Lincoln Chafee wavering, will Bushs nominee to the U.N. survive the Senate Foreign Relations Committee?
Tim Grieve Apr. 07, 2005 | When George W. Bush announced that he was nominating John Bolton to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the reaction from Democrats was about what you’d expect: A guy who has attacked the United Nations as viciously as Bolton has probably isn’t the best choice to represent the United States there, but the Republicans’ majority in the Senate means that he’ll be confirmed anyway. Not so fast. While the odds are still with Bolton, there’s at least some hope that his confirmation will be derailed. Before he can get to the Senate floor — where confirmation is indeed probably automatic — Bolton needs a majority vote from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. That means that if Democrats unite against Bolton and pick up one Republican on the committee, they can block his nomination. Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee might be that Republican. While a spokesman for Chafee tells the New York Times that the senator is “inclined” to vote for Bolton’s c
Tim Grieve Apr. 07, 2005 | When George W. Bush announced that he was nominating John Bolton to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the reaction from Democrats was about what you’d expect: A guy who has attacked the United Nations as viciously as Bolton has probably isn’t the best choice to represent the United States there, but the Republicans’ majority in the Senate means that he’ll be confirmed anyway. Not so fast. While the odds are still with Bolton, there’s at least some hope that his confirmation will be derailed. Before he can get to the Senate floor — where confirmation is indeed probably automatic — Bolton needs a majority vote from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. That means that if Democrats unite against Bolton and pick up one Republican on the committee, they can block his nomination. Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee might be that Republican. While a spokesman for Chafee tells the New York Times that the senator is “inclined” to vote for Bolton’s c
