Posted on 07/31/2005 10:32:04 AM PDT by SmithL
WASHINGTON - Anticipating President Bush soon will appoint John Bolton as U.N. ambassador, a leading Democrat said Sunday that Bolton would go without the confidence of Congress.
"He's damaged goods. This is a person who lacks credibility," said Sen. Christopher Dodd (news, bio, voting record), a senior Democrat on the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He said Bush should think again before using a recess appointment to place Bolton at the United Nations while the Senate is on its traditional August break.
"That's not what you want to send up, a person who doesn't have the confidence of the Congress and so many people who've urged that he not be sent up to do that job," said Dodd, D-Conn., on "Fox News Sunday."
As Bush left church on Sunday, a reporter shouted a question, asking whether the president would be appointing Bolton. Bush smiled and refrained from answering.
Two administration officials said on Friday that the president would appoint Bolton before leaving on Tuesday to spend August at his Texas ranch. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Bush had yet to made the announcement.
Under the Constitution, the president may issue an appointment and bypass Senate confirmation when it is in recess. Such an appointment ends when the next session of Congress begins — January 2007, in this case.
Senate Democrats have led the effort to hold up a confirmation vote for Bolton, citing what they have described as undiplomatic behavior by the former State Department official.
"If the president recess appoints John Bolton, I can understand why because he's been waiting a long time to get the person that he believes is the best to represent his administration at the U.N," said Sen. Mitch McConnell (news, bio, voting record), R-Ky.
McConnell said he doubted that a recess appointment would have a strongly negative impact on the atmosphere in the Senate. If Bush withdrew the nomination, no ambassador would be in place when the U.N. begins taking up important issues in the fall, he said.
"Bolton's been sort of twisting in the wind since March," McConnell said. "Bolton's exactly what the U.N. needs at this point. The president's right on the mark in picking him."
The administration has promoted Bolton for a hard-nosed style that officials believe will help push reform in the United Nations.
Opponents say his criticism of the world organization and reports that he has abused underlings and sought to punish those who disagreed with him render him unfit for the position.
Frankly, Congress is so inept that I think their "confidence" or lack of it is irrelevant.
Good old "half a waitress sandwich" opens his lying mouth. Sit down and shut up you clown.
Bolton has the confidence of 50 senators, a majority
Just not Biden, Dodd, Voinovech, the three filibusterees
OK, Dodd... if you think he doesn't have the confidence of Congress, then put him up for an up or down vote - and we'll see if he does or not.
Dodd would gain a lot of confidence in Bolton, if Bolton would blow kisses to Hugo Chavez, Lula in Brazil, and Castro.
I don't understand why Bush doesn't just abolish the post then and let the U.N. go its own way if Bolton is not confirmed. Just once I'd like the President to be blunt and play hardball with clowns like Dodd, who isn't fit to be elected ice cream truck driver.
They just don't get it...at all.
Why can't these clowns get snatched up by "insurgents"...oh, my bad, they are insurgents.
If Bolton "lacks support", as Dodd says, then why don't the Democrats just let him have an up or down vote by the entire Senate?! Why isn't some journalist asking Dodd THAT question?
Amen triple E
Beat me to it.
The hyposcrisy here, if not outright lies, is unbelievable.
His name is "Dudd" which rymes with "Mud" and "Crud".
Way to damage the inevitable UN representative of YOUR OWN COUNTRY, d***head.
The unashamed desire of these democrats to hurt the US shouldn't surprise me, but it still does, somehow. They truly only care about their stupid, dying cow of a party more than the country, and I defy anyone to prove otherwise.
Senator "Bucketmouth" Dodd is second only to Fat Teddy himself as being the premiere New England blowhard in the Senate. It's too bad that Joe Lieberman is too nice a guy to just walk over to Dodd's office and tell that idiot to STFU.
Sorry to say one is my Senator, Chris Dodd.
Seems like the Northeast is overrun with dimwit voters.
Except New Hampshire.
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