Bolton Will Test New Mood in Congress

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

UNITED NATIONS — In the first post-election test of the new spirit of cooperation on Capitol Hill, the nomination of John Bolton to become the U.N. ambassador was resubmitted yesterday for Senate confirmation.

The White House press secretary, Tony Snow, told reporters that Mr. Bush plans to use this month’s lame-duck congressional session to pass several pieces of legislation and submit the nomination of Robert Gates to replace Donald Rumsfeld at the head of the Pentagon.

But while Mr. Gates’s confirmation seems all but assured, several administration and congressional aides said yesterday that the resistance to Mr. Bolton remains as intense as it was last year, when the White House used a congressional recess period to appoint him for a year-long stint at Turtle Bay.

If Mr. Bolton’s nomination is not confirmed this month, the Senate that will reconvene in January is expected to be tougher on Mr. Bolton, as it will be controlled by a majority 49 Democrats and two independents, including the centrist Senator Lieberman of Connecticut. Although Mr. Lieberman has supported Mr. Bolton, he is expected to caucus with the Democrats, giving them control over the confirmation process.

The Bush administration is increasingly reliant on the United Nations to handle such issues as the diplomacy on North Korea and Iran. As such, after a period of public support for Mr. Bolton, the administration could decide to name a new ambassador, several sources familiar with Mr. Bolton’s nomination said. One candidate that has been mentioned is America’s current ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad.

On Tuesday, Mr. Snow denied reports that Mr. Khalilzad is planning to leave his post in Baghdad. Nevertheless, several sources told The New York Sun that Mr. Khalilzad, who previously served as ambassador to Afghanistan, is interested in the U.N. post.

The Democratic takeover of Capitol Hill was completed yesterday when Senator Allen, a Republican of Virginia, conceded the last undecided Senate race to challenger Jim Webb. More bad news for Mr. Bolton arrived as Senator Chafee, a Republican of Rhode Island who was defeated in Tuesday’s election, vowed to renew his opposition to the ambassador’s nomination.

With Washington abuzz over his future, Mr. Bolton was buried in Turtle Bay diplomacy yesterday. He made the only balanced speech during a long, public U.N. Security Council session dedicated to Israel-bashing, and then consulted with the ambassadors of the council’s five permanent members on passing a resolution to address the Iranian nuclear program. In between consultations, he frequently checked his BlackBerry.

The battle over Mr. Bolton’s nomination is seen in Washington as the clash that could scuttle post-election pledges by Democrats and Republicans to work together in a new spirit of cooperation. “This is something that we think is important, that he stay there,” Mr. Snow said of Mr. Bolton. He spoke with reporters shortly after Senator Biden, a Democrat of Delaware, told Reuters that Mr. Bolton’s nomination was “going nowhere.”

“I never saw a real enthusiasm on the Republican side to begin with,” Mr. Biden, who is slated to head the Foreign Relations Committee in the next Senate, said. “There’s none on our side.”

In September, Mr. Chafee joined Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in blocking Mr. Bolton’s nomination from being submitted to a full Senate vote, though headcounters said that if submitted, the nomination could be confirmed. In a letter to Secretary of State Rice, Mr. Chafee wrote that he could not vote for Mr. Bolton unless the administration changed its pro-Israeli policies.

“I have long believed that the go-it-alone philosophy that has driven this administration’s approach to international relations has damaged our leadership position in the world,” Mr. Chafee said in a statement yesterday. “Mr. Bolton does not demonstrate the kind of collaborative approach that I believe will be called for if we are to restore the United States’ position as the strongest country in a peaceful world.”

Nevertheless, the White House officially sent Mr. Bolton’s nomination to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for confirmation yesterday. Ms. Rice called several Republican and Democratic legislators, a State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, said. “She’s ready to do whatever she needs to do in order to help John get confirmed,” he added.

“We will see whether the Democrats are willing to play a constructive role by confirming him, or will they just play politics,” a Republican insider who has followed the Bolton nomination said.

However, the insider, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he doubted that the current Senate would allow a vote on the nomination. Even if it does, the Democrats will likely delay the vote until senators adjourn for the holidays, he said.

If it is unable to complete the nomination process during the Republican majority lame duck session, the White House could still back Mr. Bolton by resubmitting his nomination to next year’s Democratic-controlled Senate — or by bypassing Congress altogether, nominating him to another administration job, and naming him acting ambassador.


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