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| AP Predictive News - The Bolton Confirmation |
| 2005-04-11 |
| Note Date and Time of filing. Barry must be channeling Jeane Dixon. AP has been here / done this before. Don't try this at home, kiddies, they're professionals. Monday Apr 11, 1:58 AM EDT Bush Nominee for UN Ambassador Faces Test By BARRY SCHWEID AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) -- Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton faced tough questioning Monday from Senate Democrats on his nomination to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Republicans were looking for swift approval from the Foreign Relations Committee. Template dogmatic setup boilerplate... President Bush's selection of Bolton last month has stirred controversy because of his expressions of disdain for the United Nations and the blunt criticism he has leveled at North Korea and other countries and arms control treaties. Bolton, 56, has served in the past three Republican administrations and been one of his party's strongest conservative voices on foreign affairs issues. He is now the administration's arms control chief. In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended Bolton by saying that "not everybody is given to subtlety and indirection." She said Bolton is a good negotiator and would be great in the U.N. environment. Support point - or a subtle smear of Rice for defending him? Republicans control the Foreign Relations Committee by 10-8, but most if not all panel Democrats are expected to oppose the nomination. One of them, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said Bolton has not been an effective arms negotiator and speaks to people in a condescending, inflammatory way. We could rewrite this convoluted statement more clearly: Republicans control the Foreign Relations Committee by 10-8, but his confirmation margin will be greater than that because not all panel Democrats are expected to oppose the nomination. Makes more sense, no? "That's not the kind of representative of America that we want in the United Nations," Nelson said. So they feature a nay-sayer from the tiny marginalized minority. Who'da thunk it, eh? No AP spin here, nosirree. Committee Democrats also have circulated a portion of a 2-year-old Senate Intelligence Committee report questioning whether Bolton pressured a State Department intelligence analyst who tried to tone down language in a Bolton speech about Cuba's biological weapons capabilities. So they've been unable to pin this on him for 2 years, but still they trot it out in classic Dhimmidonk style. And what was the imaginary offense? Bolton "pressures" a State analyst who tries to tone down a Bolton speech? Huh? Parse that for a few minutes and see if there's really any meat. A difference of opinion, okay. But who's giving the speech? What did the WH think? State DOES work for the President, last time I looked at the phreakin' org chart... On television talk shows Sunday, committee Democrats Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, Joe Biden of Delaware and Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia cited the alleged pressure and other alleged incidents as among reasons they will oppose Bolton's nomination. Just being charged with not being a State patsy is enough for these brave Dhimmi warriors. Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, R-Ind., hopes for a vote on Bolton's nomination Thursday. A tie could keep the panel from recommending Senate approval. And, from the opening where we rewrote the sentence to make sense, does this leave much chance of a tie? No, but it makes good copy to speculate and pretend there's real tension and mystery, if you're AP. The outcome could depend on moderate Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I. Chafee spokesman Stephen Hourahan said the senator was leaning toward supporting Bolton "unless something surprising shows up" at the hearing. Such as the 2-yr old charges about a speech where State Dept Separate Agenda specialists tried to tell Bolton what to say, and he refused? H'okay. In preparations for the hearings, Democrats led by Biden have questioned Bolton's views on intelligence. They were granted access to four State Department officials and were permitted to examine some of its documents. Quiet: Chia Pet Detective At Work. But Biden's spokesman, Norm Kurz, complained the Democrats were not given everything they requested and were allowed only limited time for the interviews and only Friday to look at the papers. How can you properly develop a good political hit with lots of good TV face time and snarky sound bytes under such circumstances? Tell the bear in the shooting gallery to stand still, damnit! And we get unlimited ammo and time! Carl W. Ford Jr., a former chief of the department's bureau of intelligence and research with whom Bolton apparently clashed, was scheduled to testify on Tuesday. And, of course, if anyone ever disagreed with Bolton, then Bolton must be unfit. Whatever happened to honest differences of opinion? That old view was flushed with the advent of BDS. With Rockefeller, Biden, and Dodd, there is only one goal left in life: hurt Bush. Q.E.D. Since his nomination, Bolton has promised to work closely with other countries and members of Congress and said he has always supported "effective multilateral diplomacy." Anti-Idiotarians welcome. As assistant secretary of state for international relations under the first President Bush, he helped organize the alliance that forced Iraq out of Kuwait. So, um, let's get this straight... He's not qualified because he isn't a mealy-mouthed State Dept elitist, but he has actually done this sort of thing, before, but now he isn't qualified because he's Bush's nomination and, gasp!, Bush wants him to forcefully represent the US at the UN? Does that about cover it? Horrors! Critics, though, recall his 1994 comment that it would not matter if the top 10 stories of the 39-floor U.N. headquarters building in New York were lost. Calling a spade a spade is, indeed, verboten. So wash your mouth out with soap, Bolton, to make the wankers happy -- and we'll let you push the plunger, heh. He has said there is "no such thing as the United Nations," and asserted that the United States is the only real authority the world has. He has also questioned whether the organization undertakes too many peacekeeping missions. Oops! More of that telling it like it is, since the UN can't actually enforce anything without the US... Johnny, my boy, you've got to take it easy on the reality-deniers. They can't handle it straight, y'know. You can tell when you've upped the amps a little too much - they turn purple and go running for the nearest MSM TV crew. In February, he sharply criticized China for selling missile technology to Iran and other countries. He has been critical of Europe's efforts to reach an agreement with Iran to curb that country's nuclear program. Yep, he's e-vil, all right. More of that truth stuff, more hearts fluttering. During administration efforts two years ago to seek an agreement with North Korea over its nuclear program, Bolton called that country's leader a "tyrannical dictator." North Korean officials refused to deal with him. And he keeps up this relentless honesty! No wonder the Dhimmis see him as unfit for Govt service! Bolton helped lead U.S. opposition to the International Criminal Court and the United States' eventual withdrawal from the treaty creating the court. The His opponents have accused him of claiming without evidence that Syria and Cuba were trying to develop biological weapons. Well - have they resolved this one way or the other? Or is it just another festering "charge" that you're trotting out? Bolton would replace John Danforth, a former Republican senator from Missouri, who resigned after half a year as U.N. ambassador. All the accusations, none of the proof, all hit, all spin, all bullshit, all the time, AP - Asshole Press... Burma Shave. |
| Posted by:.com |
| #5 prolly just due to daylight savings time and all... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-04-11 12:08:40 PM |
| #4 Great catch, .com. |
| Posted by: Matt 2005-04-11 11:52:08 AM |
| #3 In preparations for the hearings, Democrats led by Biden have questioned Bolton’s views on intelligence. Unlike the Demi-donks actually questioning Dr. Rice's intelligence in her confirmation hearings, eh? Man, this just drips w/ hypocrisy! Maybe Bolton will question Biden's "intelligence" if you know what I mean! I prefer Bolton's "views on intelligence", like, he has some! |
| Posted by: BA 2005-04-11 8:45:21 AM |
| #2 Diplomats are still living in the 19th century when an insult could trigger a war. It's time to get out of that mealy-mouthed mode and tell it like it is. When something doesn't work anymore you fix it or throw it out if it can't be fixed. |
| Posted by: Spot 2005-04-11 8:36:54 AM |
| #1 "That’s not the kind of representative of America that we want in the United Nations,"..yes we do. |
| Posted by: raptor 2005-04-11 8:25:14 AM |