrost · 04-20-2007, 09:01 PM

Ah, I thought about posting this article a bit ago

I doubt it'll amount to much, but who knows... we might get lucky. I'd love to see all the shit an investigation would surface.

JaJae · 04-20-2007, 10:04 PM

Linzy, we need you to give us your opinion on this.

Also, what crime are they voting to impeach Bush on? I didn't see it in the article.

Ardentfrost · 04-20-2007, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by JaJae

Linzy, we need you to give us your opinion on this.

Also, what crime are they voting to impeach Bush on? I didn't see it in the article.

States can't impeach presidents. "Calling for impeachment" means that an investigation group be formed. The act of investigating is impeachment... it doesn't have to go to trial.

hsmith · 04-20-2007, 10:19 PM

it is non-binding anyway

JaJae · 04-20-2007, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

States can't impeach presidents. "Calling for impeachment" means that an investigation group be formed. The act of investigating is impeachment... it doesn't have to go to trial.

Investigate what crime? What crime do they believe Bush is directly guilty of?

Ardentfrost · 04-20-2007, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by hsmith

it is non-binding anyway

True, they're did it to make a statement and hoping more people would get on the band wagon.

Isn't Kucinich supposed to bring impeachment papers before congress next week?

Linzyhop · 04-23-2007, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by JaJae

Linzy, we need you to give us your opinion on this.

I think it's a bit ridiculous, but it probably is to get people talking, in which case i can see the point. but if everyone is really trying to get this war won, i don't see how impeaching the current president will help things. even if I don't like him.

Also, what crime are they voting to impeach Bush on? I didn't see it in the article.

i just copied the article from the website. either fox or msnbc...