McCain Urges Bolton Approval

WASHINGTON — Senator McCain yesterday urged quick confirmation for John Bolton as U.N. ambassador, saying the nominee is needed to talk back to "two-bit dictators" such as Venezuela's president.

Mr. McCain, a Republican of Arizona, joined lawmakers from both parties in condemning the speech made last week at the United Nations by President Chavez of Venezuela, in which the democratically elected Venezuelan leader called President Bush "the devil."

"I would say that this is an argument to get John Bolton confirmed as our U.N. ambassador," Mr. McCain said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "He's smart, he's tough, he will respond to these guys. And he could talk back to these two-bit dictators who have the airfare to New York."

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee this month was expected to approve along party lines Mr. Bolton, whom Mr. Bush appointed temporarily to the post last year over opposition by Democrats and a few Republicans.

But the vote was postponed after Senator Chafee, a Republican of Rhode Island, who faced a tough primary contest against a conservative Republican, said he had more questions. Mr. Chafee won that election.

Mr. McCain urged Democrats to support Mr. Bolton's nomination and branded Mr. Chavez "despicable."

"He aspires to be this generation's [Fidel] Castro. I think the people of Venezuela ought to look at the standard of living in Cuba before they would embrace such a thing," Mr. McCain said.