Meanwhile, as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee inquiry into John Bolton widens, a deeply concerned Dubya and the GOP now threaten to sidestep the concerns of Dems and moderate Republicans completely by bringing Bolton’s nomination to a floor vote, regardless of the committee’s recommendation. Hopefully Senators Voinovich, Hagel, and Chafee, as well as other independent-minded Senators in the Republican Party, will take serious umbrage at this attempt to ride roughshod over the committee’s usual advise & consent prerogatives.
Tag: George W. Bush
Birds of a Feather.
“Bush is supporting DeLay as ‘strongly as he ever has, which is strongly,’ McClellan said.” While trying once again to salvage his Social Security privatization plan (which even Republicans on the Senate Finance Commitee are now shying away from), Dubya struts beside Boss DeLay for all the world to see. Well, Mr. President, if he’s really the type of fellow you want us to associate with your administration…
The General’s Wrath.
Dubya & Cheney may still love the guy, but right-wing freakshow John Bolton has clearly irked former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who bore the brunt of Bolton’s obfuscation in the past. Will Powell’s not-very-off-the-record contempt be enough to sway Sens. Chafee, Hagel, and Voinovich?
Chafee at the Bit?
Now that Sen. Voinovich has bravely put his foot in the door, GOP Senator Lincoln Chafee also declares he’s less likely to vote for John Bolton at this point. But, judging from his remarks today, Dubya isn’t getting the message. After embracing the Hammer earlier this week, one wonders how many more radioactive liabilities the White House is willing to continue accommodating. At a certain point, even this administration’s considerable arrogance of power will have to bow to political reality.
Voinovich Bolts.
“It’s a good guess that one of two things is going to happen in the coming days and weeks: Either Bolton goes down — or we start learning a lot of unpleasant things about Sen. George Voinovich.” (And, right now, it’s looking like the latter.) To his credit, Senator Voinovich (R-OH) follows his conscience and admits “real concern” about John Bolton, forcing the Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to forestall the vote on Bolton’s nomination. And, if Slate‘s Fred Kaplan is correct and Bolton has perjured himself, Dubya had better start warming up another right-wing freakshow for the post.
Information Adjustments.
More troubling information piles up about John Bolton, Dubya’s dubious UN pick — Apparently, along with trying to spike the careers of analysts who talk back to him, Bolton has been blocking the flow of important information to Dubya’s Secretaries of State. It’s gotten to the point where Chuck Hagel (R-NE), one of the more rational Republicans in the Senate, has begun to voice his doubts about the candidate, although he still plans to vote for him tomorrow.
Morally Bankrupt, pt. II.
Even as the fundies rattle the leash, the House moves to placate the GOP’s real masters by approving the corporate-friendly bankruptcy bill 302-126. “Its passage by Congress is a victory for executives in the credit card, retail and auto financing industries who have pushed it for nearly a decade.” But, not to worry, y’all — the base is protected: The bill “preserve[s] loopholes that enable wealthy individuals who file for bankruptcy to shield unlimited amounts of money in complex trusts and in multimillion-dollar homes in states including Texas and Florida.”
Griffin in the door?
Finally, a Dubya nominee I can get behind. At his confirmation hearing, Michael Griffin — the administration’s pick for head of NASA — suggests the Hubble may still be worth saving. “Griffin, a physicist-engineer who holds six advanced degrees, is known as a devotee of human space travel and a firm advocate of Bush’s ‘Vision for Space Exploration’ aimed at the moon and Mars…He bluntly expressed his intention to lead a resurgence in American ‘spacefaring,’ noting that Russia and China had both put humans into space since the space shuttle last flew.”
Bolting the Ranks.
“‘I’m as conservative as John Bolton is,’ Ford said. ‘But the fact is that the collateral damage and the personal hurt that he causes is not worth the price that had to be paid.'” A former State Department intelligence chief, described in the WP as “a loyal Republican, a staunch supporter of Bush and a ‘huge fan’ of Vice President Cheney,” entreats the Senate to reject Bolton as UN Ambassador. (Alas, the GOP members don’t seem to be biting.)
Plenty of time, no love or tenderness.
“In short, John Bolton came off as strikingly lacking in the credibility, values, and basic commitment that, especially these days, the job of U.N. ambassador requires.” Slate‘s Fred Kaplan, a frequent critic of Dubya’s freak show choice for UN ambassador, sizes up Bolton’s performance before the Senate today.