AP: Showdown Vote for U.N. Nominee Bolton

[Pirate Smile]

Showdown Vote for U.N. Nominee Bolton

By ANNE GEARAN
The Associated Press
Monday, April 18, 2005; 9:51 PM

WASHINGTON - A trickle of allegations, some anonymous, paint the Bush administration's choice for U.N. ambassador as an imperious hothead who dressed down junior bureaucrats and withheld information from his superiors.

John R. Bolton hasn't been talking since his confirmation hearing, but the Bush administration is dismissing the complaints against him as trifling. A showdown Senate committee vote is planned for Tuesday.

At least one Democratic senator, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., said Monday he will ask for a closed session so the committee can hear from intelligence officials about information Bolton requested relating to National Security Agency communications.

-snip-
"I do not think the concerns raised about Secretary Bolton warrant our rejection of the president's selection for his own representative to the U.N.," Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said in a statement prepared for Tuesday's hearing.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64201-2005Apr18.html

WP just posted their Tuesday story:

Panel Sets Vote Today on Bolton Nomination to U.N.

By Charles Babington
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 19, 2005; Page A02

Senate Republicans rejected Democrats' request yesterday for more time to review allegations against John R. Bolton, President Bush's choice to be United Nations ambassador, and they scheduled a Foreign Relations Committee vote today on the nomination.

Although two committee Republicans have not ruled out voting against Bolton, GOP and Democratic leaders said he appeared on track to win a straight party-line vote from the panel, which Republicans control 10 to 8. The nomination would then go to the full GOP-controlled Senate.

Dodd said, "There are four new allegations since the hearing a week or so ago, serious ones. Some of the same type again, people whose jobs were threatened." A new allegation, Dodd said, dates to Bolton's time at the Justice Department in the 1980s: "He threatened a woman who needed maternity leave for health reasons."
"There's a series of these things that are emerging here, a pattern," Dodd said. "Some of my colleagues have said, 'Look, I need to see a pattern.' I don't know how much more of a pattern you need."

Democratic committee sources said new responses from Bolton's office to follow-up questions provided little information but included some contradictions to his testimony. In the written responses, Bolton apparently acknowledged making 10 requests, over four years, for names of U.S. officials whose conversations with foreigners were monitored by the National Security Agency. Intelligence officials -- who would discuss the details only on the condition of anonymity -- said that number was unusually high for one person.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64142-2005Apr18.html

[AuntiBush]

1. Does this surprise any of us...

Honestly. This adm is sick! Everyone I know hates the Repuks. We've been hi-jacked by fear advocates, evil rich wackos and I think I now "get it," why they hate America/Americans...

FDR: They've been jealous ever since.
Mid-West/Bible-Belt: Low populous per acre, compared to North/East Coast and Canadian border cities so they feel they never had it as good as "us," per se though little to they realize it's "us" that have paid higher taxes to help them get by.
Less Populous = Less Tolerance to a Variant of People.

Decades of Think-Tank Repuks, B*SH & Co angry for eons that granddad's were taken down by FDR and now, sonny boy is having a pay-back field day. Doesn't hurt to have big payola's on board and the saddest, worse part is the religious fundies don't get that they too have been duped.

Did I mention decades of HATRED against those of us that seek to further our education; that become painfully disabled through no fault of our own; widows (god forbid); women go back to the kitchens. I'm kidding but it's that mentality that is why they are SO ANGRY when they WON! For god's sake to you CREEPIN FREEPERS!

[Rose Siding]

2. NYT: Delay Is Sought in Vote on U.N. Nominee

The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will ask the panel's Republican majority to delay a vote scheduled for Tuesday on the nomination of John R. Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations, according to Democratic Senate officials.

The Democrat, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, will urge Republicans to allow the panel more time to review allegations that Mr. Bolton has acted abusively toward subordinates and others, the Democratic officials said.
....
On Monday, one of former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell's top aides spoke out in opposition to Mr. Bolton.

"Under Secretary Bolton was never the formidable power that people are insinuating he was in terms of foreign policy, or blocking the policies that Secretary Powell wished to pursue," Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as Mr. Powell's chief of staff, said in a telephone interview.

"But do I think John Bolton would make a good ambassador to the United Nations? Absolutely not," Mr. Wilkerson said. "He is incapable of listening to people and taking into account their views. He would be an abysmal ambassador."

http://nytimes.com/2005/04/19/politics/19bolton.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1113883785-N2EwIOCkzbVkKJ4XlTeP4g

[AlCzervik]

3. freepers claiming lugar has the votes to pass him

someone by the looks of it is claiming Carl bushboy cameron from Faux "News" will be on Brit hume's show tomorrow proclaiming that. Would Faux leak that to freepers, i'm guessing yes or it could be bullshit.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1386185/posts

[Pirate Smile]

5. Wash Post says Lugar has rejected requests to delay.

Lugar strayed off the BushCo. reservation a few times and apparently, he has been whipped into line. Pathetic.

This lunatic is going to be running around in the UN supposedly representing the US.:wow:

[rainbow4321]

4. Dallas public relations consultant abuse complaint against Bolton

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/washington/stories/041905dnintbolton.24a7a2ce.html

An e-mail by a Dallas public relations consultant alleging abusive behavior by John Bolton is being used by Democrat opponents to question his qualifications to be U.N. ambassador.

Melody Townsel, who manages Townsel Communications, said she was bullied by Mr. Bolton in a Moscow hotel for two weeks in 1994. She described her experiences to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in an e-mail circulated by ranking Democrat Joe Biden of New Jersey.

Problems arose when Ms. Townsel and the prime contractor – International Business and Technical Consultants Inc. – disagreed about personnel and financial resources. During a visit to Moscow, Ms. Townsel said she wrote to USAID about her issues and was confronted by the company's legal counsel – Mr. Bolton. "Mr. Bolton proceeded to chase me through the halls of a Russian hotel, throwing things at me, shoving threatening letters under my door, and generally behaving like a madman," Ms. Townsel wrote.


Mr. Ramat, who worked for Business International, said Mr. Bolton visited Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and made disparaging remarks about Ms. Townsel. "He announced to the whole staff that Melody was under investigation and she was being accused of various things, including stealing money," Mr. Ramat said.