WP: Bolton Often Blocked Information, Officials Say

[Pirate Smile]

Bolton Often Blocked Information, Officials Say
Iran, IAEA Matters Were Allegedly Kept From Rice, Powell

By Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 18, 2005; Page A04

John R. Bolton -- who is seeking confirmation as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations -- often blocked then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and, on one occasion, his successor, Condoleezza Rice, from receiving information vital to U.S. strategies on Iran, according to current and former officials who have worked with Bolton.

In some cases, career officials found back channels to Powell or his deputy, Richard L. Armitage, who encouraged assistant secretaries to bring information directly to him. In other cases, the information was delayed for weeks or simply did not get through. The officials, who would discuss the incidents only on the condition of anonymity because some continue to deal with Bolton on other issues, cited a dozen examples of memos or information that Bolton refused to forward during his four years as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.

Two officials described a memo that had been prepared for Powell at the end of October 2003, ahead of a critical international meeting on Iran, informing him that the United States was losing support for efforts to have the U.N. Security Council investigate Iran's nuclear program. Bolton allegedly argued that it would be premature to throw in the towel. "When Armitage's staff asked for information about what other countries were thinking, Bolton said that information couldn't be collected," according to one official with firsthand knowledge of the exchange.

Intra-agency tensions are common in Washington, and as the undersecretary of state in charge of nuclear issues, Bolton had a lot of latitude to decide what needed to go to the secretary. But career officials said they often felt that his decisions, and policy views, left the department's top diplomat uninformed and fed the long-running struggles inside the agency.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61304-2005Apr17.html

[journalist3072]

1. Senate vote

Any Senator that votes to confirm this man needs to be impeached. What more evidence do they need that he is not qualified? That he is not a good man?

I don't want to hear a single United States Senator saying they are voting for him b/c the President of the United States gets to have the cabinet he wants.

[ltfranklin]

3. Exactly...

This is EXACTLY why the filibuster on appointments is needed...because too many Senators are now willing to let ANY warm body the President puts up for an appointment to waltz right through. Without the filibuster to AT LEAST require any semi-controversial candidate to get at least 60 votes, the Senate is NOT doing it's job of Advise and Consent.

[journalist3072]

6. You're absolutely right

And you know, a few weeks, ago, I watched Senator Hillary Clinton give a speech in defense of the filibuster. And she said that recently, some of her Senate colleagues had went over to Iraq & met w/ some Iraqi leaders.

One of the Republican Senators part of the delegation, was asked by an Iraqi "how do you maintain minority rights." And the Republican Senator responded "You need the filibuster." Hillary Clinton laughed, and said how amazing it was that they are trying to do away with the filibuster, but they tell Iraqis they need it to protect minority rights.

[NMDemDist2]

2. tick tick tick

drip drip drip

Let's hope it gets so stinky even Lugar can't stomach it

[Pirate Smile]

11. FYI - On CNN's Late Edition today, former NSA Zbigniew Brzezinski was

worried where John Bolton would be placed if he wasn't at the UN.

He was concerned about Bolton being in a position where he would be involved in actually formulating POLICY. He said that at least as UN Ambassador, he wouldn't be involved in policy making.

It was certainly not an endorsement of Bolton as UN Ambassador. He was just commenting on how scary it is to have that guy in a position to actually influence policy.

The fact that this "madman" is anywhere near either of these types of positions just demonstrates the current insanity taking place in our Gov't.

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

14. Interesting take

I still say -- stop him at all costs.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[journalist3072]

5. You hit the nail on the head

And as an African-American, I am really embarrassed by them. They do not represent my values at all.

[Rose Siding]

7. Why can one Senator block some nominees and not others?

For instance...

Senators Acting Alone Can Block Nominees

WASHINGTON (AP) - While the Senate is near open warfare over minority party filibusters of judicial nominees, senators acting alone are blocking some of President Bush's other choices for top government jobs with little protest.

Democratic senators have in place or are threatening to place ``holds'' on Bush's nominees to head three key agencies - the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration and the office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

In each case, the chokehold is being applied not to defeat the nomination but to raise an issue important to the objecting senator.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4941371,00.html

Four Dems are blocking four different nominees. Why can't Bolton be blocked :shrug:

[johnfunk]

8. So Bolton gave Condi and Colin the "mushroom treatment?"*

Stick a fork in 'im...

He's DONE!

* Mushroom treatment: Keep 'em in the dark, feed 'em lots of shit.

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

9. Bolton is Unconfirmable!

This is starting to look like Bernard Kerik, the Sequel!

[young_at_heart]

10. Why would our president choose such a person?

Seriously......what is his motive for picking such an unsuitable man?

[johnfunk]

12. Because of his utter arrogance and contempt for the rest of the world

Yep -- we're stuck with a sociopathic moron for 3 1/2 more years because voters were too stupid or scared to stop and think. I'm at the point where I'm actually telling off Bush voters. THEY are to blame for Bolton, Negroponte, the rise of Dominionists.

[pfitz59]

13. Sideshow.....

trip us up over Bolton while other scum filter through. (AKA: Negroponte!)

[jmatthan]

15. Condoleeza Rice did not want him

working in the State Department - so she kicked him towards the UN.

This will be covered later in the blog "Move The UN".

http://MoveTheUN.blogspot.com

Jacob Matthan
Oulu, Finland

[manly]

32. Bush's pick

In case you haven't noticed, George Bush has an unfailing ability to pick the wrong person for any job. Regard Bernard Kerik, who wouldn't have passed the most rudimentary screening procedure. You must remember, Bush is an idiot.

[Rebel_with_a_cause]

16. Hagel: I'll vote for him now, but if I hear one more bad thing about him

one more bad thing, then maybe I'll change my mind, but it's not for certain.

What a limpdick Hagel is.

[truthisfreedom]

17. man, this is getting kinda creepy. people standing up to bushco? cracks

in the veneer are beginning to reveal the rotten structure beneath, and guess what, folks... IT'S IN THE MAIN STREAM PRESS! it's almost like the press is finding this... interesting. 8^)

[kodi]

18. very useful public display of bushevik managment style

the more folks hear about bolton and the way he acts, the easier it is to believe how much the busheviks lied about iraq.

this has been a revealing lifting of the curtain on the intelligence community and more directly to the point, of its corruption by right wing ideologues than a hundred presidential commissions.

[oasis]

19. Kick because slimy bastard Bolton is a waste of space.

[autorank]

20. WashPost: Bolton Often Blocked Information, Officials Say

Well, all righty then. Now he emerges as the fall-guy for the failed actions of Powell and Rice (I suspect the Powell camp leaked this). Hmm... more intra-party fighting. Wonders never cease. I'm shocked!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61304-2005Apr17.html

Bolton Often Blocked Information, Officials Say
Iran, IAEA Matters Were Allegedly Kept From Rice, Powell

By Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 18, 2005; Page A04


John R. Bolton -- who is seeking confirmation as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations -- often blocked then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and, on one occasion, his successor, Condoleezza Rice, from receiving information vital to U.S. strategies on Iran, according to current and former officials who have worked with Bolton.

In some cases, career officials found back channels to Powell or his deputy, Richard L. Armitage, who encouraged assistant secretaries to bring information directly to him. In other cases, the information was delayed for weeks or simply did not get through. The officials, who would discuss the incidents only on the condition of anonymity because some continue to deal with Bolton on other issues, cited a dozen examples of memos or information that Bolton refused to forward during his four years as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.

[Sannum]

21. drip drip drip

[autorank]

22. Really. From nominee to "fall guy" in a few weeks.

Makes you wonder what's about to come out. His utility to some is now nothing more than an excuse. Drip, drip, drip indeed.

[still_one]

23. this is double speak

just last week rice was defending bolton, and saying that the UN is dead unless they follow the US lead

I would not get false hope that bolton will not be confirmed. the criminals have full control of the system

[autorank]

24. It's the ole Washington CYA in action.

Powell's got a reputation to rebuild, particularly with the international community. What was Powell's biggest screw-up...going into the UN, using his considerable good will there, and lying his pants off. They trusted him, at least they were allowed to trust him. Of course, Powell has no integrity whatsoever. He stood next to Bush during the Florida post-election scandal (where blacks were disenfranchised as the key strategy) and lent Bush enormous credibility.

So, what does this mean? It means Powell is putting another brick in the rebuilding project of his tattered reputation. The double-speak is, I believe, the inclusion of Rice's name. Powell's a fairly bright guy who is also fairly ineffective in critical reasoning. But he's a genius at the PR game. Bolton is a throw-away for him and he's also playing gotcha with the neocons.

This is just delightful to watch. Sit back and enjoy the show.

[rodeodance]

25. one deserves the other-Condi and Bolton are two of a kind--

....Bolton's time at the State Department under Rice has been brief. But authoritative officials said Bolton let her go on her first European trip without knowing about the growing opposition there to Bolton's campaign to oust the head of the U.N. nuclear agency. "She went off without knowing the details of what everybody else was saying about how they were not going to join the campaign," according to a senior official. Bolton has been trying to replace Mohamed ElBaradei, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who is perceived by some within the Bush administration as too soft on Iran.

Publicly, Rice has staunchly defended Bolton's credentials and urged the Senate to quickly confirm him. But privately, officials said, she has kept him out of key discussions on Iran since taking over in January.

[autorank]

30. Nice information. Wow, I feel great knowing they're all working together.

[msanthrope]

27. I think you are dead on about the Powell leak....n/t

[swag]

26. Kick for the folks just waking up

and a pointer for a little commentary on this story to

www.warandpiece.com

which is worth a daily visit anyway.

Watching the story of these White House losers unfold is a bit like watching the movie Akira for the first time: just when you think the plot can't get any more insane or messed up, it amazes you all over again.

[swag]

28. More info and analysis - via a "well-informed source" to L. Rozen

www.warandpiece.com

"...I find it very interesting the one sentence here that Rice has excluded Bolton from discussions on Iran. That issue arguably is the most important item in the portfolio of the Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security, Bolton's current position. If the Secretary of State does not have confidence in Bolton to do his current job, what makes her think he would be an effective UN Ambassador? <...>

This nomination, and the media coverage surrounding it, is quickly reaching critical mass -- the drip-drip of daily revelations is telling. If the Dems can succeed in having tomorrow's vote delayed, then for the first time, I would rate the likelihood that Bolton will be defeated as more likely than not. It's clear that civil servants at State and other political opponents of Bolton who have been bullied and intimidated for the past four years now view this time as open season on Bolton -- and are spilling everything to the press. I doubt that a Chuck Hagel or a Linc Chafee can justify a yes vote with another week's worth of news coverage. So the committee vote tomorrow is really key -- if it happens, then Bolton may still skate by with the skin of his teeth.

In response to your question posted online, it's clear who Bolton is working for -- always has been: the Vice President. Bolton was appointed to his current position as a representative of Cheney and he has treated that position thusly. We all should have recognized early on the frustrations Colin Powell would face in his job when this appointment was foisted upon him in early 2001..."

[goodhue]

29. kick

[swag]

31. I'll kick it one more time. It's about as "Greatest-" worthy

as it gets.

[mainer]

33. Powell should testify

He's not worried about his job now. I'd like to hear his opinion of Bolton. Someone should call him to testify!

[swag]

34. "Lugar, Hagel and Chafee need to hear from you. Be polite."

from the esteemed Laura Rozen at www.warandpiece.com

"For now, one battle at a time. Lugar, Hagel and Chafee need to hear from you. Be polite; these are the GOP guys who have voiced willingness to hear the facts before making their vote. But the WaPo revelations overnight really reveal inside-Bush administration concerns about Bolton to a whole new degree of magnitude. This is a man neither Rice nor Powell trusted to be an honest broker on WMD issues, which was, after all, Bolton's job. They were, after all, Bolton's bosses. According to the WaPo's Dafna Linzer, Bolton has repeatedly suppressed Iran intelligence from his superiors, Powell, Armitage and Rice, to the point, Linzer reports, that Rice has quietly excluded Bolton from the State Department discussion on Iran.

This goes so far beyond the revelations that Bolton is an unpleasant person to work with, to demonstrating a private agenda obsession that puts this country's national security at risk. There's ample evidence that Bolton's bosses don't trust him, and that he gave them enormous reasons to distrust him, indeed, to set up alternative channels to get the information they required to serve the president and the country. Bolton has shown repeatedly that he is unwilling to respect the chain of command and that he went to some lengths to sabotage his superiors. He should be kept outside it. If the Vice President wants Bolton on his staff, he should hire him. Not make him his operative in NY, where Bolton would be about the least credible vehicle for bringing the case on Iran's nuclear program to the world that one could conceive of. Not even good soldier Condoleezza Rice will permit Bolton to participate in the State Iran debate, the Washington Post reports, because he deliberately withheld information on international opposition to his lobbying effort against the IAEA's ElBaradei from her. What more of a non-endorsement is there than that?"

[TexasLawyer]

35. My e-mail to my Senators

I attached the WAPO article. Feel free to crib off my e-mail. Even if it doesn't alter any votes, you'll feel better that you communicated your objection, and that you at least TRIED.

Dear Senator _____________

Here is yet more news about the miserable track record of John Bolton. This article, in today's Washington Post, demonstrates like so many other news reports over the last few weeks the complete unfitness of John Bolton for the office of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

I don't know ANYONE--Republican or Democrat-- who wants this person to represent the United States in ANY capacity, let alone in a position so influential, so important, and at such a precarious time in world history. John Bolton is a disaster waiting to happen. PLEASE find someone else for this position. PLEASE!

[TexasLawyer]

36. Also e-mail Senators Lugar, Hagel and Chafee

As per Post 34, above, also let Senators Lugar, Hagel and Chafee know that John Bolton is NOT the right guy for the job.

[Up2Late]

37. Why are they still even considering this Jerk

This guy should be investigated for this crap, not headed for the UN.:mad: