Panel Sends Bolton To Full Senate

(CBS/AP)  A divided Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday sent the nomination of John Bolton to be U.N. ambassador to the full Senate. But it took the rare step of refusing to endorse the blunt-speaking conservative.

The move kept the contentious nomination alive, leaving its fate in the hands of the GOP-run Senate. But by not recommending that senators approve Bolton's nomination, the committee delivered a slap at President Bush in one of the first big battles of his second term.

The panel acted after a pivotal Republican member, Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio, voiced opposition to the nomination, calling Bolton "arrogant" and "bullying." But Voinovich broke a committee impasse by agreeing to let the full Senate vote rather than joining Democrats' effort to kill the nomination in committee.

"We owe it to the president to give Mr. Bolton an up-or-down vote on the floor of the U.S. Senate," Voinovich said.

All 10 Republicans voted to send the nomination to the floor. All eight Democrats voted no.

The panel's Republican chairman, Richard Lugar of Indiana, declined to hold a vote on sending the nomination to the Senate with the committee's endorsement once it became clear that Voinovich's opposition would have caused a 9-9 split, with a majority needed to prevail.

Instead, he embraced Voinovich's suggestion to send the nomination to the floor without a recommendation. Committees usually endorse the nominees they send to the Senate for a vote.

Other Republicans fell in line behind Voinovich's suggestion.

Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., who earlier expressed misgivings about the nomination, told the panel he decided he had ``enough confidence in this president to take him at his word, and take Mr. Bolton at his word."

But with Bolton short of enough votes for committee approval, Hagel announced he would support Voinovich's proposal to send the nomination to the floor with no recommendation.

The committee's senior Democrat, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, said. "It doesn't appear that Mr. Bolton has the confidence of the majority of this committee. And I would suggest that it may be worth the president's interest to take note of that."

Despite Voinovich's sharp criticism of Bolton, who now serves as undersecretary of state for arms control, the White House was clearly relieved that its nominee survived the committee.

Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said the White House is now confident Bolton will be confirmed by the full Senate.

"We respect Sen. Voinovich's decision, but there are many people who agree with the president that John Bolton is the right person at the right time for this important position," he said.

Democrats have not ruled out using procedural delays to try killing Bolton's nomination in the full Senate. It would take the votes of 60 of the 100 senators to stop the delay.

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