Bush Asks GOP to Confirm Bolton

President Bush this week called on Congress to pass several measures that would likely face defeat once Democrats take power in January, including bills to make his tax cuts permanent, authorize warrantless surveillance, and expand drilling for offshore oil and gas. Bush also urged the Senate to ratify his recess appointment of John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations; Bolton has been serving in a temporary capacity since last year because the Senate has not confirmed him.

Bush's request was dealt a major setback when Sen. Lincoln Chafee, a moderate Republican who was defeated last week, said he would oppose confirming him. Confirming the sharp-elbowed Bolton, Chafee said, "would fly in the face of the clear consensus of the country that a new direction is called for." Voters last week elected Democratic majorities in both the House and the Senate.

The White House is exploring the possibility of keeping Bolton in his post without Senate approval, The New York Times reported. Bush could give Bolton a second recess appointment after Congress adjourns, but by law, he would not be paid for his service. Vice President Dick Cheney has asked advisors for other options, including changing Bolton's title from ambassador, which requires confirmation, to "acting permanent representative" or "deputy U.N. ambassador."

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So much for the new bipartisanship, said The New York Times in an editorial. The ideas Bush is trying to "ram through" during the last weeks of GOP rule range "from bad to truly awful." If Bush wants to make the case for them, fine. But let him do so to the Congress Americans have voted in, not the one they just booted out.

Bolton deserves his hearing now, said the Chicago Tribune in an editorial. In his 15 months at the U.N., Bolton proved he has "the right temperament and diplomatic skills for the job." Defying his bomb-thrower caricature, he has built international consensus on North Korea, Iran, and the Middle East. "If Democrats want to put some heft behind their post-election rhetoric about working with the White House," they'll allow the Senate to vote on Bolton.

It's time for conservatives to throw caution to the wind, said Deroy Murdock in National Review Online. This is their last chance to push through a host of popular Bush ideas, from tax cuts to tough national-security measures. Sure, Democrats will squawk. But if Republicans "had accomplished more of these things in the first place, voters might not have banished them to minority status."