Democrats' Bid to Stop Bolton as UN Envoy Hinges on Credibility

UpInArms

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Tue Apr-12-05 12:04 AM
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Democrats' Bid to Stop Bolton as UN Envoy Hinges on Credibility

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aiESu_HKi22s&refer=us

April 12 (Bloomberg) -- John Bolton's nomination to become ambassador to the United Nations may hinge on whether Senate Democrats can prove he tried to pressure intelligence analysts to change reports to conform to his political views.

<snip>

Biden and Dodd said Bolton sought to have State Department analyst Christian Westermann and an unidentified CIA analyst re- assigned after they refused to approve a Bolton speech that they said contained unsupported intelligence about Cuba's biological weapons capability.

Bolton, 56, told the Senate panel he wanted to shift Westermann and the CIA analyst to different jobs because they went behind his back in seeking endorsement of their analysis from another agency. Their conduct ``was unprofessional and broke my confidence and trust,'' Bolton said.

Carl Ford, former head of the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, told Senate investigators that Bolton tried to have Westermann and the CIA analyst removed from their jobs, Dodd said at the hearing. Ford will testify when the hearing resumes today.

...more...

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Voltaire99

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Tue Apr-12-05 03:49 AM
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1. Glad to see Biden in a rare display of spine.

I'm sick of his war-mongering and carrying water for Bush's imperial foreign policy. He has no credibility left in my eyes, but he can at least make himself useful opposing Bolton.

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radfringe

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Tue Apr-12-05 04:33 AM
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2. I don't expect much

Yeah, a couple of Senators are expressing "concerns", a few may even vote against Bolton -- but in the end the repugs will rubberstamp him through and the Dems will follow and serve up their balls with a nice Chianti

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muriel_volestrangler

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Tue Apr-12-05 05:09 AM
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3. To be quite honest, I think the rest of the world sort of expects a loony

as the US ambassador to the UN. They always seem to foam at the mouth, in comparison with the 'real' State Department officials who run US embassies (but some of the ambassadors who bought their post with campaign contributions, like the used car salesman that the UK is going to get, are just as bad.) Putting a maniac like Bolton in the post is par for the course.

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Binka

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Tue Apr-12-05 05:16 AM
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4. You Are Right Muriel

Edited on Tue Apr-12-05 05:21 AM by Binka

I mean shit this was John Negroponte's old job. Correct about wacky ambassadors too have you checked out the asshat we have here in Italy? Read about his missing penis pump here.

http://www.cultnews.com/archives/000653.html

BTW who is replacing Farish in the UK?

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muriel_volestrangler

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Tue Apr-12-05 05:50 AM
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5. Robert Tuttle, if he hasn't too many skeletons in his cupboard

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-4646-1516392-4646,00.html

Robert Holmes Tuttle, a major fundraiser for President Bush who runs one of California�s biggest car dealerships, is being vetted by the White House to determine if he is suitable to fill the post, which has been vacant for seven months.

Mr Tuttle, who lives in Beverly Hills, has been a prominent California Republican for 30 years and is a Bush �Pioneer�, part of a group who raised at least $100,000 each for Mr Bush�s re-election. He also gave $100,000 towards Mr Bush�s inauguration celebrations in January and is a friend of Brad Freeman, a fellow Californian who is Mr Bush�s chief West Coast fundraiser and a confidant of the President.

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bemildred

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Tue Apr-12-05 09:03 AM
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6. This is shuck and jive.

He will be confirmed after a good deal or hand wringing.
They would not be focussing on this narrow issue were it otherwise.

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