SOS
05-13-2005, 11:57 PM
Why is bush still supporting Bolton?
In Face of Opposition, Bush Renews Support for Bolton (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/14/politics/14bolton.html?hp&ex=1116043200&en=0c077f6bf4dc5dbb&ei=5094&partner=homepage)
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
Published: May 14, 2005
WASHINGTON, May 13 - The White House on Friday renewed its defense of John R. Bolton, President Bush's choice for ambassador to the United Nations, urging the Senate to confirm him quickly even as leading Democrats vowed to stall the vote until the State Department turned over certain classified documents.
"We believe there is a majority of the Senate that agrees with the president that John Bolton is exactly the person we need at the United Nations during this critical time of reform," President Bush's spokesman, Scott McClellan, said, adding that he hoped that "Democrats wouldn't try to play politics with this nomination."
But Mr. Bolton's future was very much hanging in the balance on Friday, while Republicans and Democrats in the Senate tried to figure out their next steps. The Republican leadership is hoping to have him confirmed by the end of the month. But with a showdown over judicial confirmations looming, and a decision by Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, to place an indefinite hold on the nomination, a quick confirmation is hardly assured.
At issue is Mr. Bolton's temperament and management style, along with accusations that he mistreated employees when they disagreed with his assessments about intelligence. On Thursday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee took the unusual step of sending his nomination to the full Senate without an endorsement after a crucial Republican, Senator George V. Voinovich of Ohio, denounced him as unfit for the job.
The committee's action was a setback for both Mr. Bolton and Mr. Bush. The president had made a personal plea to Mr. Voinovich on the eve of the vote - after the senator had already told Republican leaders he would not support Mr. Bolton. Despite his conversation with the president, Mr. Voinovich denounced Mr. Bolton in the most scathing terms, calling him "the poster child for what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be."
On Friday, Mr. McClellan was asked if Mr. Bush considered the outcome a defeat.
"The president had a good conversation with the senator the other day," Mr. McClellan said. "We respect his decision. But there are many others who agree that the president appointed exactly the kind of person that we need up at the United Nations during this time when they're moving forward on reform."
What happens next depends, in part, on negotiations between Senate Democrats and the State Department. That, in turn, will involve Senator Boxer and the hold she has placed on the nomination.
Under Senate rules, any senator can place a hold on any nomination. The hold can be lifted either by the votes of 60 senators or by the senator who called for it. With only 55 seats in the Senate, the Republicans are not likely to win a vote. And Ms. Boxer said Friday that she would maintain the hold until the State Department turned over certain classified documents, including those relating to Mr. Bolton's dealings with American intelligence agencies over Syria.
But Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has so far refused to release the files, saying their disclosure would have a chilling effect on debates within the administration. On Friday, the State Department spokesman, Richard A. Boucher, held fast to that argument, saying, "We don't think anything further is required before the floor vote."
Mr. Bolton's chances for a floor vote are complicated by the fight between Democrats and Republicans over Mr. Bush's judicial nominees.
Democrats have vowed to slow Senate business to a crawl if Republicans exercise a rule change to prevent them from using the filibuster to block judges from confirmation. Aides to Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the majority leader, say he wants to vote on Mr. Bolton after the fight over the judges but before the Memorial Day recess.
Some Democrats say that a filibuster against Mr. Bolton's nomination is unlikely. With Republicans already accusing Democrats of overusing the tactic, they do not want to look filibuster-happy.
But a spokesman for Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, said Friday that Mr. Reid had not ruled a filibuster out, and Senator Boxer agreed. "Everything's on the table," she said.
Republicans are hoping to shame Democrats into a quick vote on Mr. Bolton. They argue that he needs to be in place by June so that the United States will have the latitude it needs to press its concerns about Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program before the Security Council.
But Ms. Boxer said Democrats were hoping Mr. Voinovich's pointed speech would prompt other Republicans who have expressed doubts about Mr. Bolton to vote against him.
"I think that George Voinovich's speech was momentous in laying out the case against this nominee," she said.
In Face of Opposition, Bush Renews Support for Bolton (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/14/politics/14bolton.html?hp&ex=1116043200&en=0c077f6bf4dc5dbb&ei=5094&partner=homepage)
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
Published: May 14, 2005
WASHINGTON, May 13 - The White House on Friday renewed its defense of John R. Bolton, President Bush's choice for ambassador to the United Nations, urging the Senate to confirm him quickly even as leading Democrats vowed to stall the vote until the State Department turned over certain classified documents.
"We believe there is a majority of the Senate that agrees with the president that John Bolton is exactly the person we need at the United Nations during this critical time of reform," President Bush's spokesman, Scott McClellan, said, adding that he hoped that "Democrats wouldn't try to play politics with this nomination."
But Mr. Bolton's future was very much hanging in the balance on Friday, while Republicans and Democrats in the Senate tried to figure out their next steps. The Republican leadership is hoping to have him confirmed by the end of the month. But with a showdown over judicial confirmations looming, and a decision by Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California, to place an indefinite hold on the nomination, a quick confirmation is hardly assured.
At issue is Mr. Bolton's temperament and management style, along with accusations that he mistreated employees when they disagreed with his assessments about intelligence. On Thursday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee took the unusual step of sending his nomination to the full Senate without an endorsement after a crucial Republican, Senator George V. Voinovich of Ohio, denounced him as unfit for the job.
The committee's action was a setback for both Mr. Bolton and Mr. Bush. The president had made a personal plea to Mr. Voinovich on the eve of the vote - after the senator had already told Republican leaders he would not support Mr. Bolton. Despite his conversation with the president, Mr. Voinovich denounced Mr. Bolton in the most scathing terms, calling him "the poster child for what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be."
On Friday, Mr. McClellan was asked if Mr. Bush considered the outcome a defeat.
"The president had a good conversation with the senator the other day," Mr. McClellan said. "We respect his decision. But there are many others who agree that the president appointed exactly the kind of person that we need up at the United Nations during this time when they're moving forward on reform."
What happens next depends, in part, on negotiations between Senate Democrats and the State Department. That, in turn, will involve Senator Boxer and the hold she has placed on the nomination.
Under Senate rules, any senator can place a hold on any nomination. The hold can be lifted either by the votes of 60 senators or by the senator who called for it. With only 55 seats in the Senate, the Republicans are not likely to win a vote. And Ms. Boxer said Friday that she would maintain the hold until the State Department turned over certain classified documents, including those relating to Mr. Bolton's dealings with American intelligence agencies over Syria.
But Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has so far refused to release the files, saying their disclosure would have a chilling effect on debates within the administration. On Friday, the State Department spokesman, Richard A. Boucher, held fast to that argument, saying, "We don't think anything further is required before the floor vote."
Mr. Bolton's chances for a floor vote are complicated by the fight between Democrats and Republicans over Mr. Bush's judicial nominees.
Democrats have vowed to slow Senate business to a crawl if Republicans exercise a rule change to prevent them from using the filibuster to block judges from confirmation. Aides to Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the majority leader, say he wants to vote on Mr. Bolton after the fight over the judges but before the Memorial Day recess.
Some Democrats say that a filibuster against Mr. Bolton's nomination is unlikely. With Republicans already accusing Democrats of overusing the tactic, they do not want to look filibuster-happy.
But a spokesman for Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, said Friday that Mr. Reid had not ruled a filibuster out, and Senator Boxer agreed. "Everything's on the table," she said.
Republicans are hoping to shame Democrats into a quick vote on Mr. Bolton. They argue that he needs to be in place by June so that the United States will have the latitude it needs to press its concerns about Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program before the Security Council.
But Ms. Boxer said Democrats were hoping Mr. Voinovich's pointed speech would prompt other Republicans who have expressed doubts about Mr. Bolton to vote against him.
"I think that George Voinovich's speech was momentous in laying out the case against this nominee," she said.