Who Likes Bolton?

[Moses]

Date : 2005-04-30
Bolton Continues To Get Bush Endorsement For UN Post

Daya Gamage – Reports to Asian Tribune
Washington, D.C. 30 April (Asiantribune.com): In his first press conference since he was inaugurated for the second term in January his year, President George W. Bush, told national and international press corps on Thursday that John R. Bolton, whom he nominated to be the nation’s diplomat to the United Nations and since run into difficulties at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was the correct person to represent the United States who is capable of taking a bold stand in the much needed reforms in the world body.

The president said that Bolton takes the U.N. very seriously and so does the United States to take the leadership in many pressing global issues. He said Bolton’s bold style is necessary to make the U.N. more useful, and noted that, as much as the world body does constructive work it needs reforms too. The president, at the press conference, totally backed Bolton’s nomination at the time his senate inquiry has broadened to further scrutinize his personal style and temperament.

Strategically, Bush emphasized the need to reform the United Nations rather than answering queries on Bolton’s temperament and obnoxious style.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee officials will conduct formal interviews with as many as two dozen people which include a former CIA deputy director and former assistant secretary of state. Both have clashed with John Bolton on policy issues.

The scheduled interviews are to be conducted jointly by Republican and Democratic staff members of the senate committee. The members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will have all the reports when they meet next on May 12 to further consider Bolton’s nomination.

Meanwhile, it is understood, that the Bush administration is working closely with the Senate Republican leadership to produce a vote count showing there are enough votes to approve the nomination on the Senate floor.[b/]

If all 10 Republicans in the 18-member Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote for Bolton, his nomination goes to a full senate for confirmation.

A tie vote in committee can result in a nomination going to the senate floor ‘without a recommendation’, and senate committees have done that in the past.

In a situation where a negative committee vote, which would happen if two or more Republicans back the eight Democrats in opposing John Bolton, could result in the nomination reaching the full senate with a negative recommendation. If majority of the 100-member Senate vote in favor of Bolton he is confirmed as the next United States ambassador to the World Body.

Since party discipline is not strictly observed in the United States Congress for a century or more, on major national issues, most senators and Members of the House cross party lines to vote according to their conscience.

[Moses]

Published: May 7, 2005



To the Editor:

It is refreshing to see an article about John R. Bolton that goes beyond personality and delves into his credentials and qualifications for the post of ambassador to the United Nations ("Never Shy, Bolton Brings a Zeal to the Table," front page, May 1). An important part of that record was not mentioned in the article: his remarkable effectiveness as the nation's leading nonproliferation official in his present role as under secretary of state for arms control and international security.

For one who has been accused of alienating everyone on sight, and thus of being ill suited for the United Nations, Mr. Bolton nonetheless masterfully guided the president's Proliferation Security Initiative to fruition, recruiting 60 nations within one year to cooperate in sea, land and air interdictions to stop shipments of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.

This initiative intercepted the shipment of nuclear components from the A. Q. Khan network to Libya and led directly to Libya's acknowledging and dismantling its then-secret nuclear weapons program. It also helped to unmask Iran's clandestine nuclear program and to pressure European allies finally to agree with a United States demand that Iran be brought before the Security Council if their negotiation with Iran fails to bring about a halt in Iranian uranium enrichment activities.

For these achievements Mr. Bolton deserves the principal credit, as well as a less emotional, more rational consideration by "liberals and progressives" (among whom I include myself) of his qualifications for the United Nations ambassadorship.

---

Paul L. Leventhal
Washington, May 1, 2005
The writer is founding president of the Nuclear Control Institute.

[Moses]

Sleeza

Rice underscores Bolton support

Secretary of state also talks about shopping, marriage [but not the secret documents which prove she is a War Criminal]

Thursday, May 12, 2005 Posted: 0151 GMT (0951 HKT)
Condoleezza Rice: John Bolton "would be a strong voice at the U.N."

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On the eve of a crucial Senate committee vote, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice underscored her support for John R. Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, saying he urged President Bush to nominate him.

"John Bolton is eminently qualified for this job. And I'm the one who talked to the president about having John do this," Rice said on CNN's "Larry King Live," which was pre-taped for airing Wednesday night.

"When we were looking for a U.N. ambassador, I thought that John, with whom I'd had a lot of experience in his diplomacy over the last four years, would be a strong voice at the U.N.," she said.

The White House has expressed optimism that Bolton will win the endorsement of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Its chairman, Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, predicted Wednesday that the committee, which Republicans control 10-8, would send Bolton's nomination to the full Senate.

The committee put off a scheduled vote on Bolton's nomination last month after a Republican member, Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio, joined Democrats in asking for more time to investigate allegations about the Bolton's conduct. (Full story)

Democrats oppose Bolton's nomination and have criticized the State Department for failing to provide all requested documents related to questions of whether Bolton intimidated employees.

Rice dismissed complaints aired at Bolton's nomination hearings that he tried to get intelligence analysts who disagreed with him fired or reassigned. Bolton also has been criticized for expressing negative views of the United Nations.

"Yes, he's been critical of the United Nations from time to time," Rice said. "But in some ways that is a great benefit because -- at a time when the U.N. is undergoing a considerable discussion about reform, looking at what needs to be done -- it's a good thing to have somebody who's thought both about the good and the bad at the U.N."

"I can tell you that there are a lot of people who worked for John Bolton who are inspired by him and who are intensely loyal to him," she said. "John is hard-charging; there is no doubt about that. But he has been very successful in managing people."

Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, however, often clashed with Bolton, according to a close aide to former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Armitage also restricted Bolton's public speaking unless his comments were personally cleared by him, Larry Wilkerson told the Foreign Relations Committee's staff.

Rice touched on other serious issues, such as the possible development of nuclear weapons by North Korea and the status of Middle East politics, but she also revealed some of her personal side.

She admitted she loves to shop, saying she bought the skirt and boots that she was wearing on a recent visit to Germany.


....Asked about the possibility of marrying, the 50-year-old Rice said she hasn't met the right person yet.

"It doesn't mean it won't happen some day," she said. "But I'm a deeply religious person, and my life has, I think, unfolded as it was supposed to."

In response to a question about being open to "Mr. Right," she laughed and said, "I don't have much time right now, but sure. Who wouldn't be?" [The press is asking her about "Mr. Right" and not the memo which proves she was part of a scheme to invent a cassus belli for a pre-emptive war in Iraq on behalf of Ariel Sharon?]

[Moses]

5.11.05

Bolton Backers Getting Free Air Time?
Sarah Posner (9:07PM) link

Some people backing John Bolton's nomination to be U.N. Ambassador added a strange new twist to their propaganda campaign today, with Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy unveiling a "web ad" at a Capitol Hill press conference, at which he was joined by Senator Jon Kyl and a cast of other characters well known for their antipathy for playing nicely with those who disagree with them.

The ad, which you can see for yourself here (scroll down), calls "John Kerry and his friends" "sore losers" for opposing the Bolton nomination. Full of partisan rancor, the ad smacks of Swift Boatian tactics, but Gaffney's Center for Security Policy is a supposedly non-partisan, non-profit organization, not a 527 political group or a lobbying organization. Appearing on the Christian conservative talk radio program Janet Parshall's America this afternoon, Gaffney thanked Parshall for giving the audio of the ad free air time on her show. He lamented that "we're not in a position to air it on television ourselves," adding, "so we're counting on people like you to get the word around." Gaffney did not specify why he was not in a position to get the ad on T.V., but he expressed hope that the "mainstream media" (said with trademark conservative derision) would give the ad some free air time.

Since when do the right wingers have to rely on the kindness of strangers to get their ads on the air? Surely there's a conservative sugar daddy willing to foot the bill, no? Or is a legal restriction standing in the way?

Parshall chimed in happily that the ad has already been seen on FamilyNet television. FamilyNet, which is owned by the Southern Baptist Convention, delivers programming to broadcast stations and cable and satellite providers across the country.....

[Moses]

www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2005/05/13/news/local/bcover0513.txt


Jewish groups support Bolton as UN diplomat[/size]
By: MARILYN H. KARFELD Senior Staff Reporter

Major Jewish organizations are strongly supporting the nomination of John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, a fact that has flown under the public radar.

Thus far, the discussion in the Jewish community as well as nationally has centered on Bolton's alleged bullying behavior toward his subordinates.

During confirmation hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, senators heard testimony that Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control, repeatedly intimidated or tried to fire those intelligence analysts who disagreed with him. Other critics complained about his anti-UN statements and less-than-diplomatic negotiations on international issues.

However, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), B'nai B'rith International (BBI), the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) all back Bolton's nomination.

Most of the organizations have written letters to Sen. Richard Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, or to Bill Frist, Senate majority leader, endorsing Bolton's confirmation as UN ambassador.

The Jewish groups all cite Bolton's forceful role in the successful 1991 U.S.-led effort to repeal a 16-year-old United Nations resolution equating Zionism with racism. The Jewish organizations also emphasize that Bolton will be able to reform the UN.

In his letter, Abraham Foxman, ADL national director, called Bolton "a man of principle and integrity." Daniel S. Mariaschin, BBI executive vice president, said Bolton can have an "immediate and important impact" on efforts to reform the UN.

Republican Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stunned his own party in April when he asked the committee to delay its scheduled vote on Bolton's nomination to allow more time to consider complaints about his verbally abusive behavior.

The vote was rescheduled for Thursday morning, May 12, after this article went to press.

Prof. Michael Scharf, director of the Frederick K. Cox International Law Center at Case Western Reserve University, an expert in international criminal law, worked with Bolton in the State Department from 1991-93. Scharf was the attorney adviser for UN affairs and Bolton, then assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs, was his client.

While Scharf praises Bolton's achievement in repealing the UN resolution equating Zionism with racism, he feels Bolton would not make a good UN ambassador.

Revoking the UN Zionism resolution, which Scharf says he and Bolton worked on for an entire year, "changed the whole environment at the UN for the Mideast peace process. While that resolution was on the books, it was all about bashing Israel."

But, Scharf notes, Bolton did not point to that success when the Senate committee asked him his top accomplishment. Instead, he cited the unsigning of the Rome Statute, which created the International Criminal Court. While 99 nations have ratified the statute and belong to the ICC, the U.S. does not.

Bolton does not believe "international law is real law," says Scharf. "He thinks it's all political commitments that can be broken at will."

That emphasis, the Case professor says, illustrates why Bolton is not the right man to be the top U.S. diplomat at the UN. To Bolton, revoking the Zionism resolution "paled in comparison to being able to try to wreck the ICC," Scharf adds.

"That's a sad reflection of where his priorities are and what kind of leader he would be if confirmed. In 1991, he was willing to use the UN to constructively try to make it a better institution. By January 2001, in revoking the ICC, he's become a human wrecking ball, seeking to repeal international institutions rather than to reform them."

Having worked with Bolton, Scharf has concerns about how effective he'd be at the UN. "You need a really savvy negotiator, not a bully. Bolton has only one diplomatic tool, the club."

Voinovich is not giving any interviews on the Bolton nomination, says his spokesperson Marcie Ridgway. He won't address any specific issues about Bolton, including his leadership on revoking the Zionism resolution.

Rather, Voinovich's main concern was about Bolton's interpersonal skills, Ridgway adds. "He needed some more time to review some of the allegations and to look at the record. It's the committee's job to vet the nominee. It's better for Mr. Bolton to attend to these allegations personally, versus letting it go to the Senate floor and be a free-for-all."

However, Ridgway also noted that while Voinovich "went into the hearings as a ëyes' vote, he did not come out a ëno' vote. That's an important point."

In his letter to Frist, Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said he worked with Bolton in the past and found him to be "a paradigm of integrity, intelligence and consistency. He was not at all as portrayed in the media of late."

Jewish organizations have also focused on Bolton's support for Israel while he's been at the State Department. While AIPAC did not send a letter endorsing Bolton, and the organization is not actively lobbying for him, they do favor his nomination.

"John Bolton has stood for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and understands the important role that the UN plays in world affairs today," Andrew Schwartz, AIPAC press secretary, told the CJN. "He will be a superb representative of American interests at the UN."

Bolton is speaking at AIPAC's May 22-24 policy conference in Washington, D.C.

In their endorsements, the Jewish organizations point to Bolton's diplomatic experience and high principles.

"It is not clear that the current problems of the UN can be ëfixed,'" wrote Tom Neumann, JINSA executive director, in his letter to Lugar. But, "the path to effective progress lies in a U.S. ambassador with the ability to define discrete problems ... form coalitions ... and most important, (with) a clear moral compass defining democracy as a higher order of government." When not a government employee, Bolton has been a member of JINSA's board of advisers.

In addition to being instrumental to the U.S. withdrawing its signature from the treaty setting up the ICC in The Hague, Bolton was responsible for the U.S. pulling out of the "outmoded" Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia and the "unworkable" Kyoto Protocol on fighting climate change, said Neumann.

The ambassador-nominee is also the architect of the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear capabilities and the author of the nuclear Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), Neumann noted.

Tom Casey, director of the State Department press office, says it makes sense that Jewish organizations are backing Bolton. "I don't think you'll find anyone in this administration who is a stronger friend of Israel." Overturning the Zionism equals racism resolution "changed the ways the UN has dealt with Israel and Israeli-Palestinian issues."

Although critics point to Bolton's seeming disdain for the UN, Casey says Bolton, like others in the administration, recognizes that while it needs serious reform, the UN is central to the U.S.'s international leadership role.

He pointed to Bolton's work on PSI, a global effort to track and interdict nuclear weapons of mass destruction. Last year, Bolton helped persuade the UN Security Council to approve resolution 1540, a nuclear non-proliferation pact.

The White House holds conflicting views on the UN, Scharf points out. When the administration needs the UN, they view it as very good. But when the UN gets in the way of U.S. foreign policy, the Bush administration views it as an obstacle and inconvenience.

"At some point the U.S. needs an exit strategy from Iraq," Scharf says. "The UN will be that strategy. We need a diplomat there who can achieve that."

ówith reporting from Ellen Schur Brown

Bolton played leading role in repealing Zionism is racism resolution in UN.

"John Bolton has stood for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship."

Andrew Schwartz, American Israel Public Affairs Committee