Vermont Dems vote to urge Congress to impeach Bush

RANDOLPH, Vt. — Leaders of the Vermont Democratic Party voted Saturday to urge Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against President Bush.

The vote makes Vermont's Democratic Party committee the fifth to do so, following New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin, party officials in Vermont said.

Committee member Margaret Lucenti said the president had misled the country into war, conducted illegal electronic spying on Americans and violated international torture treaties.

"I would hope that any one of these infractions would bring the administration down," she said. "We need to restore accountability in our federal government."

James Barnett, chairman of the Vermont Republican Party, called the vote out of step.

"This demonstrates that leaders of the Vermont Democratic Party are among the most extreme in the nation," he said.

The committee decided against a proposal to urge impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney.

"Let's keep it crisp," said committee member Billie Gosh. "Let's keep it clear."