White House considers bypassing Senate to keep Bolton at U.N.

November 10, 2006
Bolton's Chances of Confirmation Are 'Nil,' Official Says
By HELENE COOPER

WASHINGTON — President Bush has pledged to be a bipartisan, consensus builder now that Democrats are to control Congress, and since Wednesday he has made conciliatory gestures. The question now is whether Mr. Bush is ready to junk all of his make-nice pledges in order to keep John Bolton at the United Nations.

Officially, administration officials say they plan to make all the necessary calls to Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to try to talk them into confirming Mr. Bolton for a next term as ambassador. But with Senator Lincoln Chafee’s announcement Thursday that he would deny Republicans on the committee the last vote needed to send Mr. Bolton’s nomination to the full Senate, some administration officials privately acknowledge that Mr. Bolton’s chances of getting Senate confirmation are “nil,” one State Department official said. “We know it’s not going to happen.”...

But Mr. Bolton is keen to stay at the helm of the American team at the United Nations, administration officials say, and White House officials, including the legal adviser, Harriet Miers, have been looking into whether Mr. Bush can somehow bypass the Senate and save Mr. Bolton. Administration officials said that Vice President Dick Cheney is backing the exploration of such a move.

Mr. Bolton “could be named ‘acting permanent representative’ or ‘deputy U.N. ambassador’ or something else that doesn’t require confirmation,” one senior administration official said, acknowledging that it might not be worth angering Democrats with such a maneuver. When senators blocked Mr. Bolton’s confirmation last year, Mr. Bush gave him a recess appointment, which expires when this Congress adjourns. Mr. Bush could give Mr. Bolton a second recess appointment as United Nations ambassador, but under the law he could not be paid for his work. White House officials are looking into whether he could be paid by some other entity and still serve as ambassador, or whether a de-facto ambassador position could be created in which Mr. Bolton served ambassador for all intents and purposes but not in name...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/10/washington/11boltoncnd.html

Love your pic of Clark

:eyes:

Wouldn't there need to be a real, official ambassador too? So what, Bolton would be following the real guy around all day? Talk about fodder for late night TV.

Mr. Bush could give Mr. Bolton a second recess appointment as United Nations ambassador, but under the law he could not be paid for his work.

:rofl:

There must be other, almost equally offensive, choices they could propose. I know! Why not Rumsfeld?

Bolton, IIRC, did that.

And considering Bush's opinion of the world body, Bolton is exactly the kind of guy Bush wants up there.

I would NOT put a second recess appointment past Bush. And as for not being able to pay him...no one really thinks Bush isn't capable of setting up cutouts and other nefarious means of getting money to him.

This is going to be fun. W just isn't capable of being told NO. He's going to self-destruct the next two years.

"payback" of some sort? Payback for Bolton, that is. What does he have on the administration? This move is so stupid on Bush's part, I have to wonder if quid pro quo is involved.

Of course, it's always possible that Bush is just an ass.

I believe Yosemite Sam was down in Florida fighting over hanging chads. There are several cabal members who've been rewarded for that little fiasco, like Chief Justice Roberts.

The UN deserves better than Bolton, the douchebag. And so do we.

Peace,

RV

What I'm wondering about is if Bolton has some dirt on Bushco, dirt that he'll only keep quiet about if he gets the appointment. I have a vague memory that there were some records on Bolton that State (that's where he was before, right).

Sorry I can't remember any more.

n/t

Just the other day he met with Pelosi and Reed, and PRETENDED to agree to work together. Then, not but 24 hours later, he DOES THE OPPOSITE!

He's a completley unreasonable, stubborn asshole and needs to go.

His arrogance abounds... While I would simply LOVE to see him booted out by IMPEACHMENT, my personal feelings are that he should stay because of THIS kind of stuff!!

Since it DOES seem that many many Americans finally get it... the margins of victory were small. Let this DOOFUS keep acting like this DICTATOR and it will make things better for Democrats over-all.

Just my input here! I will still turn my TV off when I see him, and while I still can't STAND him and his cohorts, I would rather let him keep on being such an ASS! It just seems to help us more!!!

By-Pass, My ASS! Go Right Ahead You, You, You.... well I think I'll let others fill in their own word!!!

have UN ambassador now?

Bolton is a dolt if proceeds with such a humiliating plan.

The issue came up the last time Rumsfeld's nomination came up. I was curious, and I actually got an answer: Yes, Bush can recess appoint him a second time, but for naught, because the law would prevent Bolton from performing his duties. He's not permitted to work without pay. That law was OBVIOUSLY passed to prevent exactly this situation. Being paid by some other entity is probably either an act of bribery (if private) or a violation of some other law law (if by a different department).

Yes, he could be put as someting like 'acting permanent representative'. I'm sure he could. That is possible. But it would make the Bush administration the laughing stock of the entire f'ing planet.

business, when there is no Ambassador to lead the delegation. This is ridiculous.

:crazy:

Apparently he is so full of gas that he can fart at will.

The Dems will now hold the chairmanships, be able to set the agenda, and control the schedule. If Bush pisses the Dems off enough, they now have twelve hundred ways to make his life miserable, most of them via back-room arm-twisting maneuvers.