John Bolton's nomination is in deep trouble, said Fred Kaplan in Slate.com. Until last week, President Bush's crusty choice as the U.S.'s ambassador to the United Nations had seemed to be heading for rubber-stamp approval by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where Republicans have a 10'“8 majority. But then came testimony that Bolton'”an outspoken critic of the U.N.'”had, while at the State Department, browbeaten subordinates and sought to fire intelligence analysts who disagreed with him. Suddenly, Republican Senator George Voinovich of Ohio declared he didn't 'œfeel comfortable' with Bolton. 'œMy conscience got me,' Voinovich explained. Two other moderate Republicans expressed qualms as well; with Democrats all vehemently opposed to Bolton's nomination, the committee decided to put off a vote and spend three weeks investigating the nominee's past conduct. Don't be surprised if the embarrassed White House decides to 'œpull the rug out from under this nuisance named John Bolton' by withdrawing his nomination.
That would be a huge political mistake, said The Wall Street Journal in an editorial. Bolton stands accused of nothing more than raising his voice to sluggish bureaucrats and pounding on a few doors; if that's a disqualification for public service, 'œhalf of the Senate will have to resign.' The testimony of a few disgruntled underlings was nothing but a 'œsmear campaign' engineered by Senate Democrats who dislike the administration's aggressive foreign policy. This is hardball, said William Kristol in The Weekly Standard, and the White House had better get in the game. Democrats are doing to Bolton what they once did to conservative U.S. Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork. If 'œthe Borking of Bolton is allowed to succeed,' Bush's foreign policy will be severely undermined.
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