Date Posted: Thursday, May 12, 2005

Republican Senator George Voinovich confers before voting for U.S. ambassador to the U.N. nominee John Bolton, whom he criticized as being unfit for the job.

WASHINGTON, May 12 (MASNET & News Agencies) - A Senate panel took the rare step of refusing to endorse John Bolton, the controversial administration candidate to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, when it sent the nomination to the full Senate for confirmation.

The move prolonged the battle over the fate of Bolton, a hardliner in President George W. Bush's administration, who has been accused of bullying staff and seeking to alter intelligence to suit his political agenda, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee sent Bolton's nomination to the full Senate without a recommendation for or against, making his chances for approval uncertain. Even some Republicans have expressed doubts about naming Bolton to the sensitive post.

By not recommending that senators approve Bolton's nomination, the committee delivered a slap at Bush in one of the first big battles of his second term, reports the Associated Press (AP).

"It doesn't appear that Mr. Bolton has the confidence of the majority of this committee," said Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware, the senior Democrat on the panel. "And I would suggest that it may be worth the president's interest to take note of that."

The Republican-dominated committee sent the nomination to the Senate in a party-line vote of 10 to 8.

The Republicans hold a 55-45 vote edge in the Senate, and White House spokesman Scott McClellan said before Thursday's vote that the administration was "confident" Bolton would pass the test.

"John Bolton brings a lot of experience and unique qualifications to the position. He's someone who is results-oriented and reform-minded, and that's exactly what we need at the United Nations."

Democrats have strongly opposed Bolton, currently undersecretary of state for arms control and international security. Republicans also expressed concerns but opted to defer to the White House in allowing the nomination to go through to the Senate.

Senator George Voinovich, a maverick Republican, expressed "great concern" and told the panel that appointing the administration hardliner would send a "negative message to the world community."

Voinovich, who had not tipped his hand earlier on how he would vote, blasted Bolton as "the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be."

"I really don't believe he's the best man that we can send to the United Nations," the Ohio senator said.

"The United States can do better than John Bolton," he said. Voinovich said the blunt-spoken Bolton could worsen the United States' already poor image around the world, reports Reuters.

But Voinovich said, "I am not so arrogant to think that I should impose my judgment and perspective...on the rest of my colleagues. We owe it to the president to give Mr. Bolton an up or down vote on the floor of the United States Senate," as he voted for Bolton’s nomination to proceed to the Senate floor.

Voinovich later told reporters he thought Bolton's confirmation was in some doubt when it reaches the full Senate. "No one is really excited about him," he said.

"We respect Sen. Voinovich's decision, but there are many people who agree with the president that John Bolton is the right person at the right time for this important position," said McClellan.

The Senate panel has spent weeks examining allegations that Bolton misused or hyped flawed intelligence on issues including China, Iran, North Korea and Syria.

Democrats also contend that in his role as top U.S. diplomat for arms control, Bolton has tried to coerce intelligence analysts to conform to his hard-line views, bullied subordinates and had a chilling effect on the intelligence community, reports Reuters.

Richard Lugar of Indiana, the committee's Republican chairman, said no information that should disqualify Bolton for the U.N. post emerged in a review of stacks of documents and interviews with 31 witnesses in the last three weeks, the news agency reports.

While Lugar said Bolton's behavior was "not always exemplary" and "his blunt style alienated some colleagues," he said, "There is no evidence that he has broken laws or engaged in serious ethical misconduct."

Bolton’s ex-boss, former secretary of state Colin Powell, refused to sign a letter by other former Republican secretaries of state endorsing Bolton, and reportedly told lawmakers that Bolton had been a problematic official.

"After poring over the hundreds of pages of testimony ... I believe that John Bolton would have been fired if he'd worked for a major corporation," said Voinovich.

In addition to Voinovich, three other Republicans on the committee expressed reservations Thursday about Bolton while still clearing the nomination for a vote by the full Senate.

His stance was key, as a 9-9 committee tie could have blocked the nomination from a full Senate vote, reports Reuters.

But while the committee action advanced Bolton's nomination, Voinovich's stinging criticisms of Bush's controversial choice for U.N. ambassador gave Democrats more ammunition to fight his confirmation in the full Senate, reports Reuters.

Democrats urged Republicans - some of whom, like Voinovich, have indicated they will recommend the nomination for a full Senate vote despite reservations - to put an end to the troubled nomination, warning that the upcoming debate in the full Senate could be even more polarizing.

"If this comes to the floor, we're going to have a fight," Senator Barbara Boxer said.

John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, said there would now be "a serious debate on the floor of the Senate and that debate will not improve Mr. Bolton's standing at the United Nations."

Democrats have not ruled out using procedural delays to try killing Bolton's nomination in the full Senate. It would take the votes of 60 of the 100 senators to stop the delay, reports the AP.