Snowe and Collins on Bolton
The BDN says our Senators have a dilemma before them in deciding whether or not to vote for rabid isolationist John Bolton if his nomination goes to the Senate floor for a vote.
Mr. Bolton is famous for having declared that if the U.N. Secretariat building in New York "lost 10 stories it wouldn't make a bit of difference." He also once told National Public Radio that the U.N. Security Council would need only one permanent member, the United States, "because that's the real reflection of the distribution of power in the world."
You can watch the video of Bolton making those and other statements here via Citizens for Global Solutions. You really have to see the anger in his face as he bangs his pointed finger into the table while yelling about the evils of multilateralism before you can truly understand how bad a candidate he is.
Other factors may influence the moderates' votes on the Bolton question. They face other issues including Mr. Bush's controversial effort to change Social Security, his determination to put a group of conservative judges on the appellate court bench, a likely move to kill or curtail the filibuster rule and the possibility of vacancies on the Supreme Court.
If they go along with their party on the Bolton confirmation, they may be conserving their ammunition for future disputes they consider more important.
I wish I had a Senator who didn't have to choose between voting against someone like Bolton, stopping terrible judicial appointments, and saving Social Security. I wish I had a Senator who could do all three.
If you think Snowe and Collins couldn't possibly vote for a man like Bolton, then you weren't paying attention to the Gonzales nomination.
Visit the new Maine Politics.
posted by @ 2:32 PM 
5 comments
5 Comments:
Bolton is an absolute disgrace. Just when I thought that Bush's foreign policy couldn't get any worse, he nominated Bolton. What a frickin' idiot.
Posted by Andy
The problem is that while this may be an important issue, it isn't one most people pay attention to. It certainly isn't an issue on which an election can turn, as opposed to something like Social Security.
So it's incredibly easy (and perhaps politically smart) for Snowe and Collins to vote for a Bolton or a Gonzales when they get a chance.
Posted by Mike
The rabid ideology will probably be forgotten, but the lying and corruption are easy to understand and communicate. Voting for this guy when he was caught in a lie before the Committee, and when his record could not be clearer, that is the sort of blind partisanship that doesn't sell well.
Posted by Eric
Where do they come out on repealing the estate tax? Bolton is vile, but the real damage is done on things like the bankruptcy bill and "tax reform".
Posted by David
What a relief you and your followers oppose John Bolton. I was afraid he might not be perfect to fix the leftist corrupt UN. Now I'm sure he's the right man.
John Augusta
Posted by John