Appointment of Bolton Is Signaled
The White House gave its strongest signal yet Friday that President Bush would bypass the Senate and appoint John Bolton as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Senate Democrats have stalled the nomination of Bolton, a favorite of conservatives, over accusations that he tried to manipulate intelligence and intimidated analysts to support his hawkish views while the top U.S. diplomat for arms control.
Bush can bypass the Senate and give Bolton a “recess appointment” when the Senate begins its August recess this weekend. Bolton would be able to serve until January 2007, when a new Congress is sworn in. An announcement could come as early as Monday.
Asked about the possibility of a recess appointment for Bolton, White House spokesman Scott McClellan argued that the job needed to be filled soon.
“We need our permanent representative in place at the United Nations at this critical time. There is an effort underway to move forward on comprehensive reform,” he said. “ ... The United Nations will be having their General Assembly meeting in September, and it’s important that we get our permanent representative in place.”
Thirty-five Senate Democrats and one independent sent Bush a letter Friday urging him to find a different U.N. envoy.
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