Posted on 05/13/2005 5:17:59 PM PDT by Pikamax
Voinovich sticks to his conscience -- White House shouldn't have been surprised at opposition
By GEORGE E. CONDON Jr., Copley Washington Bureau Chief
WASHINGTON – Sen. George Voinovich’s decision to oppose John Bolton came as a great shock to the White House. But it could not have surprised anyone who has watched the Republican senator’s long career in public office in Ohio.
As a county auditor and commissioner, Cleveland mayor, Ohio governor and now as senator, Voinovich has always insisted on civility and decent treatment of public employees, a trait he found woefully lacking in President Bush’s nominee to be ambassador to the United Nations.
And despite threats and hostile advertising from conservative groups out to punish him for his apostasy, it is also not surprising that Voinovich did not buckle under what became a withering three-week assault from Bolton’s supporters.
“Because he is so principled, he is extremely tough,” said Ted Hollingsworth, a longtime Voinovich staffer who recently left as his chief of staff. “As long as he really believes in his heart that he is doing the right thing for the right reasons he absolutely will never be intimidated. People who think they can intimidate him are fooling themselves.”
For Voinovich, the decision to oppose a president of his own party was painful.
But he said simply, “My conscience got to me.”
And once he was convinced that Bolton is diplomatically ill-suited for the U.N. post, he did not mince words in stating his view. The result was a scathing critique of the nomination and a pledge to “do everything I can” to defeat Bolton in the full Senate.
When it was over, he was near tears, he said later. And, he confessed to reporters, “I’m tired.”
The Ohio senator’s emergence as the only Republican on the Foreign Affairs committee to speak against Bolton came after what veteran congressional analyst Norman Ornstein called an inept White House lobbying effort and a “ham-handed” campaign by conservative groups to force Voinovich to toe the party line.
“They are so used to Republicans falling in line behind them that they only look at the squeaky wheels, and Voinovich said nothing,” said Ornstein. “The White House just made an assumption, a foolish assumption” that he would support Bolton.
Then when Voinovich signaled his unhappiness with tales of Bolton’s mistreatment of subordinates, the conservative attacks began. “Go to hell, Voinovich,” said one blogger on freerepublic.com, a leading conservative Internet blog. Another blogger dismissed Voinovich as “a gun-grabbing, tax raising RINO” – Republican In Name Only.
A group called “Move America Forward” spent tens of thousands of dollars to air a radio ad in Ohio in which actors state, “Shame on Sen. Voinovich” and calling him “a traitor to the Republican Party.”
In a conference call with reporters late Thursday, Voinovich said he ignored the attacks. “If they don’t like it, that’s tough,” he said, noting, “I’ve been around Ohio for a long time. People know who I am. If they want to beat me up, they can beat me up.”
Indeed, Voinovich has been on the ballot 15 times since 1966, losing only once. He won his second term as governor with a record 72 percent of the vote and was re-elected to the Senate last year with 64 percent. He is the latest in a long line of centrist-to-conservative Republicans who have fared well in Ohio.
But even as he tries to engineer a major defeat for the president he is trying to maintain good ties with Bush. “I respect the president. I think ... he’s a tremendous human being,” the senator said in a conference call with reporters. “He realizes that Voinovich is Voinovich,” he said with a laugh.
“He knows that I don’t have axes to grind. I’m not a hateful person. I’m not somebody who is an ideologue. I just try to do what I think is right and all common sense ... He knows we’re straight shooters and good people.”
But what the White House had failed to grasp is how passionate Voinovich is about public officials treating their employees with respect and decency. Interviews with three longtime and high-ranking Voinovich staffers made clear that the Ohioan always demanded that.
So he was personally repulsed at what he saw in Bolton.
“That’s a big deal,” said Voinovich. “I’ve been involved in trying to improve the environment for the people who get the work done around here for some time now. It’s been a cause celebre in terms of my career here in the Senate and one I feel very proud of.”
He felt certain that many in the State Department said “hooray” when he stood up for them against Bolton. “I’m pleased that we were able to get the message out to the thousands of people who work in the State Department that somebody cares about them,” he said, adding he was trying to send a signal “that if you behave the way Mr. Bolton behaves that there comes a day when you will have to stand up and be accountable.”
Active in European and NATO groups and a frequent overseas traveler, Voinovich also believes that Bolton’s appointment would set back the president’s announced plans to improve on “public diplomacy” and do better on persuading the rest of the world to support American efforts on a broad front, including the war against terrorism.
“Right now, we’re Uncle Sugar. It’s our men and women who are dying over there for the most part. It’s our country that is paying enormous sums of money for this,” he said. “We’ve got to convince the rest of the world that, by golly, they’ve got to be with us and on board with us.”
He may be kind, gentle etc, etc, except when his plane is delayed because the Presidents plane is in the area. [This is true for all presidents].
He is fighting the fine, which the tax payers are paying, this happened when he was Governor, look it up!!!
I don't believe a single word from this man. If it was hard for him to oppose the President, then he would do so quietly. That he is going out of his way to become a vocal Republican defector shows me that he has the Democrat's disease of trying to use public policy and positions to atone for personal wrongdoings.
Well, what type of reaction did you expect?
The folks who staff "Foggy Bottom" know a good traitor when they see one.
I'm sure that Alger Hiss is smiling up at Mr. Voinvich right now...from Hell.
However, the mischaracterization of Free Republic is nothing new, or even something that is unique to liberals.
I can't tell you how many times I had to clarify this issue to well-intentioned people at the screening of The Road To Jenin.
For some reason, the distinction between a user forum and a weblog is lost on some people.
Your legacy is being written every time you open your mouth George. You have the right to remain silent.
Darn. If I knew they were going to quote FR, I would have written a song for them.
ping for a.m.
Bolton is said to have been the architect of Libya's recent conversion. Voinovich is a fool.
Absolutely, with emphasis on dynamic. That is why many of us from GA here on FR supported Herman Cain over Johnny Isaakson for US Senate last year (for Zell Miller's open seat).
Isaakson is not a RINO but he is not dynamic and will not bring one ounce of change to the Senate...Cain would have.
Poised to kiss the state departments nether regions Voinavich is the the poster child for a new generation of U.N. azz kizzers The U.N. deserves the respect it gives out which is very slim to anorexicly none
I'm Ashamed to say i voted for this man but proud to say i will not vote for him again ANYONE who cowtowes to the U.N. especially on a subject as important as this one deserves to be voted out of office and investigated for anti-American Activities
This is very telling. Those weren't tears of exhaustion but tears of relief that he didn't get the trigger pulled on him. Someone on the other side has the goods on Voinovich and he had to do this little number or else. [I know...Tinfoil Time for arasina...but it's as good an explanation as any for his supposedly 'principled' behavior.]
I hope Lieberman and Nelson vote for Bolton. Then let's see how the "conscience" lib media reacts. Not one penny for Voinobitch. Let him campaign with Babs Boxer and Joseph "where are the tv cameras?" Biden. They can campaign on keeping the UN the way it is. Chris "This War" Matthews can be the speechwriter. Maybe Voinobitch should campaign with Kofi Annan. Congrats State Department for smearing Bolton, you have once again weakened this country.
Senator V yelled at the pilots and air controllers when Air Force One kept him on the ground. The FAA sanctioned him. Senator V is a bully and I expect him, no, I DEMAND he resign.
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