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Senate Likely to Confirm Bolton as U.N. Ambassador
Democrats in the U.S. Senate have conceded that U.N. ambassador nominee John Bolton will likely be confirmed, Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, June 1). When asked if Democrats had enough votes to filibuster the nomination, top Foreign Relations Committee Democrat Joseph Biden of Delaware said, “I’m going to be completely straight with you. I’m not at all certain we do.” President George W. Bush “will probably be able to win the vote somewhere between 45 and 47 votes against and he’ll think it's a victory,” Biden said. “He is making a mistake, a serious mistake, not only institutionally, but for his own naked self interest.” Fellow committee Democrat Senator Chris Dodd (Conn.) said Bolton would be confirmed if the White House turns over all information requested by the Senate. “John Bolton would probably have the votes for confirmation if we can get beyond this request for additional information,” Dodd said. “So I’m hopeful this week we can work out some compromise, vote on John Bolton.” Biden, however, is not confident the administration will turn over the documents. “The bottom line here is that the president can probably stiff us,” he said. “The president can probably refuse to give us this information, which we’re completely entitled to as United States Senate and that is the reason why we’re not letting the vote go forward” (Reuters/New York Times, June 5). Meanwhile, reports detailed Bolton’s role in the 2002 removal of the head of Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Bolton sought the official’s resignation and then maneuvered later to have him fired, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, April 23, 2002). Former Organization chief Jose Bustani, who was pushing to send chemical weapons inspectors to Iraq before the U.S. invasion, was removed because of what the United States characterized as poor management. The removal was condemned by the United Nations’ Adminstrative Tribunal of the International Labor Organization, which in 2003 called the U.S. allegations against Bustani “extremely vague” and his removal “unlawful” (see GSN, July 22, 2003). “Many believed the U.S. delegation didn’t want meddling from outside in the Iraq business,” said retired Swiss diplomat Heinrich Reimann. “That could be the case.” Former Bolton deputy and career diplomat Avis Bohlen said Bolton pushed for Bustani’s ouster. “He was very much in charge of the whole campaign,” Bohlen said, adding that Bustani’s push for weapons inspections in Iraq was the reason Bolton wanted him removed (Charles Hanley, Associated Press/Washington Post, June 5).
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