Features

The Albany City Council declined to tackle the White House Monday. 

Councilmember Robert Lieber introduced a motion calling on his colleagues to direct the city’s Social and Economic Justice Commission to “prepare a resolution calling for the full investigation, impeachment, or resignation of President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney.” 

But when Lieber moved for adoption, he was unable to get a second. 

“I am very, very disappointed,” Lieber said Thursday. 

Of the ten members of the public who spoke on the issue, five favored the resolution and five opposed. 

“Three council people spoke against it. They said they were for it in principle but felt this wasn’t the proper forum,” Lieber said. “But all politics is local, and if it doesn’t start here, where does it start?” 

Now that the council has voted against asking the commission to prepare a resolution, Lieber said he may draft up one on his own to introduced at a future meeting. 

“It’s very important,” he said. “They are going after our basic freedom, and they’re saying that human and animal rights activists are the most dangerous people in the U.S. It’s ridiculous.”