John Bolton Watch: Senate Republicans Schedule Confirmation Hearing for United Nations Ambassador Bolton
John Bolton, United States Ambassador to the United Nations , addresses the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East. Speakers at a UN Security Council debate demanded a quick end to the bloodshed in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip as UN relief coordinator Jan Egeland announced a trip to the region to assess a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Reuters: White House moves to confirm Bolton to UN post
Senate Republicans on Friday scheduled a confirmation hearing on John Bolton, who is serving as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on a presidential appointment, as the White House renewed its bid to get Bolton approved by the Senate.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee announced it will hold a hearing with Bolton on July 27 and top Senate Republicans said they would move quickly to confirm President George W. Bush’s pick.
The President is correct in pusing a vote on Bolton’s confirmation before the Fall elections. Bolton has done a credible job as United Nations Ambassador and he is who the President wants in this job. This is not a life-tenure appointment and the threshold for presidential courtesy is extraordinarily petty politically.
Bush bypassed the Senate and appointed Bolton during a congressional recess last year after Democrats blocked his confirmation amid accusations he had used his position as the top U.S. diplomat for arms control to bully intelligence analysts.
The White House moved again for a Senate endorsement after Ohio Republican Sen. George Voinovich (news, bio, voting record), who joined Democrats in blocking Bolton last year, said on Thursday he now backs him.
Senate Republicans and the administration expressed confidence Bolton would be approved this time, particularly with the need for an experienced hand at the United Nations during the Middle East crisis.
Will the President be successful this time with the Senate?
Possible…
But, at the very least, there will be GOP controlled hearings painting the Dems as weak on supporting America’s international interests by obstructioning the President. The Pro-Israeli lobby would also, most likely, way into the campaign for Bolton’s confirmation and these folks are already pissed at Lefty Democrats who are attacking Senator Joe Lieberman in Connecticut.
Several Democrats said they still opposed Bolton, a harsh critic of the United Nations known for an abrasive manner.
Sen. Joseph Biden (news, bio, voting record) of Delaware, top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said on Thursday Senate should not vote on Bolton unless the White House turns over documents that the Democrats sought last year.
Biden also said Bolton’s U.N. performance “confirms my conviction he is the wrong person for this job” and the administration should find someone else.
Senate Democrats have not yet discussed whether to try to block a vote on Bolton, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said there was a desire to move to a Senate vote because “people have seen the fruits of John Bolton’s labor at the United Nations,” and said he was “doing a tremendous job.”
Slow Joe Biden who wants to be President will bloviate (as usual) to entertain the lefty netroot NUTTERS who have abandoned Hillary Clinton and Joe Lieberman for their Iraq War positions/votes. And besides good lefty theater who benefits from the obstruction of John Bolton besides the self-serving Democrat Senators who want to please Kos and Huggington?
The answer is NO ONE BESIDES THEMSELVES.
Flap handicaps that John Bolton will win confirmation as United Nations Ambassador after the September recess.
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (R) sits with U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton as they meet in New York, July 21, 2006, with a three member United Nations team who just returned from Israel and Lebanon to discuss the current crisis in the region.
Captain Ed has Bolton Redux
Don’t expect too many of his caucus to attempt to force a filibuster to block Bolton. This time around, they will only expose themselves as obstructionists, dangerous obstructionists in a time of war. Bolton has already shown them up once, and the Democrats would be well advised to avoid it a second time.
Stay tuned……
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