McCain Urging Accord on Bolton and Secret Documents

The New York Times ^ | 5/28/2005 | Douglas Jehl / Carl Hulse

[Ibleedred]

May 28, 2005 McCain Urging Accord on Bolton and Secret Documents By DOUGLAS JEHL and CARL HULSE WASHINGTON, May 27 - One of John R. Bolton's leading Republican backers, Senator John McCain of Arizona, signaled his support on Friday for a compromise in which the White House might allow Senate leaders access to highly classified documents in return for a final vote early next month on Mr. Bolton's nomination as United Nations ambassador. The conciliatory signal from Mr. McCain came as Senate leaders traded blame over who was responsible for the miscalculation that led to Mr. Bolton's nomination being blocked Thursday. But the White House showed

[Brofholdonow]

Why didn't our president call in these seven a-holes, read them the riot act, and demand that they stay the course. Reagan would of.

[Empireoftheatom48]

Senator Palpitine Mc Kain, When does he dissolve Congress and The Senate and become Emperor!!!!!!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Dood has now morphed the argument .....The third factor, and perhaps the most important, Congressional officials said, was the success of Mr. Biden and Mr. Dodd in convincing fellow Democrats in dozens of phone calls that the vote was not about Mr. Bolton but about standing up for the Senate and its prerogatives against incursions by the executive branch.

First two factors were Vonovitch, and Thune....

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

He was on with Brit Hume too, with that same info.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks, a side note:

How DailyKos Helped Dems Attack Bolton
A left-wing website rescues clueless Democrats in the confirmation fight.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Another note:

May 27, 2005, 11:11 a.m.
The Battle for Bolton
The Dems continue to manufacture excuses.
By Frank J. Gaffney Jr.

*******************************

Excerpt

Harry Reid’s mediocrity as Senate Democratic leader was on full display in the vote Thursday on the nomination of John Bolton to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. In one of the most bizarre political performances in memory, having promised not to filibuster this nominee, he announced — immediately after his party voted to do just that — that Democrats were not filibustering Bolton’s appointment.

When, minutes later, Majority Leader Bill Frist made the obvious point that the Democrats’ votes “looked” and “quacked” like a filibuster, Senator Reid reversed himself. He acknowledged that it was indeed “a filibuster” and, therefore, yet another example of his party’s deliberate effort to deny President Bush the people he wants to place in key judicial and now executive-branch positions.

Unfortunately, Senator Reid’s short-lived lie was but the latest example of the political prevarications used to smear, demean, and try to defeat Bolton. For example, since President Bush tapped his undersecretary of state for arms control and international security to represent him and us at the United Nations, Democrats have accused Bolton of manufacturing intelligence, trying to “fire” intelligence analysts who opposed such efforts, describing correctly — but undiplomatically — the nature of the North Korean regime, withholding information from his superiors, bullying his subordinates and others, abusing a woman in a Moscow hotel decades ago, denying another woman maternity leave in the Department of Justice some 20 years ago, and, most recently, improperly accessing the names of American citizens whose phone calls with foreign nationals were intercepted by the super-secret National Security Agency (NSA).

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Above note is posted here on FreeRepublic:

The Battle for Bolton (The abject dhimmitude of the GOP senators contrinues apace)

[Mo1]

It's been a while since I've been over there

I'll have to check out what's up

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From the Gaffney article:

Perhaps the most insidious of the lies leveled against Bolton is a striking omission. Sen. Christopher Dodd, an indefatigable champion of normalized relations with Fidel Castro, has led the charge with respect to allegations that Bolton wanted wrongly to accuse the Cuban dictator of having biological weapons (BW) capabilities, then retaliated against a State Department analyst and the CIA’s national intelligence officer for Latin America who had the temerity to resist his efforts.

Missing from this pro-Fidel reconstruction of events is a singularly important point: The two analysts acted in unauthorized and unprofessional ways when Bolton and his staff dared challenge unduly benign assessments of Castro’s BW potential — assessments that had been skewed by one of their colleagues, a senior Defense Intelligence Agency analyst who turned out to be a Cuban spy.

It is entirely appropriate that a policymaker challenged the products of the spy’s disinformation. It is also understandable that he would lose confidence in, and seek the reassignment (not firing) of, individuals whose attachment to such products was so great as to prompt them to attack him personally and viciously outside of official channels (including, in the case of the NIO, to Senator Dodd and two of his colleagues).

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

updates.

[Red Phillips]

Condor 51,
I agree with you on the Democrats, but they are encouraged in their behavior by the Republicans. The Republicans act like a bunch of neutered dogs. They really do play by a different set of rules. The Dems Borked Bork, and the GOP cried, "You shouldn't judge on ideology, only qualifications." Then the Republicans turned around and confirmed Ginsburg by 97-3 (I think). Then they act all shocked when the Dems continue to play politics with the nominations. I guarantee you they are setting around saying, "Suckers." We'll the you shouldn't judge based on ideology is and always has been a bunch of crap. Ideology is the MOST important qualification. And the GOP should have filibustered Ginsburg and Breyer if they had any gonads.

So sure. Bolton confirmed is better than Bolton denied, because it would have the appearance of a defeat. But the goal is not UN reform. It is UN withdrawal.

[stands2reason]

I just want to know why this ba$tard makes Hillary palatable to me.

Hillary!

I'm a Buddhist! I'm not supposed to hate. Damn you for causing me to sin, you POC.

[stands2reason]

There is ONE silver lining on this.

We don't have to hear about McCrap's so-called "pro-life" views anymore. You can't be pro-life and anti-conservative judge appointments at the same time.

[stands2reason]

I don't know, but I'm looking forward to it.

[TexasCajun]

Senator McVain!!

Pls STOP "helping" and STFU!

[Loyal Buckeye]

My suggestion for a compromise:

The RATS get the files.

Bolton gets an up or down vote.

George Voinovick promises to stop crying.

[nopardons]

Negraponte has already said NO and I doubt that the president is going to overrule him.

[nopardons]

This all as to do with Cuba/Castro!

It stems from those who want "normal" relations with Cuba/Castro, wanting to find out what covert actions we're doing and alert Castro.

[iconoclast]

This sh!ts gotta stop!

We might actually accomplish something!