Joltin' John Bolton's UN Hopes Crashing?

Nick Gillespie | April 19, 2005

Will John Bolton, George Bush's pick to be the U.S.'s ambassador to the United Nations and hands-down winner of the Wilfred Brimley Memorial Mustache Competition, ever get voted on?

Things didn't break his way today, as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee postponed a vote for several weeks.

Republicans hold a 10-8 majority on the panel, and [Indiana Republican Sen. Richard] Lugar had sounded confident early in the session that he had the votes to prevail.

"We were not born yesterday," Lugar said. "The Republicans want to vote for John Bolton; there are 10 Republicans here."

But Republican Sens. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and George Voinovich of Ohio, both expressed reservations about a quick vote--as did a solid phalanx of Democrats. Voinovich was direct in expressing his concern. "I've heard enough today that gives me some real concern about Mr. Bolton," he said.

Most of the allegations against Bolton are that he wanted to can or transfer analysts he'd "lost confidence in," which hardly seems so bad, even if the guy is a bit of a screamer or, in the words of a colleague, "a serial abuser."

MSNBC story with rundown of allegations here.