I shuddered as I read this:
This seems to be more than speculation; two months ago Bolton started pushing to double the State Dept office space of the UN Ambassador.
“Bolton isn’t going to sit in New York while policy gets made in Washington,” the administration source said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the source lacks authorization to discuss this on the record. But Bolton’s efforts to obtain more space have encountered resistance. Two colleagues said Bolton’s request was inappropriate because he had not been confirmed.
Bush intends to shove Bolton down our throats no matter what. There will be no mistake: Bolton’s behaviors will reflect directly on Bush… Democrats in Congress have washed their hands of him. Considering Bolton’s frightening lack of human characteristics, I expect him to put on quite a show at the UN. He’s sharpening his claws as we speak:
God help the UN.
WaPost article via Truthout
At least Democrats will be able to say “Hey, it’s not our fault.” We’re about to see how much damage one asshole can do to the UN.
What’s Bolton doing in a “transition suite”? He should be at home waiting to find out what’s going to happen. Isn’t that just a waste of taxpayer dollars? How much is that suite costing?
There may be other, pressing issues on the front burner right now but the Bolton issue hasn’t been forgotten by the Dems and if Bush wants to go forward with a recess appt without providing the Dems the access to information they’ve requested regarding the NSA intercepts, especially after that same WH is now seen as hiding info about the Plame leak, I dare Bush to go for it in the recess. If he thinks the Dems will sit back quietly, he’s got another thing coming. And the public will definitely see that this WH is abusing its power by refusing to cooperate, once again, with Senate demands for transparency.
I totally agree… I was blown away to find out that he’s been in a transition office all these months. There are those who believe that the NSA intercepts ARE about the Plame leak, or, at least about the Niger yellowcake. Maybe they think that once Bolton is appointed it will be a done deal and the NSA thing will be forgotten. I think you are right on when you state that the public will see this for what it is: another example of abuse of power by this administration.
I share your suspicion about Bolton being tied to the Plame leak. I find it completely ridiculous that Bolton and some of his staff had access to those NSA intercepts, but senators on relevant committees have been barred from seeing the names involved. What’s wrong with that picture? The inference is clear – if the WH had nothing to hide, they’d release those names to those senators who have the security clearance to see them. The fact that they refuse to shows that Bolton is definitely guilty of some other abuse here.
… but wasn’t there a time when the men and women of congress were more loyal to the legislative branch as a co-equal and check/balance to the executive than they were to their party? Now, the GOP in congress is willing to simply roll over and let the executive walk all over them out of party loyalty.
I think they’re afraid of the crime family in charge of the executive branch.
I had read this early this morning and had been expecting to hear this any day. I was surprised it wasn’t done over the 4th of July recess. That he is in a transitional suite gut my dander up right away. Bush has every intention of pushing this through. isn’t there any way to stop this? what could the dems be doing about their requesta for documents? I too believe that Bolton, DSMs, Plame leak is all tied in together. Bolton was searching for “Wilson’s wife’s “undercover name? I feel as if I am living in a
Clancey novel.
Bush has every intention of pushing this through. isn’t there any way to stop this?
Nope. As far as I understand it, even if the democrats held every single seat in both houses of Congress, they couldn’t stop a recess appointment from going through.
That being said, if Bolton ends up being implicated in the Plame leaks…well, it would be hard to do his job as UN ambassador from prison…
Oh be still my beating heart!!! Prison would be too sweet for him…how about Gitmo. Heard they have really good food there and ice cream too.
I’m not well versed in Bolton’s involvement in the Plame thing, but suppsedly he had a hand in promoting the Niger misinformation about yellowcake. The Bush regime is circling the wagons and I don’t expect them to ever admit wrongdoing even if confronted with proof. They truely think that they can change reality with talking points.
Besides being a dreadful human being in all the ways we’ve learned about thus far, Walrus Man is also a sniveling hypocrite. Wasn’t it just two weeks ago when he stated that recess appointments were not acceptable to him?
Oh yeah, that’s right.
But in light of the press temporarily displaying evidence of a backbone, Bolton will gladly take one for the team.
His pending recess appointment, while dreadful, will also serve as a distraction as the Rove-Plame affairs goes on.
Yes, he has said that a recess appt would be unacceptable and I was so relieved. Ah well, he lied, didn’t he? Could be a distraction, or perhaps a way to flip Congress the finger, or a strong desire to destroy the UN. Maybe all of those things.
My vote is self delusion, a trait not uncommon to the Thugs. He’s so desperate for the appointment, he’ll conveniently claim temporary amnesia “I never said that.” And his “I never said that” can be added to the mountains of false denials uttered by Thugs over the years.
I think this is just yet another example of a horrible idea being implemented by BushCo as they refuse to face reality. What good does this do? He’s basically a lame duck from the day he’s appointed and will be replaced well before the end of Bush’s term. Why should any other UN ambassador even take him seriously? If I were them, I’d tell him to STFU.
The Washington Note
Scroll down to:
“Other Angles on the Bolton Recess Appointment Story”
Thanks for the link, Chinook. Clemons is all over this, isn’t he? He suggests that this whole story could be a trial balloon sent up by Bolton, or Cheney, his benefactor. This would follow with Bolton’s ego driven warped personality. I am encouraged by the fact that Bolton has enemies everywhere. But if Bush isn’t going to appoint him, why hasn’t he pushed Bolton to withdraw? Maybe Bolton won’t be pushed.
Noooooo
Just when I’m sure my country has done everything it possibly could to alienate the world, act like an imperious pompous ass, bully our allies, and leave us in a position where we have to bribe 3rd-rate dictators just to fake being our friends…
Ugh.
At this point, let Bolton have it. Why should the Dems burn themselves politically to prevent the ignorant and the Bush Administration from destroying a UN they’ve already crippled.
The Bushies seem to think they can cow the UN, or infiltrate it and make it irrelevant.
I think they’ll learn its no Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It’ll take more than installing a destructive ‘chairman’ who constantly threatens blackmail with the 25% of the budget we supply.
If anything, maybe the rest of the world will get a clue, and figure out its time to establish a “World Union” in Europe somewhere — kind of a super “European Union” but with representatives from all nations… maybe except say one ‘stupidpower’.
Stuff that would normally go to the UN, send it to the World Union. Let France and China take turns blocking everything in the UN Security Council (they have permanent seats, after all), and instead get the world’s business done free of penny-ante chickenshit histrionics by the Republican Party.
If the US wants to sit out and pout, let em! Of course, when only the US is providing “UN” forces anymore, who’s gonna come clean up the messes we make?
Trick Question! The UN simply won’t authorize any more cowboy actions anymore, no matter how convincing the cooked evidence. Maybe you can fool the folks in Texas or the US, but the World is literate… they’ve heard the tale of the “Boy who Cried Wolf”. Heck, many of them have probably actually read it.
It is probably only a matter of time before countries start to band together and conspire against us. Sending a psychotic apeman like Bolton to the UN is so crass that only Bush would even consider it.