Senate polarized over confirmation hearings for U.N. ambassador John Bolton, page 1

The Senate met on Thursday July 27th to begin confirmation hearings to make permanent John R. Bolton's post as the United States ambassador to the United Nations. Bolton's controversial nomination in March 2005 failed to reach a confirmation vote. When congress was recessed later that summer president Bush used a recession appointment to give Bolton the job while congress was away.

seattlepi.nwsource.com
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration and GOP leaders on Thursday renewed their push for Senate approval of John Bolton as U.N. ambassador. Democrats maintained he is too brash and ineffective to be confirmed.

After repeated failed attempts by GOP leaders to grant Bolton Senate approval, Bush last Aug. 1 used his executive power to sidestep Congress and temporarily assign Bolton to the job. Republicans decided to revive the matter this week after Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, who last year sided with Democrats in opposing Bolton, announced he would support Bolton this time.

"My concern is that at the moment of the greatest need for diplomacy in our recent history, we are not particularly effective at it," said Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

With the conflict in Israel and Lebanon getting worse every day and with news reports like Arab Support for Hezbollah Grows and King Abdullah Believes Israel/Palestinian Conflict Could Spark Full-Scale War our need for an effective ambassador to the United Nations is critical at this point in history. Instead we have John Bolton, a man "once described by colleagues as a bully who led witch hunts to punish colleagues who disagreed with him." A person so unqualified to be the U.N. ambassador that even as a nominee by a republican president voted on by a largely cooperative republican controlled congress he was not able to win confirmation.

In addition to all of this, John Bolton served as a director on the Project for the New American Century, a conservative think-tank that prior to 9/11 alluded that "a new Pearl Harbor" would be needed in order for Americans to support increased foreign military campaigns. This same group drew up the blueprint for regime change in Iraq even before president Bush took office in 2001:

ABOUT THE PROJECT FOR THE NEW AMERICAN CENTURY

Established in the spring of 1997, the Project for the New American Century is a nonprofit, educational organization whose goal is to promote American global leadership. The Project is an initiative of the New Citizenship Project. William Kristol is chairman of the Project, and Robert Kagan, Devon Gaffney Cross, Bruce P. Jackson and John R. Bolton serve as directors. Gary Schmitt is executive director of the Project. [emphasis added]

Rebuilding America's Defenses

Earlier this month at the beginning of the Israel/Lebanon conflict John Bolton representing the United States vetoed a resolution in the United Nations Security Council that sought to end the violence in Gaza:

U.S. Vetoes UN Resolution Seeking to End Violence in Gaza Strip

July 13 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. vetoed a resolution presented to the United Nations Security Council by Arab nations seeking increased pressure on Israel to stop attacking the Gaza Strip and the release of a kidnapped Israeli soldier.

The measure, sponsored in the Security Council by Qatar, was supported by 10 of the other 14 members. Britain, Denmark, Peru and Slovakia abstained in the vote.

``We didn't think any useful purpose would be served by a resolution or council action with respect to the situation in Gaza,'' U.S. Ambassador John Bolton told reporters before the vote. ``Israel has a right of self defense.''

Now more than two weeks into the conflict with the situation getting worse day by day it seems like anything John Bolton chooses to do will only further aggravate the situation. Can we really afford to have a man who's primary goal is an American military hegemony to be our ambassador to the U.N.?

Related News Links:
www.iht.com
www.huffingtonpost.com
www.pacifica.org
www.nbc4.tv

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
POLITICS: Bush to Appoint Bolton on Recess
VIDEO: Why is this man possibly representing the US!?
PNAC - Project for the New American Century - Is It For Real?
POLITICS: Bush to Recommend Wolfowitz for World Bank