BOLTON CONFIRMATION PREVENTED…AGAIN!

For the second time in less than two years, Citizens for Global Solutions led the opposition of John Bolton’s confirmation as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Both times we believed we were fighting the good fight, but knew it would be a difficult – if not impossible -- task. Twice we were mistaken…but what an excellent way to get it wrong! The Washington Post, quoting the Senate Foreign Relations Committee spokesperson, has reported that the Bolton nomination is “dead as far as the Senate is concerned."

With the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's eight Democrats all opposed to the nomination, Ambassador Bolton needed all 10 Republicans to support him in order to move his nomination forward. But, Senator Lincoln Chafee, a Republican from Rhode Island, forced the committee to postpone the nomination while weighing his concerns. The Washington Post quoted Paul Light, a Brookings Institute governance scholar as saying, "I don't think John Bolton has too many options but to go home."

There is a possibility that the White House will continue to pursue the nomination. The administration’s options are: to bring it up again in the “lame duck” session of Congress scheduled for November (Senator Chafee is already being pressured to change his position); to give Mr. Bolton a second recess appointment without pay; or to appoint him to a non-confirmable deputy ambassador position and then make him the “acting” ambassador.

“Citizens for Global Solutions is monitoring the situation,” said Executive Vice President, Don Kraus, “But in the mean time we owe Senator Chafee a huge ‘Thanks’ for taking such a thoughtful and deliberate approach to this important nomination. We'd also like to thank our members for the tremendous job they did reaching out to their senators. For the moment, this is their victory.”

+ FOR MORE GO TO WWW.STOPBOLTON.ORG