For a few weeks in February, the saga of Undergraduate Council Vice President John A. Burton '01 was better than Court TV. Burton's almost-impeachment and narrow redemption offered students the drama of a national political scandal amid the comforts of home.

Burton and his presidential running mate Fentrice D. Driskell '01 were riding high after clobbering the competition in the December elections. Burton took 400 votes more than his closest opponent. Council watchers proclaimed that Driskell and Burton would reverse the conservatism of past presidents Noah Z. Seton '00 and Beth A. Stewart '00 and inaugurate a new era of liberal activism.

That was until Buttongate. Shortly after the election, other candidates began muttering about alleged improprieties in the Driskell-Burton campaign--a mass mailing to first-years, inappropriately obtained lemonade.

But a batch of buttons from the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters' Alliance (BGLTSA) proved the most damning issue. A box in the BGLTSA's resource center invited students to take buttons--but board members said they didn't expect Burton to take all of them, more than 100, and cover them over with the Driskell-Burton logo.

Furious, 10 council members, including some defeated opponents of the Driskell campaign, filed articles of impeachment against Burton.

Political intrigue swirled for weeks, as accusations flew and former Burton allies (including an ex-roommate) called for his resignation.

National reporters were drawn to the scandal by its resemblance to the Clinton impeachment in miniature. The Boston Globe covered the vote, and Newsweek ran a feature.

The council's vote on Feb. 13 was close. The first article of impeachment, accusing Burton of lying, failed to win a majority. The second, for infringing on the rights of a student group, carried 41 to 38 but did not achieve the necessary two-thirds majority to remove the vice president.

When it was all over, the Burton trial tarnished the already blackened reputation of the council even further. More than a month of Driskell and Burton's term was consumed by jockeying and legal maneuvering.

But at least students paid attention--the impeachment debates drew packed houses and spurred weeks of dining hall conversation. For a legislative body that's often ignored, there may not be such a thing as bad publicity.

Lawrence Lessig

When Thomas Penfield Jackson, the judge presiding over the Microsoft antitrust trial, wanted help sifting through the labyrinth of technical issues surrounding the case, he turned to Berkman Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies Lawrence Lessig. If Microsoft is broken up, as is widely expected, Lessig will have provided critical ammunition for the government's slingshot.