Bolton on the shelf

Ron had previously pointed out, here and here, that the nomination of avowed UN hater and serial underling abuser John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations might not be a done deal. Even with a 10 - 8 Republican majority on the committee considering the nomination, it seems that Ron may have been more prescient than we thought. They have now put the nomination on hold pending further investigation of allegations of abuse by Bolton. The White House, of course, became petulant and fired back.

The White House blasted Senate Democrats on Wednesday for delaying a vote on President Bush's choice for U.N. ambassador, saying nominee John Bolton was the victim of trumped-up complaints about his treatment of subordinates.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee delayed a scheduled vote on Bolton's nomination Tuesday when a Republican member balked at voting during a contentious hearing.

Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the committee's Republican chairman, agreed to put off a vote scheduled for that afternoon after Republican Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio joined Democrats in seeking a delay so the panel could investigate fresh allegations that Bolton had threatened subordinates who disagreed with him.

Lugar is either growing a conscience or is worried that is constituents back home won't swallow this particular pill. Trying to paint a bit of lipstick on this pig, the Bush administration trotted out their favorite cheerleaders, Scotty McClellan and Condi.

"I think what you're seeing is some Democrats on the committee trumping up allegations and making unsubstantiated accusations against someone the president believes will do an outstanding job at the United Nations," said White House press secretary Scott McClellan.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is visiting Russia, said questions about Bolton's "management style" should not be part of the confirmation process. "This is an intelligent, committed person who has been a public servant several times in his career, and he will make a very fine ambassador to the United Nations," Rice said in Moscow.

"The president deserves to have the person at the United Nations that he thinks best to carry out this job."

This is yet another clear indication of the groupthink inside the West Wing. Notice the language that flows so easily from Rice.

"The president deserves..."

"... that he thinks best..."

This president clearly feels that the legislative and judicial branches of the government are nothing more than nuisance obstacles to be overcome. He truly believes that anyone he wants to appoint to any position should just be done as soon as the thought crosses his mind. What he seems to fail to either realize or acknowledge is that we have these processes in place for a reason. Presidents don't just get to pick whoever they want. The Senate gets a say in these things to prevent presidents from (giving the benefit of the doubt) making an error in an appointment, or (worst case scenario) intentionally appointing a dangerous or unqualified person to a position of power.

There are those who will still claim that "advise and consent" is the equivalent of a rubber stamp and only provides an opportunity to comment prior to confirmation. That may have been true at some point in history, but not today. There may well have been a time when presidents actually listened to Senators, regardless of party affiliation, and took that advice under consideration when choosing appointees. No longer. This is a war between Bush and anyone who opposes him on any issue. The Senate needs to perform a stronger watchdog function in these cases, and Lugar is giving me some sliver of hope that he's actually taking that responsibility seriously.