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The ire surrounding the presidency of George W. Bush officially made its way to the Berkeley City Council Tuesday night when the council voted 8-0, Dona Spring abstaining, to support MoveOn.org’s efforts to censure President Bush.  

A competing proposal by the city’s Peace and Justice Commission to request Congressmember Barbara Lee to initiate impeachment actions against the Republican president was put off by the council after reports that Lee did not think impeachment had much chance of getting through Congress. The impeachment postponement vote also passed 8-0, with Spring again abstaining. 

Both measures were based upon criticism of Bush’s conduct in initiating last spring’s Iraqi war. The votes followed a pro-impeachment rally on the steps of Old City Hall prior to the council meeting, with speakers that included anti-war icon Daniel Ellsberg. 

For censure supporters, including Councilmember Kriss Worthington, it was a sweeping victory. 

“The most important message is that George Bush has conducted illegal military acts [and] given inaccurate information,” said Worthington. “To call for a censure is a dramatic step.”  

But the vote left those pushing for impeachment with mixed feelings, some glad the council made the move to take a stance and others disappointed they did not go further.  

Mark MacDonald, the Peace and Justice commissioner who introduced the impeachment resolution, agreed that censure was a move in the right direction but disagreed with the theory—credited to progressive Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich—that a move to impeach Bush would create sympathy for the president and only garner him more support. 

“I don’t buy that,” said MacDonald. “That’s not a good enough reason not to pursue the truth.” MacDonald noted that the cities of Santa Cruz and Arcata have already passed resolutions for impeachment. 

Councilmember Spring was one of several residents who spoke at the pro-impeachment rally. She suggested a friendly amendment to the censure vote that would have added a request for an investigation but not used the word impeachment. 

“I agreed with the community that we needed something stronger than censure,” she said. “But I understand that it is a question of strategy.” 

During the council debate on the impeachment issue, which was often interrupted by impeachment supporters, both Mayor Tom Bates and councilmember Linda Maio cited the fact that congressmember Lee had poured cold water on the impeachment idea during a late January meeting with Berkeley activists.  

“Everyone wants to get rid of [Bush],” Maio said. She added, however, that “I have to defer to [Congressmember Lee].” 

Jeffrey Thomas, Lee’s district director, said in a telephone interview that “there’s no Congressmember who is more interested in getting George Bush out of office than Congressmember Lee.” After speaking over the prospects of impeachment with John Conyers (D-Michigan), ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, however, Thomas said that Lee was “not enthusiastic about the prospect of getting enough votes for impeachment in a Republican Congress. The votes are simply not there.” 

Commissioner MacDonald said he realized Representative Lee needed more of a groundswell to introduce the request for an impeachment investigation. 

“She doesn’t want to stick her head into the guillotine,” he said, 

Nonetheless, he said, he still thinks the move to impeach will aid and not hinder the move to oust Bush. 

“Impeachment is a good election issue. Even if you don’t win, you bring the spotlight in Bush’s crimes,” he said.