Just heard via the grapevine that the Vermont Senate has passed this morning (Friday, April 20) JRS032: “REQUESTING CONGRESS TO COMMENCE IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS AGAINST THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.” SR 16 calling for the initiation of impeachment proceedings against the President and Vice President (- correction by odum). Neither the text of the resolution nor the roll call vote was available online as of half an hour after the vote.
The heroes here are Sen. Dick McCormack (D-Windsor) and Sen. Jeanette White (D-Windham), who put together the wording and pushed it through — despite the President Pro Tem’s purposeful dithering (Fairness/disclosure note: the sponsors of the resolution were Senators White and Shumlin -odum).
They deserve our thanks.
Now, if we could only get Bill Lippert off the dime — or find some heroes in the House to pull the House resolution out of committee without a committee vote.
And, oh, yes. there was information that Lt. Gov. Dubie was absent from the Senate this morning. (NOTE: This allowed Shumlin to run the proceedings and bring the matter to an immediate vote, rather than let Dubie, in his capacity as Senate president, send it to a committee to rot – odum again)
UPDATE (from odum): The vote count in the Senate was 16-9, with all the Republicans voting against and nearly all the Dems voting for. I dont know the roll call. Senator Shumlin, on the Mark Johnson Show this morning took responsibility for not taking hold of the issue sooner. Interestingly, according to Shumlin, it was brought to the floor and dealt with in only 5 minutes. Wow. He also noted that he decided to make this move 2 days ago and informed the Speaker, who reaffirmed on-air her refusal to allow the matter to come to a vote in the House. Shumlin also acknowledged that this wouldn’t have happened without the outpouring of support since Town Meeting Day. The resolution does name both Bush and Cheney. The full text below the fold (hat tip to Freyne):
UPDATE 2 (from odum): The Times Argus has a poll up on the issue now. Stop by and tell ’em how you feel.
Vermont’s state senators do support a resolution requiring the United States House Judiciary Committee to initiate impeachment proceedings against the president and the vice president of the United States.
WHEREAS, President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard 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;
WHEREAS, the president’s conduct in his role as commander-in-chief leading our nation into the military conflict in Iraq and the vice president’s continual advocacy for American troops remaining in Iraq have cost the United States much of the good will that was extended in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States;
WHEREAS, the president and the vice president’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;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, that the Senate of the State of Vermont urges Vermont’s representatives in the United States House of Representatives to introduce, and Vermont’s United States senators to support, a resolution requiring the United States House Judiciary Committee to initiate impeachment proceedings against the President and the Vice President of the United States, and be it further resolved that the secretary of the Senate be directed to send a copy of this resolution to United States Represenative Peter Welch, United States Senator Patrick J. Leahy, and United States Senator Bernard Sanders.