In a year of profound disappointment for Democrats in the Democratically-controlled Congress which has largely failed to live up to the expectations of the 2006 election, yesterday’s vote may have been the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

The Democrats in the House of Representatives were split, 135 to 86, on a vote about whether to kill a resolution, introduced by Dennis Kucinich, to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney. While many Democrats voted in favor of keeping the resolution active, a larger number, still too afraid to stand up to the Bush White House.

The motion to table the resolution failed, nonetheless. It’s this kind of move, however, protecting Dick Cheney from accountability to the law, that has driven the approval rating of Congress to an astounding low point of just 14 percent.

Among those who voted to kill the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney were many congressional Democrats who were elected for the first time in 2006. Among those was Joe Sestak, representing the 7th district of Pennsylvania. Consider the comment of one former Sestak supporter, after yesterday’s impeachment vote:

“Joe Sestak (D-PA) campaigned, after a lot of bragging about how he was a brave Admiral, went on to promise that he, Admiral Sestak, would get us out of Iraq by the end of the year (2007). So we folk in his district vote out Republican Curt Weldon, who was a long-time House member. So, what’s the first thing Sestak does? He votes to satisfy Bush’s craving for more money to continue his war. We suspect he will probably continue to support Bush’s whining for more cash to pump (along with blood) into that Middle East religious cesspool. As to “impeachment” — He seems terrified of even the word! Lordy! I suppose the only thing about him to be happy about is he is not tugging at the wheel of some gunboat. We are looking forward to his final retirement.”

In New York State, another voter looks at Mike Arcuri’s vote against impeachment, and wonders, “Will progressive, pro-impeachment Democrats take this kick in the ribs from Congressman Arcuri, as they’ve taken kicks from him before?”

One year ago, no one would have predicted that a new, Democratic Congress could have gotten an approval rating even lower than the previous, Republican Congress. Congressional Democrats ought not to take their majority for grants.