So PoliticsVT – the blog I never quite understood, but read (and often linked to) religiously – has gone the way of all things, more or less on schedule. I’ll certainly miss the regular stop on my daily surfing, the lively back-and-forths in their comments, and their entertaining inability to spell the singular “woman.”

I’ll always wonder what was going on there. Not the anonymity thing, so much as the continuum between the “Golden Age PolVT” with “Moe Robinson” and the “Silver Age PolVT” with the whole political undead schtick. But that’s okay, as I was just grateful for bloggers that made more typos than I do.

PolVT was the “Raw Story” of Vermont politics, going up with every rumor they heard, sometimes being spot on (and other times… hmmmmm, not so much). They were often the online punching bag (which I know got to ’em sometimes), but even the punchers kept coming back for their daily fix. As nature abhors a vaccuum, no doubt someone will try to fill their niche – but I suspect whoever does won’t be nearly as entertaining. Bye folks!

In an earlier scenario before the Novemeber election, I suggested that Cheney might resign in 2007 and allow Bush to appoint a new VP, perhaps Bill Frist, who would then become the Republican heir-apparent in 2008.  Impeachment was not a factor in that discussion.

Since I posted that, Nancy Pelosi has become Speaker and third in line for the Presidency. This changes the scenario and influences the impeachment discussion dramatically.

Before, if Bush had been removed from office, it would have resulted in Cheney becoming President, or in his absence a Republican Speaker of the House.
But with Pelosi in office, the potential scenario where Bush could be impeached effectively freezes Cheney into place for the duration of Bush’s term. On the other hand, if the Democrats want to REALLY do a number, you remove Cheney first, then impeach Bush – result: President Pelosi!
Which brings us to a Republican strategy built around Plamegate: by dragging out the Plame legal case, you forestall action by Congress to impeach Cheney, since an ongoing judicial investigation is under way. And by securing Cheney, you secure Bush.
So…a rapid conclusion to the judicial proceedings around Plame is not in the interests of the Republicans and the White House, but if the Democrats could start investigations in the House that could lead to pressure on Cheney to resign or be impeached, that would create fantastic congressional Democratic leverage.  And actually succeeding would put a Democratic woman in the White House!

So – watch the Plame case closely and especially the way the role of Cheney in that process!

The hemming and hawing over Bush’s anticipated plans for an escalation in Iraq by the end of the month is in play, with high-ranking Democratic Senator Carl Levin of Michigan suggesting he may sign on. The mind simply boggles.

On the Republican side, there is a lot of responsible-sounding, non-committal chest thumping that will inevitably end with everyone dutifully falling into line with Bush (with the possible exception of Oregon Senator Gordon Smith).

So who are we counting on, here?

Newly elected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hedged a bit, was was pretty specific in her recent threat against it:

In an interview in her new office at the capitol, Pelosi told reporters, including KCBS’ Doug Sovern, that a troop surge translates to an escalation of the war in Iraq. She said sending more forces is the exact opposite of what most Americans want and the White House can’t expect the new Congress to approve money for the action.

“They have to know that the election of a Democratic Congress has made a difference in the oversight of in war in Iraq.”

Pelosi said she is not willing to cut off money for the whole war, but will demand justification for any new funding.

That’ll be hard to step away from. Many other House Dems (such as Murtha and Blumenauer) are with her on this.

Her counterpart in the Senate, Harry Reid of Nevada, has sounded less solid in the last several days – but most recently gave reason for optimism:

In a blunt challenge to President Bush, the leader of the Senate’s new Democratic majority said Monday he will “look at everything” within his power to wind down the war in Iraq, short of cutting off funding for troops already deployed.

“I think we’ve got to tell the president what he’s doing as wrong. We’ve got to start bringing our folks home,” said Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada

Of course the big news is Senator Kennedy’s proposed of legislation to prevent this very thing:

Declaring that “American values and America’s role in the world are all at stake,” Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on Tuesday said he will lead an effort to block funding for a troop surge in Iraq “unless and until Congress approves” President Bush’s plan for such a deployment.

In a speech at the National Press Club, Kennedy, D-Mass., the No. 2 Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said he and Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., would introduce legislation later in the day aimed at forcing Bush to gain congressional consent for his new Iraq strategy, which the president plans to unveil in a televised address to the nation Wednesday night.

That’s Kennedy and Markey.

Then there’s the local team:

Today at 9:00 AM, Middlebury College professor and internationally renowned author and activist Bill McKibben will address a joint House/Senate Committee at the Vermont Statehouse to discuss the urgency of addressing Climate Change. Although he’s not going in with any prepared statement, he did offer the following to pass along regarding the website he and six recent Middlebury grads launched a few days ago – stepitup07.org – to coordinate a national day of action on climate change on April 14th. According to the website, there are already 94 local events planned in 30 states, but obviously much more help is needed. The following is from the email he sent out announcing the site:

Dear Friend-
I’m writing to ask your help. I know you’ve already made changes in your own life to deal with climate change; I’m guessing that, like me, you feel a little helpless about the scale of the problem. Some of us who are eager to do something more are organizing a day of demonstrations for April 14. We’re calling ourselves Stepitup2007.org, and we need you to be a vital part-to organize a rally in your neck of the woods. If everyone pitches in, we’ll have by far the largest action yet in this nation about global warming-large enough that Washington will notice and start to act.

It’s going to be an unusual day. People will be rallying in many of America’s most iconic places: on the levees in New Orleans, on top of the melting ice sheets on Mt. Hood and in Glacier National Park, even underwater on the endangered coral reefs off Key West and Hawaii. But we need hundreds of rallies outside churches, and in city parks, and in rural fields. It’s not a huge task-assemble as many folks as possible, hoist a banner, take a picture. We’ll link pictures of the protests together electronically via the web-before the day is out, we’ll have a cascade of images to show both local and national media that Americans don’t consider this a secondary issue. That instead they want serious action now.

We’re not an organization-we’re, in essence, a few people sending out invitations to a party. A potluck. This is going to be a homemade day of action. So go to our website at stepitup2007.org, and say `here’s where I live-I want to help organize.’ We’ll coordinate the responses, introducing you to others from your area, and give you everything you need to be a leader, from banners to press releases. You don’t have to have ever done anything like this-you’re not organizing a March on Washington, just a gathering of scores or hundreds in your town or neighborhood. We need creativity, good humor, commitment. If you are active in a campus group or a church or a local environmental group or a garden society or a bike club-or if you just saw Al Gore’s move and want to do something-then we need you now.

And by now, we mean now. The best science tells us we have ten years to fundamentally transform our economy and lead the world in the same direction or else, in the words of NASA’s Jim Hansen, we will face a “totally different planet.” We’re calling for 80 percent carbon cuts by 2050, which would be a good first step to warding off that future. But the exact numbers are less important than the underlying message to Washington: get serious. The recent elections have given us an opening, and polling shows most Americans know there’s a problem. But the forces of inertia and business-as-usual are still in control, and only our voices, united and loud, joyful and determined, can change that reality.
Please join us.

Bill McKibben

Although it’s hardly news to visitors of this site, it still can’t be said enough; it is impossible to work too hard, or move too quickly on this issue. Stop by the website and spread the word.