Vermont Towns Back Bush Impeachment

Temperatures below zero outside didn't cool passions indoors at Vermont town meetings yesterday. At communities across the state, citizens came to debate and vote on local matters — and the Iraq War.

CBS affiliate WCAX correspondent Darren Perron reports that voters in 35 towns passed non-binding resolutions to investigate and possibly impeach President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Twenty towns voted in favor of immediately withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq.

Nine other towns either voted no or declined to take up the impeachment resolution.

Organizers of the initiatives say these tiny New England towns have sent a big message to Washington and the rest of the country.

But critics of the impeachment and withdrawal resolutions said it's not a local matter to be decided at town meetings along with firehouse budgets and property taxes, and the discussion took away from issues that the forum is designed to deal with.

"This is an inappropriate venue," said Bill Miller of Jericho. "Town Meeting is to decide town issues. We should stick to that."

Clearly, the resolutions were the reasons some voters showed up in the first place. They considered Town Meeting the perfect venue to vent their frustration with the Bush administration and its Iraq policy.

"A chorus (of people) want this nightmare of a war to be over," said Peter Lackowski.

In Middlebury, Gov. Jim Douglas was the Town Meeting moderator. He at first tried to block a vote on the two resolutions, reasoning that they were brought up under new business, meaning no vote could be held, according to the Rutland Herald and Times Argus.

He changed his mind when voters made clear they wanted to weigh in on the resolutions, both of which were opposed by wide margins.

"It became clear that no one was going home until they had the chance to discuss the resolutions and vote on them," said David Rosenberg, a political science professor at Middlebury College who attended the meeting. "And being a good politician, he allowed the vote to happen."

In Calais, Vt., moderator Gus Seelig asked the crowd of about 125 people to keep it civil. "We're not going to attack our neighbors," he said. "They're still going to be our neighbors when we're done here today."

Marion Gray, 60, the stepmother of a service member killed in Iraq, called it "treasonous" to spend taxpayer money on impeachment proceedings, and said the United States had more to lose by pulling out.

"If we don't finish the job there, it's going to be finished here," she said. "They will follow our troops home."

Moments later, Cynthia Johnson, 51, who had petitioned for the resolution, stood up from her pew near the back. "It is our responsibility here, at Town Meeting, in this forum, to question the things that are happening."

So it went, back and forth.

Ray Lemay, 66, whose son is a U.S. Navy officer, said the polling place was where such grievances should be addressed. His voice halting, he looked toward Gray, who was across the room. "I'd hate to see my son in the same boat as Mrs. Gray's. But if it happens, it happens. It was a good cause."

Several speakers said they objected to the notion that war opponents don't support the troops.

"It is not treason to question our government," said Tom Treece, 40. "This has nothing to do with the troops. It's about what the administration is doing. We all support the troops, but they're being used."

Supporters said that while this week's votes should get the attention of Vermont's Congressional delegation, all three members — Senators Patrick Leahy (D) and Bernie Sanders (I) and Rep. Peter Welch (D) — have said they do not support beginning impeachment proceeding against the president, though they are in favor of investigating Bush administration policies — and all three are in favor of at least a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Gray said it was supporters of the measure who were being used. She said Calais' passage of the resolution — in a 94-22 vote — would have no effect.

"It goes nowhere, folks," she said. "Neither forward nor backward."