WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2006
Bush Standing Behind Bolton For U.N. Post
Despite Bipartisan Opposition, White House Continues To Push For Controversial U.N. Ambassador To Remain
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President George W. Bush announces the installation of John Bolton as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., in this August 1, 2005 file photo. Bush employed a recess appointment when the Senate refused to accept Bolton's nomination. (AP)
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Two of President Bush's top advisers said the White House is not backing down from a fight to win Senate approval for Bolton to continue in the job. Mr. Bush gave Bolton the job temporarily in August 2005 while Congress was in recess. That appointment will expire when Congress adjourns, no later than January.
White House counselor Dan Bartlett said Bolton has done a remarkable job. "He's proven the critics wrong on all the charges they've leveled against him," Bartlett said. "So let's have a conversation about it. We'll see."
The White House resubmitted Bolton's nomination on Thursday, though it has languished in the Senate for more than a year. Finding a replacement for Bolton would come at a sensitive time for the Bush administration. It is counting heavily on U.N. diplomacy to help confront North Korea and Iran over their nuclear programs and to end fighting in Sudan's Darfur region.
With Democrats capturing control of the next Congress, Bolton's chances of winning confirmation appear slim at best. In fact, last week the incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), said he saw "no point in considering Mr. Bolton's nomination again."
Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was more succinct: "Forget about John Bolton," he
told CBS chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer on Face the Nation. "The Republicans didn't have enough votes to get the guy out of committee [before the Democrats take control]. So I think we should go to things that we can work together on."
In spite of the lack of committee votes, White House chief of staff Josh Bolten said Sunday that "We're putting him up for confirmation.
"I think if he actually was able to get a vote in the full Senate, he would succeed," he said.
Yet Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.), who lost on Election Day, said he would not end his opposition to Bolton. That probably would deny Republicans the votes needed to move the nomination from committee to the full Senate. Republicans now lack the 60 votes needed to force a vote.
Democrats say Bush should alter course now and nominate someone less hard-charging, with greater finesse in handling sensitive diplomatic matters.
"There's a lot of competent people. Send someone new up, Mr. President," Biden said Sunday.
"He doesn't even have the votes in the committee. He doesn't even have the votes of a Republican-controlled committee today," Biden said. "We're going to have a hearing on him. There is going to be a vote on him. He's going to lose."
Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), who is in line to head the Armed Services Committee, agreed. "We would rely very heavily upon the Foreign Relations Committee, and they have not decided that he is the appropriate person for that job," Levin said.
In the president's view, however, Bolton "has turned out to be a very effective representative at the U.N. and, in fact, has turned out to be something his critics expected him not to be," Bolten said. "He's turned out to be a good consensus builder, and it's been reflected on resolutions on North Korea, in Lebanon, in other ways."
Bush's chief of staff played down speculation the administration might go around the Senate and allow Bolton to somehow continue to represent the U.S. at the United Nations by finding an alternative means of paying his salary or appointing him to serve as an acting or deputy U.N. representative.
"I don't know about that," Bolten said. "Our effort is going to be to try to get him confirmed in the ordinary course."
Bolten, Biden and Levin appeared on ABC's "This Week." Bartlett was on "Fox News Sunday."
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 200 Comments- Powerful and continuing nationalism
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You're looking in the mirror, janemcgreevey1.
Of course the Dem Nazis most fervent wish is to get someone like James "F The Jews" Baker at the UN. Not only would that make Howie Dean and George Soros happy, it might dry up Gay Nazi Lamont's tears for getting shallacked in the election.
Remember, Dems, the ONLY reason so many Dems got elected was because of Iraq. Drop in moddycuddlying ILLEGALS, raising our taxes, emasculating our defenses - and you will be out looking in, maybe even permanently next time around. Webb and Lieberman were voted because they are supposedly Centrists - we shall see.
In the meantime, President Bush, don't waffle - stand by Bolton. After all, look who the Dems gave us at the UN - Andy Young and Miss Piggy and Kim Il Jong's favorite boy, Bill Richardson.
However, for a president to invoke this authority merely to get around the will of the congress is wrong. I will not speak to the validity of the reasoning for congress not approving Bolton before but if congress backs down on Bolton now they will be saying bush was not wrong and it will further encourage future presidents to do likewise.
Members of congress, especially members of the president%u2019s own party may not all feel insulted but I believe the American people are also being insulted.
Happen to see the reports that Vietnam is rounding up homeless children? Inaccurate the gov't says. They were just to get the unelected Republican Senators and Congressmen off the street so no bad impressions would be drawn. Miss you guys!
Anyone who can, with a straight face, equate the ideals of the Democratic Party with Fascism doesn't deserve a response; but I'll give you one, anyway.
How DO you drive with your head so far up your ***?
bush backs bolton- ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
what's next nominate JEB! for the job?????!!!
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
s c o r e b o a r d !!!!
NEXT EPISODE:
Georgie goes off to Vietnam later this week!
While Poppy's team now tries to get him out of THIS war!
OH The Irony !!
Thanks for your answer to my previous question. It is heartening to hear there are indeed others reading and or posting on this site, even if they don%u2019t post often.
There are several reasons people sometimes use foul-mouth, bitter, and antagonistic words, including but not limited to%u2026.
1. Momentary anger: Usually short-lived.
2. Characteristic behavior: Aimed at anybody, especially at safe distances from immediate physical response, (such as this comment section).
3. Ulterior motives: Trying to disrupt useful debate. Divert attention from facts. Change the subject, or whatever.
As long as they can entice a response they are being successful.
Posters like JaneyMcgreev, as just one example, are obvious because they use the same approach all over this site.
The best answer in most cases is no response at all.
Even a child will stop screaming when he/she realizes no one is listening.
Noahgene
Yes the democrats voted for it but only after bush LIED to congress of WMD and links to TERRORISTS there were republicans that would have voted the other way if they had not been LIED to.
Just as your super hero in the oval office john bolton thinks telling not talking is the only way to go.
The elections should have shown you something and it wasn't just democrats making that statement republicans feel the same way. ( way past time to go about things a little differently )
Bush tries to be the tough guy on the block to bad he didn't show some of that back in the days of vietnam. The only thing he showed was that he didn't have the stomach or the backbone he was a coward.
He lied to start this OIL excursion for all his cronies so they could put some jingle in their pockets.
So this is what you think heroes are made of.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.......
But I do agree with you, I also don't want my tax dollars going to a corrupt institution - the US Congress. That's why pople voted democrat.
Bolton being the US ambassador to the UN is like naming Rush Limbaugh head of the ACLU or Jim Brady head of the NRA. No great mystery here.
They won't give us a *** reason why except that unlike Andy Boy Young he stood tall in the saddle in defending American interests.
So who does Harry Patheticman Reid and Plastic Princess Pelosi wish to offer us? Maxine Waters??? Cindy Sleazehand??? George the Collaborator Soros??? or do they wish to give us back the President from Hamas, Peanut Boy Coward and Bigot Carter?
Better yet, how about this, Dems? I don't need my taxpayer dollars going to a corrupt institution that is about as worthwhile as its predecessor, the League of Nations. Let's see if you've got the cojones to take us out of the UN and move it back to Geneva.
Oh horrors, Plastic girl certainly won't go for that. It's a tax, and its the UN after all, two of her favorite things.
You are correct, they walked down the road to war hand in hand. Its going to be very interesting to see how the dem majority is going to handle it, as they were a part of the decision. There is no easy answer, but we have given way too much for a country that does not want or understand democracy.
How convienient of Democrats to be able to pretend that they had nothing to do with it .. calmly stab every friend we ever had in the back, as they jump ships like rats when the going gets tough, leaving them wishing they had never dealt with the US. Way to go dems.
Democrats seem to have no concience, or judgement between right or wrong. Only what serves their purposes at any given moment in time.
I am not sure why I come here anymore. Its like school children picking on some kid you hate because you don't like the way he looks.
Blah Blah Blah.. Bush is stupid ... Blah Blah Blah.
Has anyone got any idea why you hate BOLTON, and Bush is stupid for nominating him? No.
Bolton is very sharp, and has been extremely effective at the UN. It is the presidents perrogative to appoiont his Amb. to the UN. and the Senate should have to at the very least give a reason for rejecting him. (oh, I see, they heard he yelled at his aids before) Anyone ever heard how Hillary talks to her underlings?
It is easy to see that the one Republican holdout on the commitee was holdng out for political reasons, (Chaffee)hoping to win his re election in a very very blue state. Otherwise it was a straight party line vote with Democrats opposing Bolton on the grounds that ... well ... it was something they could do to hurt Bush.
So liberals here don't like him cause someone said he was mean? Grow up.
Please use your spellchecker! As for your intelligence...well, I don't know, you just suck sooo badly!
McCain has apparently been spending too much time inside the Bush bubble smoking who knows what.
His chances of becoming the next President are starting to look mighty hopeless - about as hopeless as his plan to have the Iraqis stand up after only three years of training.
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