John Bolton (Pretty Much) Out as UN Ambassador

[PalJoey]

Posted: 9/7/06 at 3:45pm

As the Bush administration continues to go down, down, down in flames.

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Senate panel scrubs vote on Bolton as U.N. envoy
Thu Sep 7, 2006 12:12pm ET146

By Vicki Allen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate committee scrubbed its planned vote on Thursday on keeping John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations, as a key Republican remained undecided on the nomination by President George W. Bush.

Rhode Island Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee, the only Republican who has not publicly committed to supporting Bolton, sought more time, members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said. Chafee, locked in a tough re-election bid, faces a Republican primary election on Tuesday.

Committee Chairman Richard Lugar would only say a Republican member asked for the delay. He said the committee will meet on Bolton again, but did not say when.

"I'm not going to make any comments on time. It's going to require a lot of consultation with members on both sides of the aisle," the Indiana Republican said.

Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, a fierce opponent of Bolton, said, "I think the nomination is in deep trouble again, as it should be."

Given Democratic opposition to Bolton's nomination, all Republicans on the committee would have to back him in order to send his name to the Senate with a full endorsement.

Chafee voiced reservations on Bolton last year, but ended up sticking with committee Republicans. Chafee is a moderate Republican in a Democratic state, and he faces primary challenge from a conservative opponent.

Bolton is championed by foreign-policy conservatives, but Democrats contend Bolton bullied intelligence analysts to conform to his hawkish views in his last job as top U.S. arms control negotiator.

Bolton's opponents also say his harsh criticisms of the United Nations make him unsuitable for the job.

After Senate Democrats blocked a floor vote on Bolton's nomination last year, Bush bypassed the Senate and appointed him during a congressional recess. But that appointment expires in January and the White House wants him confirmed for the rest of Bush's term which ends in January 2009.

Lugar said the Senate has adequate time to act on Bolton this year. While Congress will break in early October for the November congressional elections, a lame-duck session after the election is all but certain.

Dodd said he intended to try to block a full Senate vote on Bolton if the nomination does come out of the committee.

"I'm stunned that we're even considering this," Dodd said, noting that a number of retired U.S. diplomats and sitting ambassadors at the United Nations have voiced opposition.

Ohio Republican Sen. George Voinovich -- who bucked the White House last year and was key in derailing Bolton's confirmation -- reversed his position in July, which Republicans had hoped would clear the way to confirm him.

Voinovich said Bolton has "demonstrated his ability, especially in recent months, to work with others and follow the president's lead by working multilaterally."

He said he could not "imagine a worse message to send to those opposing democracy than to replace the person our president has entrusted to lead our nation at the United Nations."

Senate panel scrubs vote on Bolton as U.N. envoy

Updated On: 9/7/06 at 03:45 PM

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 9/7/06 at 3:47pm

Oh, see, I don't think he's out, unfortunately. I think the Republicans are holding off the vote so that it can't be used in the primaries right now.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 9/7/06 at 3:48pm

AWESOME! An out UN Ambassador!!

WE WIN!!!

[mominator]

Posted: 9/7/06 at 3:52pm

Rath, that was great!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 9/8/06 at 10:42am

Steve Clemons of "The Washington Note" says he's out.

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Several well-placed sources close to the Bolton nomination process have reported to me that the Bolton confirmation process is now dead.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is "highly unlikely" to reconsider Bolton's confirmation again as things now stand.

One insider reported, as far as the Committee is concerned, "we consider the confirmation over. It's dead."

American diplomacy may get a boost in January. She's tough and not a darling of many progressives, but my vote is for Bush's next nominee to serve as US Ambassador to the United Nations is Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky.

Senator Lincoln Chafee gets this week's 'Conservative with a Conscience' Award for his principled stand on the importance of America's Middle East diplomacy and for making the Bolton confirmation process an appropriate vehicle to express his concerns.

-- Steve Clemons is Senior Fellow and Director of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation and publishes the popular political blog, The Washington Note.