NOTE: This is being reposted from yesterday to today’s blog since we have greatly expanded the links on the roundup. Due to driving more than 300 miles yesterday, the roundup doesn’t contain our usual post excerpts but extensive links from many viewpoints with a few comments.
President George Bush bypassed the Senate and used a recess appointment to send embattled UN Ambassador nominee to the UN, raising the question: Has George Bush politically “jumped the shark?”
The AP reports:
President Bush sidestepped the Senate and installed embattled nominee John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations today, ending a five-month impasse with Democrats who accused Bolton of abusing subordinates and twisting intelligence to fit his conservative ideology.
“This post is too important to leave vacant any longer, especially during a war and a vital debate about UN reform,” Bush said. He said Bolton had his complete confidence.
Bush put Bolton on the job in a recess appointment — an avenue available to the president when the Congress is in recess. Under the Constitution, a recess appointment during the lawmakers’ August break would last until the next session of Congress, which begins in January 2007.
The bottom line: it is NOT an illegal move.
The other bottom line: Bolton doesn’t go to the United Nations as someone who enjoys widespread support in the Senate. Nor in opinion polls. Nor, if you believe the testimony, among many people who worked with him. The United States has never had a UN Ambassador who has had so little solid political backing.
But — another bottom line — he has the backing where it counts. He was appointed at a ceremony with Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the announcement ceremony. He made some proforma remarks — and so did Bush:
Bush said that Bolton’s nomination had been supported by a majority of the Senate but that “because of partisan delaying tactics by a handful of senators, John was unfairly denied the up-or-down vote that he deserves.”
Bush had refused to give up on Bolton even though the Senate had voted twice to sustain a filibuster against his nominee. Democrats and some Republicans had raised questions about Bolton’s fitness for the job, particularly in view of his harsh criticism of the United Nations.
So we assume in talking about this “handful of Senators” Mr. Bush also means members of his OWN party. Bolton’s foes didn’t just include Democrats.
Of course Republicans (in the Senate, on talk shows, on blogs) will hail Bush’s move as gutsy. Of course, Democrats (in the Senate, on talk shows, on blogs) will say it’s an outrage. Democrats on Sunday labeled Bolton damaged goods.
The BBC offers a profile of Bolton here. Some analysis is already pouring in:
“There’s no doubt that the recess appointment has left Bolton in a difficult situation. He doesn’t have the full backing of the Senate, so there will be a cloud over his nomination and over everything he does.
“What’s more, he’s a fairly controversial character, especially on the subject of the UN. He doesn’t like it and he doesn’t think it works.
“But that’s precisely the reason the Bush Administration chose him. They hope he will drive through UN reform and they also hope that by appointing such a highly skeptical ambassador, they will be able to bring into line support for their dealings with the UN among those who distrust the organization even more.
“It’s the classic Richard Nixon to China strategy: only someone with those sorts of credentials will be able to pull off a deal that commands support.
Here’s our take:
- You can’t accurately call this an abuse of power because it is perfectly legal.
- Bolton won’t be going with much credibility, beyond the administration and GOP partisans.
- The media is going to watch him like a hawk. If he slips they will be all over him and Bush may regret this appointment. Remember that Bolton has virtually zilch Democratic support and is not beloved even among some Republicans.
- It won’t impact John Roberts’ Supreme Court hearings if nothing new surfaces about Roberts. But if some new negative material comes out the Bolton appointment may play a role in pressing it (pay back).
- It again underscores the in-your-face nature of this administration, which many Americans find attractive. Bush wanted him so he put him in — the hell with Senate confirmation (and remember again recess appointments are perfectly legal).
- It’s a sad commentary on how this President apparently views his own party and how many GOPers view it. You can’t tell yours truly that the Republican party, with its millions of members who are diplomats, jurists, lawyers, etc, could not produce someone ELSE to go to the UN who would be as or more qualified than John Bolton.
Another interesting aspect to this: months ago, when the problems first surfaced on Bolton, news stories quoted administration members as saying Bush had to win this fight. In the end, he lost his fight in the Senate because he opted for a recess appointment.
So this doesn’t end in a reconfirmation of the President’s clout — just a reconfirmation of his willingness to tell the Senators who opposed Bolton to kiss a part of his anatomy that this month won’t see any Texas sunshine.
SOME OTHERS FROM VARIOUS POLITICAL POSITIONS COMMENTING ON THIS STORY (NOTE: Due to our extensive car travel yesterday we are only providing a list of some sites here versus our usual excerpts. We have added quick comments in a few cases. But this is a COMPRHENSIVE GUIDE if you’re seeking a cross section of views from talented bloggers)
The Washington Note
Daily Kos
Donklephant
Americablog
Joust The Facts
Blogs For Bush
Crooks and Liars has VIDEO OF BOLTON BOOED as he enters UN.
John Cole
Wizbang
Protein Wisdom
Middle Earth Journal
Running Scared
Kevin Drum (who asks what was in those documents the administration has not released)
Daniel Drezner
Captain Ed
Baldilocks
James Joyner thinks Bush made a big mistake: read his reasoning.
Another excellent political scientist Steven Taylor aka Poliblogger feels the same way.
Ezra Klein
Pandagon
Mark In Mexico
Obsidian Wings sees this as indicative of this administration never admitting defeat.
Arguing With Signposts is dismayed by Bush’s actions.
The Locust Fork is quite blunt (but it never minces words) on the left.
So is Sister Toldjah on the right.
Gateway Pundit
Powerline has a FASCINATING reaction to what this means (and it is probably correct)
The always independent The Talking Dog has his own MUST READ take on it too (which will surprise some).
Bat One at Pennywit sees some ironies in Democratic reaction — that could haunt the Demmies in the John Roberts nomination.
Centerfield
THIS JUST IN!
Bogus Gold reports on a SPECIAL ASPECT of the Bolton appointment in a must-read. After you read it, see our earlier related post here.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.