Bush Nominates Bolton

[ABOTU]

I was listening to NPR with my mom yesterday and heard about it. Here's an article.

Bolton nomination goes to Senate without panel backing

By Barbara Slavin and Bill Nichols, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — A Republican's protest over John Bolton's nomination to be United Nations ambassador forced the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to send President Bush's choice to the Senate floor without an endorsement Thursday.

'John Bolton is the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be,' Sen. George Voinovich said.

Mark Wilson, Getty Images

The unusual committee action, taken on a party-line vote of 10 Republicans and 8 Democrats, prolongs the biggest confirmation battle of Bush's second term.

Given the Republican Senate majority of 55, Bolton has a good chance of being approved. However, according to Senate records, only nine of 46 nominees reported out of committee with no recommendation have been confirmed since 1925. The last was Solicitor-General Theodore Olson in 2001.

The dramatic high point of the five-hour committee meeting came an hour into the session, when Chairman Richard Lugar, R-Ind., called on Sen. George Voinovich. The Ohio Republican, whose refusal to vote three weeks ago delayed committee action, said testimony and documents had convinced him that the hard-charging State Department arms control chief was not right for the job.

At a time when U.S. credibility in the world is low and the United States needs more allies to share the burden of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Voinovich said, "the United States can do better than John Bolton." (Audio: Voinovich addresses panel)

AUDIO ANALYSIS

The panel's vote is a warning sign for the White House, USA TODAY's Judy Keen says in this analysis.

He called Bolton "the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be" and said Bolton would have been fired if he worked for a major corporation.

"What message are we sending to the world community when ... we have sought to appoint an ambassador to the United Nations who himself has been accused of being arrogant, of not listening to his friends, of acting unilaterally, of bullying those who do not have the ability to properly defend themselves?" Voinovich asked.

Some State Department and CIA officials told committee staffers that Bolton verbally abused subordinates, tried to get two analysts who disagreed with him fired and sought to present exaggerated scenarios about weapons programs in Cuba and Syria. But Lugar said the allegations were overstated and in some cases wrong. Although Bolton was often combative and aggressive in standing up for White House policy, Lugar said, Bolton was "extremely well qualified" and never engaged in any "serious ethical misconduct."

Voinovich said that in deference to Republican colleagues and Bush, he decided not to block the nomination in committee. "I'm not that arrogant to superimpose my point of view," he told reporters later. He said he would try to persuade others to oppose the nomination.

THE BOLTON FILE

Age: 56. Born Nov. 20, 1948.

Hometown: Baltimore

Current home: Bethesda, Md.

Family: Married to the former Gretchen Brainerd; one daughter.

Education: Yale University, B.A., 1970; Yale Law School, J.D., 1974.

Profession: Attorney; longtime government official.

Career highlights: Currently undersecretary of State for arms control and international security. Senior vice president, American Enterprise Institute, 1999-2001; assistant secretary of State for international organization affairs, 1989-93; assistant attorney general, Department of Justice, 1985-1989.

Source: USA TODAY research

Voinovich's spokeswoman, Marcie Ridgway, said he met with Bolton for a second time this week before making his decision.

Three other Republicans who had expressed reservations — Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — joined in sending the nomination to the floor.

Hagel said Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had assured him that Bolton would carry out their instructions. "I take the president at his word and Secretary Rice at her word," Hagel said.

Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said the White House is confident Bolton will be confirmed. However, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said outside the committee room that "we always have in the back" the option of a filibuster, a parliamentary maneuver to prevent a vote.

Sen. George Allen, R-Va., said Bolton's bluntness would be an asset. "We are not electing Mr. Congeniality," Allen said.

"We're not electing Mr. Peepers to go there ... drinking tea with his pinky up and just saying all these meaningless things when we do need a straight talker, and someone who's going to go there and shake it up," he said.

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yesterday I got two opinions on this, but I know there's way more. My brother(15) said that although Bush shouldn't have done this and Bolton wasn't the best choice we do need somone in the UN. My mom was totally against it. Me and my dad just sat watching them like a ping-pong match.

I just can't foget watching the Daily Show where they have a clip of Bolton saying "I do not believe in the UN." Jon Stewart makes that funny face while getting tons of Laughs. "Oh yah, we really need somebody to be the ambassador of something that doesn't exist!"

[Celumnaz]

three cheers woohoo! it's a minority in congress that didn't want him there that caused it to happen heh. filibuster That.

[Babs]

Happy that Bolton is in there with those bunch of sociopaths, maybe he won't let them get away with murder.

[bathory]

I just can't foget watching the Daily Show where they have a clip of Bolton saying "I do not believe in the UN." Jon Stewart makes that funny face while getting tons of Laughs. "Oh yah, we really need somebody to be the ambassador of something that doesn't exist!"

i like his attitude towards the UN, at the very least he'll shake things up over there and perhaps force the UN to be something other than the worthless money dispensing beuracratic machine that it is now.

[Melladior]

I think he's the shot in the arm that the UN needs.

[__Kratos__]

I just hope he fights the UN reform aka NWO! The UN is just bad right now...