Free Republic

Welcome to the most grassroots-driven platform development effort in the history of American politics! The Republican Party is seeking your input as we develop the policies and principles upon which we should stand for the next four years. On this website, you can share your thoughts, participate in polls, and communicate directly with the policymakers who will be shaping the party's agenda. All comments and feedback will be reviewed and taken into full consideration as we prepare for our convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul. We hope that this process will guarantee the greatest amount of public input into any platform in...

AUSTIN — Maybe Texas’ transportation problems are a lot simpler to understand than recent fights over toll roads make it seem, North Texas leaders told state senators Wednesday. “My first recommendation: You need to provide a lot more revenue for transportation,” Michael Morris, transportation director for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, told the Texas Senate transportation committee. That was hardly the only suggestion from Mr. Morris or the many others who spoke to the committee, which is seeking input as it readies an approach on toll roads, TxDOT and more for the next legislative session. But it might...

Continuing a lifelong practice of helping rural East Texans, Nolan Alders attended a meeting in Austin Tuesday as a member of the citizens' advisory committee for the Trans-Texas Corridor highway project. Alders was among 18 representatives of communities that run along the route of the proposed highway, which runs from Laredo to Texarkana. The committee members prepared for their roles as community representatives, and heard comments from state transportation leaders, including Texas Department of Transportation Executive Director Amadeo Saenz and Commissioner Ted Houghton of the Texas Transportation Commission. TxDOT literature says the TTC-69 committee — and another committee to represent...

As the state's population continues to grow in its urban centers, expansion plans for the highway system continue to be the focus for transportation improvements. The Trans Texas Corridor proposal is aimed to alleviate traffic congestion, improve air quality and provide safer traveling for drivers, among other goals. In 2002, Texas Governor Rick Perry released the plan to create the passageway, which spans northeast from Laredo to Oklahoma and is set to total 4,000 miles in the next 50 years. The $140 billion project calls for the incorporation of new toll roads, commuter railways, power lines and gas pipelines, while...

BELTON - There appears to be no easy way to address the challenges that inflation has brought to the Texas Department of Transportation. “We’ve seen 60 percent inflation over the last five years for transportation projects,” said Chris Lippincott, a TxDOT spokesman. To look to the federal government for assistance would appear foolhardy at this point as the Federal Highway Trust Fund is expected to become insolvent by 2009. The fund was created in 1956 to ensure a dependable source of financing for U.S. interstates and highways. “The Federal Highway Trust Fund is expected to go into the red very...

Lufkin Mayor Jack Gorden has been selected by the Texas Transportation Committee to serve on a citizens' advisory committee for putting together information regarding the proposed Interstate 69/Trans-Texas Corridor. According to Texas Department of Transportation officials, advisory committee members represent a cross-section of community and business leaders, landowners, local transportation experts and others. "Our goal is to enhance the public dialogue and meaningfully involve more Texans in transportation decisions," said Texas Transportation Commission Chair Hope Andrade. "These committees will have an important seat at the table as we work together to shape the future of transportation for our state." Gorden...

Second Lt. Cynthia Peters, 8th Cavalry Regiment’s women’s affairs representative, speaks with a curious participant during the first-ever Hawr Rajab Women’s Committee meeting Feb. 7. Photo by Sgt. Luis Delgadillo. FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Leaders of the newly-formed group sat before colleagues, government officials, community and Coalition leaders, but the audience they addressed was much larger; what some would even consider the backbone of their community. The first meeting of Hawr Rajab’s Women’s Committee began Feb. 7 with a press conference at the Hawr Rajab boy’s school and a discussion of topics vital to the community’s welfare.If the orators...

Yesterday evening, members of the House of Delegates were given their new committee assignments. There were a lot of changes made, and some were quite interesting. The most interesting - and amusing (in my opinion) is that Delegate Brian Moran - the Democratic Caucus Leader, and Delegate Ward Armstrong - the House Minority Leader, have been assigned to Finance this year. Finance is the committee that deals with tax and fee increases. Keep in mind, that Delegate Moran is running for Governor. Democrats of late have managed to get elected in part, by saying they would not support tax increases....

The Texas Department of Transportation will hold several local meetings early next year to offer answers on the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor. In 2007 TxDOT released a tentative outline for the cross-country Interstate 69, which is currently planned to come through Texarkana. The highway would be a straight shot from Canada, through the United States and into Mexico. TxDOT will hold nearly a dozen “town hall� meetings and 46 public hearings to encourage public input and address concerns. “We want to hear the public’s ideas and we want to answer their questions,� said TxDOT Commissioner Ted Houghton. “Their comments will help...

Clinton's Tennessee committee includes 2 felonsAssociated Press - December 24, 2007 2:55 PM ET NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Hillary Clinton's 100-person Tennessee Steering Committee reportedly includes two people convicted of felonies in the 1980s. Gladys Crain of Halls was convicted in 1981 on federal charges connected with a scheme to rig bids on a state highway construction project, and former state House Majority Leader Tommy Burnett of Jamestown was imprisoned in 1984 for failure to file an income tax return. Clinton's Democratic presidential campaign did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press seeking comment. The Tennessean newspaper...

Seeking “a more productive and informative conversation about transportation,� Texas Department of Transportation officials have scheduled a series of town hall meetings along the Interstate 69/Trans Texas Corridor, including in Rosenberg. Also this month, the department issued a formal request for proposals from potential “private sector partner,� for “detailed plans on how to finance, design, construct, operate and maintain I-69/TTC.� A panel of TxDOT officials will answer questions from the public about the massive highway project, starting at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 24, at the Rosenberg Civic Center, at 3825 State Highway 36. A portion of the controversial project is is...

FORT HUACHUCA — The head of the House Armed Services Committee will visit the post Friday and Saturday. Isaac Newton “Ike” Skelton IV, the Democratic representative from Missouri’s 4th District, will be coming to the post, and later travel to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, to receive mission briefings and to meet with soldiers and airmen and their families, according to C.J. Karamargin, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, whose 8th Congressional District includes both military installations. Democrat Giffords, who is a member of the committee, invited the chairman to look at key installations in her district, Karamargin said....

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Senate Budget Committee said today he will vote against the nomination of Jim Nussle of Iowa as White House budget chief. Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., voted in favor of the nomination in committee "to move the process forward." Conrad said he would oppose the Nussle nomination on the Senate floor Tuesday to protest the fiscal policies of President Bush. "I do not make this decision lightly," Conrad said. "This is not a vote against Mr. Nussle personally. But I refuse to have my vote for Mr. Nussle portrayed as a sign of support for...

Boston, MA - Today, Governor Mitt Romney announced the members of the Romney for President National Faith and Values Steering Committee, a coalition of supporters who will advise Governor Romney on matters of faith and values. "The men and women of our National Steering Committee represent decades spent defending faith, religious expression and traditional values. I believe that our Party and our nation must stand for strong families, traditional marriage and the sanctity of human life. I am proud to be joined by these leaders in our campaign to change Washington," said Governor Romney. Serving as a Chair of the...

NEW EVIDENCE REVEALS WHY THOMPSON COMMITTEE SHUT DOWN WITHOUT EXPLORING SALE OF CLINTON TRADE MISSION SEATS TO DONORS Entergy Corporation, a Large Clinton Donor Which Put Together Joint Venture With Lippo and Communist Chinese Government on Ron Brown Trade Mission, Also Big Donor To Republicans TRADE MISSIONS CONTINUE TO BE KEY TO CAMPAIGN FINANCE SCANDAL Larry Klayman, Chairman and General Counsel of Judicial Watch, the group that sued the Clinton Commerce Department over its illegal sale of seats on foreign trade missions in exchange for political contributions to the Clinton-Gore Campaign and the Democratic National Committee, and which deposed John...

Republican National Committee members think they will get a secret ballot on today's election of a new general chairman, which would protect members opposed to the White House's push to fill the new slot with an advocate of an amnesty for illegal aliens. "If we get the secret ballot as promised, then every member will feel free to express his or her view without the fear of coercion or intimidation," said RNC member Curly Haugland of North Dakota. The move to create a new top office on the committee and fill it with Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida is scheduled...

When historians get around to chronicling the first half of the 21st century, let's hope they don't write that America lost its war against terror by default. Any change of direction from Washington now will be taken as a concession, and will certainly be read by Hamas, Hezbollah and the Taliban as a signal that they are on the right track. But, what choice do we have? How can we achieve victory when we are fighting a war that has no specific goal? In our effort to bring peace and democracy to the world, we seem to have confused the...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The House Judiciary Committee today approved two landmark bills fighting the War on Terror. The first, H.R. 6054, the "Military Commissions Act," establishes terrorist tribunals and was approved without amendment by a 20-to-19 margin. All 17 Democrats today voted against this legislation, which overwhelmingly passed the House Armed Services Committee last week by a 52-to-8 margin. The second bill, H.R. 5825, the "Electronic Surveillance Modernization Act," updates and reforms the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to fight the modern terrorist threat and provides increased congressional and FISA Court oversight of surveillance operations. After adopting...

A bill that would require the California Energy Commission to evaluate and rank all existing proposals to import liquefied natural gas has been sent back to committee — a decision supporters fear could doom any chance of passage. The bill, SB426, fell just short of success on the final night of last year's legislative session. It passed the Assembly late that night, but the Senate adjourned for the year before the measure could be ferried a few hundred feet across the Capitol for a final vote that would have sent it to the governor. Since none of the LNG proposals...

They've had front and center seats for the Guthrie's opening celebration, lunch at the St. Paul Grill and a backstage visit to the Pearl Jam concert at the Xcel Energy Center, and that's just the first 24 hours for the site-selection team sent to the Twin Cities this week by the Democratic National Committee. The eight-member delegation is touring the area, sizing up Minnesota as a potential host for the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The Twin Cities is one of four metropolitan areas on the short list to host the presidential nomination for both parties. Denver, New Orleans and New...

Some CBC Members Secretly Trying to Oust Jefferson from Committee Postby Hazel Trice Edney NNPA Washington Correspondent Originally posted 6/13/2006 WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Although the Congressional Black Caucus has publicly presented a united front in its support of embattled U. S. Rep. Bill Jefferson’s right to maintain his committee memberships, some CBC members – including civil rights icon John Lewis (D-Ga.) – have assumed behind-the-scene roles in getting Jefferson ousted from his coveted position on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. “Mr. [Mel] Watt certainly ably and with great distinction, speaks for the Congressional Black Caucus,” says House Democratic...

Jefferson To Meet With Congressional LawmakersUPDATED: 3:20 pm CDT June 7, 2006 WASHINGTON -- A spokeswoman for Rep. William Jefferson said he will attend a meeting with congressional lawmakers. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi asked Jefferson to appear before the Democratic Steering Committee on Wednesday afternoon. The committee, which is charged with determining panel assignments, could vote to oust Jefferson from the powerful House Ways and Means Committee while he is under investigation. According to court documents, U.S. Rep. William Jefferson told an FBI informant, that Nigeria's vice president sought up to $500,000 and a stake in a technology venture...

WASHINGTON (AP) House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has asked embattled Rep. William Jeffereson to quit the Ways and Means Committee.

GOP lawmakers want Pelosi to remove MollohanBy Patrick O’Connor House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during a taping of 'Meet the Press' at the NBC studios in Washington Sunday May 7, 2006. Pelosi promised 'honest leadership and open government' should the Democrats take control of the House after the November elections. (AP Photo/NBC Meet the Press, Alex Wong) Republican Reps. John Carter (R-Texas) and Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) are expected to send House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) a letter tomorrow asking her to remove Rep. Alan Mollohan (W.Va.) from the Appropriations Committee. Mollohan stepped aside as the ranking...

He called himself "Al Qaeda" and told an employee he was sent to the Maryland Public Service Commission to thin the regulatory agency's ranks and bring in friends of the governor's administration, the agency's former spokeswoman said yesterday. Craig Chesek, who became the PSC's chief of staff in 2003, helped create an agency better suited to represent utilities than consumers, Chrys Wilson told a special legislative committee investigating the hiring and firing practices of Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. --Snip-- The highlight of the probe was expected at the next meeting with the testimony of Joseph Steffen, the former...

A state appeals court says a campaign committee controlled by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger broke state law by not promptly reporting millions of dollars in expenditures promoting four measures on last November's special election ballot. The 3rd District Court of Appeal, in a decision issued Wednesday, said Schwarzenegger's California Recovery Team should have reported the expenditures within 24 hours after they were made during the 90 days leading up to the Nov. 8 election but failed to do so. "CRT ignores that the (Political Reform Act) requires reporting of independent expenditures on a 24-hour basis during an election cycle," a three...

In a rousing speech that drew an overflow crowd to the University of Vermont on Friday, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama endorsed Bernie Sanders for U.S. Senate and Peter Welch for the U.S. House, saying the country could use a "nice cool blast of the truth." The rising star of the Democrats said Americans were starting to pay attention to their federal government and are ready for a "call to action." He called Sanders and Welch "two outstanding progressive candidates" who could bring about change in Washington He also praised former Gov. Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who...

Chicago dog owners who tether their pets for hours on end without food or water would be reined in -- with a two-hour limit -- under a crackdown proposed Wednesday by the City Council's most powerful alderman. "If dogs are tethered in this way, it makes them more likely to bite humans and makes them mean," said Finance Committee Chairman Edward M. Burke (14th). "It's a question of cruelty to the animals. It's a question of responsible care of animals. If people own pets, they ought to treat them responsibly." The Burke-championed ordinance introduced at Wednesday's City Council meeting would...

Raises Over $13.7 Million In The First Month Of 2006 WASHINGTON - RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman today announced that the RNC received over $13.7 million in contributions in January, 2006. January’s contributions continue the RNC’s record-breaking pace in federal funds for a non-presidential election cycle by adding to the $101.5 million raised in 2005. The RNC also reported nearly $39 million cash-on-hand. “January’s fundraising success continues to build upon the extraordinary level of support the Republican Party has received over the last year,” Chairman Ken Mehlman said. “The unprecedented dedication to enacting President Bush’s agenda, and the commitment to supporting...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2006 – The nation's highest-ranking military officer addressed medical care, reserve component changes and recruiting and retention issues during testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee here today. Marine Gen. Peter Pace asked Congress to "renorm" the cost of the health care benefit, which has been unchanged since 1995, to put that cost in line with 2006-2007 dollars. Pace reminded the senators that an all-volunteer force is conducting the war on terror. "Sustaining our all-volunteer force will be critical in the years ahead," Pace said. "One of the key elements of sustaining that force will be to...

  For Immediate ReleaseJanuary 14, 2006 President's Radio Address      Audio      THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Last October, I was proud to nominate Judge Sam Alito to be an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. This week, Judge Alito testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the American people saw a man of character and intelligence. He forthrightly answered questions with grace and composure, and showed his personal humility and legal brilliance -- qualities that have made him one of America's most accomplished and respected judges.  Radio Address 200620052004200320022001  Radio Interviews 20052004 In his opening statement to...

Ethics expert Ted Kennedy is offended by Judge Alito's participation in a case involving the Vanguard mutual fund, in which Alito has been invested. When he became aware of Vanguard’s connection in the case, Alito immediately recused himself despite the fact he was under no legal obligation to do so and neither Vanguard nor he benefited from his ruling. After he informed the other judges on his court, a new panel reheard the case and issued the same ruling. Now, if this is a basis for denying Alito a seat on the Supreme Court, then I would think if a...

A Cabinet secretary for Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. testified yesterday that he was forced to invite into his agency the man who called himself "The Prince of Darkness" and quickly became troubled by the aide's efforts to target employees for termination. Secretary of Human Resources Christopher J. McCabe said he twice raised objections in late 2003 about Joseph Steffen's mission -- including once in a letter he had the department's top lawyer write to Ehrlich's chief counsel, in which he complained that Steffen was rifling through an employee's payroll records. Steffen "made me uncomfortable and others uncomfortable," McCabe...

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary October 25, 2005 REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE DINNER Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium Washington, D.C. 6:55 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Thanks for coming. Please be seated. Thanks for the warm welcome. Mehlman didn't get the dress code. (Laughter.) And neither did I. (Laughter.) Thanks for having me. I'm proud to be here on the 30th birthday of the Eagles. For three decades, Eagles have given great parties, but more importantly, they've supported our party. And I'm grateful. I want to thank you for all your help...

Alaska Refuge Drilling OK'd in Committee By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer 58 minutes ago WASHINGTON - A Senate committee voted Wednesday to include drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge in a massive budget proposal, assuring that drilling opponents won't be able to use the filibuster to thwart oil development there. ADVERTISEMENT The Senate Energy Committee proposal, approved 13-9, calls for the Interior Department to put up for bid by Oct. 1, 2010 two oil leases in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. By making the issue part of a complex budget reconciliation process, supporters will...

STEALING FROM STEELE There may be enough brewing in the federal investigation into how senior staff at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee procured the credit report of Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele to turn this into a full-blown scandal. According to Capitol Hill sources, as well as sources tied to the FBI and the Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney's office, which is involved in the case, the investigation into "Credit Rate-Gate" could extend beyond Steele to other prospective and current Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate the DSCC were doing opposition research on. "We're hearing that they are looking into whether...

Washington DC—According to a 2 August 2005 Washington Post article, a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) projects that Iran is a decade away from manufacturing a key ingredient for a nuclear weapon, roughly doubling the previous estimate of five years, according to government sources with first-hand knowledge of the new analysis. The intelligence estimate is contradictory—reflecting disagreement within the community. On one hand, the estimate is reassuring: Iran is alleged to be about ten years away from getting the bomb. On the other hand, the estimate is worrisome: “It is the judgment of the intelligence community that, left to its own...

Excerpts from the coming senate judiciary committee hearings on the nomination of Judge John Roberts to the Supreme Court. Arlen Specter (R-PA): Senator Allen, have you any questions of Judge Roberts? Senator Allen (R-VA): Yes I do. Good morning Judge Roberts. Judge Roberts: Good morning Senator. Allen: Your honor, my democrat colleagues on this committee have read tens of thousands of pages -- excuse me -- my democrat colleagues have had their STAFFS read tens of thousands of pages of documents and Lexis Nexis transcripts looking for some scandal to pin on you, and they have been unsuccessful. But I...

AMERICANS FOR DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST MISSION: Today, advancing the cause of democracy in Middle East is a strategic necessity against the global threat of terrorism. Whenever democracy is not a reality, terrorism finds a fertile breeding-ground.  Hence, our strategic allies in the Middle East are the people and their movements for the establishment of democracy.  Americans for Democracy in the Middle East (ADME) advocates approaches and U.S. policies, which support the movements of the people in the Middle East for the establishment of democracy.  The security and the very best national interests of America and all Americans...

BELLEVUE, WA – Following the broadcast of its latest attack on American firearm laws and .50-caliber rifles by the CBS newsmagazine "60 Minutes," the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today called on the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to investigate the subject of that report, identified as Florin Krasniqi. In his report, CBS' Ed Bradley acknowledged that Krasniqi entered the United States illegally from Mexico "in the trunk of a car" and that he is now a U.S. citizen and "highly successful" businessman. Krasniqi admitted on camera that he has also...

U.S. Policy Options for Iran: Sham Elections, Disinformation Campaign, Human Rights Abuses, and Regime Change Excerpt from Executive Summary While the Bush administration has been reluctant to adopt an unambiguous policy of regime change for Iran, the outcome of the Iranian electoral process, disinformation campaign, and violations of human rights require adoption of an explicit regime change policy for Iran.  An ambiguous American policy was somewhat effective prior to the June 2005 Iranian elections. That policy allowed Washington to support the European diplomatic initiative toward Iran without fear of being blamed for sabotaging negotiations by threatening the regime’s existence....

12 July 2005: The Pakistan army has set up an in-house Islamic accountability committee (IAC) that will monitor religious matters and enforce regulations on the general public and institutions, and General Parvez Musharraf will head this committee. The IAC was set up on 6 July after almost three weeks of deliberations at a corps commanders’ conference at the Rawalpindi GHQ presided over by General Musharraf, and ever since, the developments have been closely monitored by Western diplomats. The official Pakistani explanation is that the IAC will prevent misrepresentation of Islam in cases such as the Mukhtar Mai rape case, which...

The House Government Reform Committee will hold an oversight hearing on the District's gun control laws at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The hearing will consider current gun control laws, current policies to combat violent crimes and - most controversial - the possible effects of repealing current D.C. gun laws. The committee will also discuss constitutional issues relating to the gun laws. This hearing will be in room 2154 of the Rayburn House Office Building. According to the House Committee on Government Reform, identical bills in both the House and Senate would curb the D.C. Council and mayor's authority to regulate...

WASHINGTON - When it comes to counterterror strategy, maverick Rep. Curt Weldon (news, bio, voting record) tells it as he sees it — often to the extreme discomfort of fellow Republican lawmakers and the Bush administration. But his candor in a new book accusing the CIA of ignoring terror information has called Weldon's credibility into question as he is being considered to chair the House Homeland Security Committee. As the committee's vice chairman, Weldon, R-Pa., is among a small number of Republicans competing to ascend to the panel's top job as early as next month. The new chairman would replace...

Any seasoned Washington veteran will tell you that a successful political movement frequently earns its victory thanks to the assemblance of strange bedfellows and partnerships. And the more difficult the battle, the stranger that coalition may need to be. At the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's 25th anniversary conference in late May, it was clear that the prevailing viewpoint on the Middle East was what could be generously described as “pro-Palestinian.” However, it was in that crowd—a mix of Muslims and Christians—that maverick Muslim Kamal Nawash (a Palestinian by birth who rarely discusses Israel) found a surprisingly warm reception from many of...

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The revelation that Deep Throat was actually Mark Felt, the No. 2 man at the FBI during the Nixon Presidency, has focused new attention on the Watergate era and the political consequences that followed. But with the revelation that Felt was the informant that brought down Nixon should also come some attention to the investigations into the FBI and Felt's activities after Watergate and the consequences the nation suffered on 9/11 as a direct result. First, in regard to Felt and Watergate, the liberal media today are all lauding him as a hero because without him Nixon might not have...

George Voinovich is an honorable man. So, when the junior Senator from Ohio says he has decided to vote against President Bush's nomination of John Bolton to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on the basis of the record developed in the Foreign Relations Committee, one has to ask: What record? Let the Record Show The transcripts of the Committee hearings and business meetings on the Bolton nomination, and the interviews with various State Department, intelligence community and other past and present government employees now available online, establish that - while there are certainly people who dislike...

May 12, 2005 Bolton Asserts His Independence on Intelligence By DOUGLAS JEHL WASHINGTON, May 11 - With a vote scheduled Thursday on his contested nomination as ambassador to the United Nations, John R. Bolton has told the Senate Foreign Relations committee that a policy maker should maintain the right to "state his own reading of the intelligence" even when it differs from that of intelligence agencies. Mr. Bolton's statement came in a written response to a written question from Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, a leading Democratic critic of the nomination, and was disclosed by Democrats legislators opposed to the...

The Senate on Wednesday kept up an investigation of John R. Bolton on the eve of a showdown vote on the troubled nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Democrats who claim he is too hotheaded or unbending say they could try to hold up a final vote in the full Senate. A Senate committee held private interviews with two State Department officials who worked with Bolton in his current job as the department's arms control chief. The Democrat who is leading the opposition to Bolton said he is asking the nominee directly for additional information. Republicans claimed...