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Political notes from Free Press staff writers Terri Hallenbeck, Sam Hemingway and Nancy Remsen


4.20.2007

 

Senate impeaches Bush, Cheney

A couple of odd things happened in the Senate this morning. They started on time, bright and early at 8:30 a.m., and then without a word of debate they voted to urge Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Bush and Vice President Cheney.

Barely anyone was there to witness it (don't worry, your intrepid vt. Buzz team was there), all part of the smoothness of the move. It was done before some members even realized the session had started.

Senate President Pro Tempore Peter Shumlin, who earlier in the week reiterated to impeachment supporters that there just wasn't enough time for the Senate to take up such a resolution, ended up introducing the thing himself, along with fellow Windham Democrat Jeanette White. With Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie out of town, Shumlin found a way to make this happen in seconds.

After the vote, I ran into impeachment advocate Jimmy Leas, who was just on his way toward the Senate. Quickly, he dialed fellow supporter Liza Earle on the phone. "It passed," he said. "Tell everybody."

- Terri Hallenbeck

Comments:
Freyne had this posted hours ago. Intrepid maybe, but come-lately, definately.
 
Yes, I didn't get to blogging it until this afternoon, but we had the story posted on the Free Press Web site within minutes of the vote.
- TH
 
What a sleazy way to make a statement that will have no impact. It is nice to know that all of Vermont's problems are solved and they can deal with this.
 
Taking a stand against torture, illegal wire tapping and wide spread corruption in the Oval Office is sleasy?

Your values are much different from most Americans'.
 
Sorry, pal, but a meaningless impeachment vote by one half of a state legislature, especially one that was intentioanlly rushed-through when the leadership knew no one was paying any attention, isn't "taking a stand against torture, illegal wiretapping, and widespread corruption in the Oval Office." You know what will take care of those things? It's called an election, and last I heard there was one scheduled for 2008. Now that the handful of hysterical activists got what they wanted, can you please go back to your jobs now? Thanks.
 
BRAVO!!!!! Well said. Except these people don't have jobs. They're all on SSI, VHAP, and every other state and federal program, courtesy of taxpayers like us.
 
Also, the title to this article is wrong. The Vermont state senate did not "impeach" anyone. It has no power to do that. Rather, it passed, by 16-9 (which means that at least a few Democrats voted against it and a few senators skipped the vote entirely), a resolution calling on Congress to impeach the President. That and three bucks will get you a Vente at Starbucks, especially since the Democrats in Congress have no intention of doing this because they recognize it as a big, fat, partisan waste of time. And that includes every member of Vermont's Congressional delegation, even though it's the most ultra-liberal, anti-Bush delegation in Congress. Just like the Clinton impeachment was a big, fat, partisan waste of time.
 
The entire Vermont Congressional delegation has already issued a statement saying, "Um, no" to the Vt. Senate's impeachment resolution.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070420/NEWS/70420027
 
I agree that Shumlin is sleazy. But that's not an impeachable offense.

Condoning torture ... THAT'S an impeachable offense!!!
 
Nice job.... Once again Vermont takes the lead in looking silly in front of the country. Our legislators need to get serious about addressing the issues that face the State. Let's get serious fixing the real issues like reducing our tax burden which on a per capita basis is the highest in the country, education spending that is unfocused and out of control, a failing transportation and highway system and a business environment that scares potential new employers away. Perhaps wasting time chasing Bush is just a convenient way to avoid addressing the issues they can't figure out.
 
Assuming you can prove that the President approved of the torture. Got evidence? And if you prove it, what you've proved is that the President may have broken a law. If breaking a law is an impeachable offense, every U.S. president would have to be impeached. Period. Disagreeing with the President's policies -- as despicable and foolish as they may be -- is not grounds for impeachment. That's what led to the ridiculous impeachment of Clinton -- one of the lowest spectacles in recent U.S. politics. We should repeat that all over again?
 
If we impeach Bush -- much as he may deserve it -- we establish a cycle. They will then definitely impeach Clinton/Obama/Edwards. What have we got? Election, impeachment. Election, impeachment. Election, impeachment. Election, impeachment. Great.
 
Yes there is evidence that Bush approved torture. His 2002 memo that he issued to superscede the Geneva Conventions, which we had ratified and thus made law of the land (the president is sworn under oath to protect the law). This memo was also in conflict with the War Crimes Act of 1996.
 
Meanwhile, Vermont remains tortured by Shumlin.
 
Shumlin and Symington
 
If Bush thought what he was doing was legal, especially if advisers told him so, then, even if we disagree with it, he did not knowingly break the law. So this is the best evidence you've got for impeachment? That the Oval Office issued a memo on the treatment of wartime detainees? The fact that we despise his politics and policies does NOT justify impeachment. Now get the hell over it.
 
Hayder Sabbar Abd was tortured by Americans.

Look it up. There are pictures

Bush made it happen. Look it up.
 
Moazzam Begg
Feroz Abbasi
Martin Mubanga
Richard Belmar

These 4 men were tortured at Gitmo.

Look it up.
 
You have no proof that Bush authorized the torture of these people, assuming they were tortured. Your personal belief that Bush is responsible for this does not justify the procedure of impeachment. Why doesn't Leahy agree with you? Why doesn't Sanders agree with you? Why doesn't Welch agree with you. Does every President whom you believe broke the law deserve to be impeached? Because we knoiw that Clinton in fact broke the law against perjury under oath. So whaddya think? Guess the impeachment of Clinton was correct after all, right?
 
Senator Shumlin figured a way to successfully pull this off and I'm smiling sooo wide that none of the negative comments posted here can wipe it off my face. Did you catch Douglas' response? Watch out republicans, we now have a contender.
 
A contender? Mr. "I support this but it has to start in the House" (a lie). Mr. "I support this but we don't have time." Mr. "I've changed my mind so let's see if we can sneak a vote through while Dubie is away and at 8:15 a.m. so no one will be paying attention?" Shumlin has take so many different stands on so many issues he's not a serious contender for anything except a weather vane.
 
Shumlin is a bitch. Seriously. That's the best word to describe him at this point. All along he has been opposed to this resolution. Then, this week a bunch of proponents are at the Statehouse arguing and he holds his ground, saying NO. Afterward, he hears that Sen. Dick McCormack said that he was going to introduce a resolution. Shumlin can't stand the thought of someone else stealing the thunder from him so he throws together a quick resolution with his name at the top. Then he has Campbell preside over the session (Shumlin should be presiding since Dubie is away) so that he can have his name in the voting record. Regardless of whether or not you support this resolution, you should be able to see Shumlin for the unprincipled attention-grabbing politician that he is.
 
Seriously, I think he now has less of a chance for gaining statewide office than he did when he ran for Lt. Gov. a few elections ago and Pollina took enough votes away on the left to give us Dubie. I supported Shumlin then. But in retrospect, just since he came back to the State Senate last November, he has so disgraced himself with his unprincipled constant changing of positions that I think he's done. The man stands for nothing and apparently believes in nothing.
 
Don't put a fork in Shummy yet. There's more going on than meets the eye.
 
TH -- what about the Senators who were absent? Were they intentionally absent to avoid the vote? Do you have any idea how they would have voted?
 
" Don't put a fork in Shummy yet. There's more going on than meets the eye."

I'm not putting a fork in him; he's simply playing the game of politics. I disagree about more going on than meets the eye though. Is this a point you could elaborate on?
 
Coppenrath would've voted no for sure. Campbell didn't vote because he was presiding (Shumlin should've presided but he wanted his name in the "Yeas" column).
 
Cheney has even BOASTED about the administration's torture program -- saying that water boarding is no big deal.

Remember the "dunk in the water" remark?
 
Shumlin has to do this so he can run for governor.
 
BFP Management should be impeached for their shoddy delivery operation in central VT. They are taking subscribers money, and advertisers money, but then don't deliver the product they promise they will. I am lucky to get a paper 3 days a week in Montpelier. Sounds like high crimes to me!
 
Didn't get your paper this morning? Flood the Free Press blogs with comments expressing your anger! The Free Press seems more concerned with these blogs than with making sure subscribers get their papers on time. Rise up!
 
Cancel your subscription!
 
Shumlin for Governor!
 
Why?
 
Because he's for impeachment .... no wait, he's against impeachment ... I mean, um ... he's FOR impeachment ... I no ... which is it today?
 
He's better than Douglas.
Or is he????????????
 
Dubie for Governor!
 
Zuckerman for Governor.
 
Yeah, Zuckerman for Governor of a Soviet farming collective.
 
Zuckerman and Shumlin deserve each other!
 
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