In the left-wing people’s republic of Vermont, the only state in the nation with a socialist for a Senator.

The Vermont House has rejected a resolution calling for a congressional impeachment investigation of President George W.Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

On a roll call vote of 60-87, the House voted against the resolution that the Senate passed last week. That vote came as hundreds of supporters of the resolution were gathered at the Statehouse to lobby for the measure’s passage.

Rep. Thomas Koch, R-Barre Town, was the first legislator to speak out against the resolution on the floor Wednesday. Passing the resolution would add to the acrimony of modern politics and “not make our troops any safer,” he said.

“One of the lessons we learned from the Clinton impeachment is that it should not be treated lightly,” Koch said. “It ought to be reserved for the most egregious, most urgent high crimes and misdemeanors. It should not be about whether or not you support the president or the war.”

If an impeachment of Bush can’t pass in Vermont, maybe the President isn’t as unpopular as some in the media (and on the left) would have us believe.