WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Vermont House Rejects Impeachment Resolution

Vermont House Rejects Impeachment Resolution

Montpelier, Vermont -- April 25, 2007

Scores of Vermonters showed up at the State House today demanding passage of a resolution calling for the impeachment of the president. But despite a strong Democratic majority, the House voted against the measure. Legislators don't normally see so many people show up to put on the heat.

The day began in the State House cafeteria. Impeachment advocates signed in and put on name tags. They had come to demand a vote in the Vermont House on a resolution urging the U.S. House to investigate what they consider impeachable offenses. They claim the Bush administration lied about the reasons for going to war in Iraq. The Vermont Senate passed an impeachment resolution last week with no hearings and very little debate.

Liza Earle of Richmond, who organized the citizen lobby campaign, told the group that their presence already had a big impact. "Our goal today was to convince (House Speaker) Gaye Symington to not send the resolution to its death in a committee. And before we even came, as a movement we generated so much momentum that we already accomplished that goal, and they're taking it up this afternoon," she said.

Symington called the impeachment advocates into the House where they could speak -- and also listen to her argument against an impeachment resolution. She said the Democratic party-controlled Congress is already beginning investigations into the Bush administration. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt), chairman of the Judiciary committee, is seeking answers from Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about the U.S. Attorney firings. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) sits oln the Government Accountability committee and says he would support issuing a subpoena to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to question her about pre-war intelligence.

Symington told the citizens, who sat at representatives' desks and stood in the gallery, "Allow this new leadership to live up to the promises that they made when we elected them, and when Americans elected them. And let the process follow its course. And that's why I oppose this resolution."

Then came the debate, which preceded the vote. The primary sponsor, Rep.David Zuckerman (P-Burlington) cited the most common charge against the Bush administration concerning the Iraq war, the lack of weapons of mass destruction. But Rep. David Sunderland (R-Rutland Town) quoted several leading national Democrats, including Sens. John Kerry and Ted Kennedy -- and former president Bill Clinton, who at the time had charged that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Rep. Kurt Wright (R-Burlington) said, "Hating George Bush is not good enough for impeachment."

The roll call vote was closer than some observers had thought it might be -- 87-60. 

Aferward, Zuckerman told Channel 3, "It's hard to say the impeachment movement has a tremendous future in this state. We've taken some actions here, in the Senate and the House. But around the world and around this country, the discussion has clearly moved forward. In many ways, what the Congress is doing today is a form of impeachment."

All three members of Vermont's congressional delegation made it clear that they don't favor an impeachment resolution in Vermont.

Andy Potter - Channel 3 News