Chafee Gives Reluctant Support to Bolton

[Bossy Monkey]

May 10, 6:38 PM EDT

Chafee Gives Reluctant Support to Bolton

By ANNE GEARAN
AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- One of the moderate Republicans who has been wavering on the nomination of John R. Bolton to be the U.S. ambassador to United Nations said Tuesday he will reluctantly support the embattled nominee.

Rhode Island Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee's decision gives momentum to Bolton ahead of a Senate committee vote on Thursday. Chafee said he decided to support Bolton because he is President Bush's choice.

"I won't deny a lot of the information certainly brings great pause, but I fight the administration on so many issues this is one of those that I've been with them on - to appoint their team," Chafee said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Weeks of inquiry into Bolton's conduct in office also left three other GOP members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee leaning toward supporting Bolton or unwilling to write him off.
(more)
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UN_AMBASSADOR?SITE=SCCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Damn POS! There is no way on this planet he can justify that.

[Cooley Hurd]

20. Any Senator who votes in favor of Captain Toupee is only doing it...

...out of political expediency. He is the absolute WRONG choice for the ambassadorship. I cannot think of anyone WRONGER!:grr:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. Spineless.

Dems better target him hard in 2006.

[MaineDem]

3. They got to him (nt)

[Canuckistanian]

16. They must have. What has he got to lose now?

Aren't his re-election chances toast?

[lastliberalintexas]

17. No, they didn't have to

Chafee has basically voted the Bush line during the last several years, and just gets a pass from so many people because he is actually pro-choice and he *talks* like he's a moderate on other issues. His voting record is more conservative than most Southern Dems who are routinely vilified around here- including even Zell Miller on most issues.

But I do feel for Rhode Islanders, as their next Senatorial election will be a tough choice.

[rodeodance]

22. makes me wonder what favors were granted him!!!

[bottomofthehill]

30. THEY DID NOT GET TO HIM

We did, we had a good candidate to run against him and possibly win. Instead the Democratic candidate was forced out of the race and now Chefee is off the hook to do what ever he wants

[Nite Owl]

4. There ya go

never trust a republican. never.

[AlCzervik]

5. Chafee sold his soul so the gop would support his re-election bid

pathetic. For the people , by the the people----bullshit.

[atreides1]

6. What a putz

I guess if Bush wanted to appoint Himmler, Chafee would go along with it too.

[Rowdyboy]

7. His father had character....Lincoln has a spine composed of linguine...

[journalist3072]

8. What a bastard!!!

My goodness, that asshole still doesn't get it. The Repugs (and some Dems) keep saying "The President has a right to have the team he wants."

That's utter bullshit. The President has a right to APPOINT who he wants.....that doesn't been he has a right to their confirmation. What happened to advise and consent?

[lady lib]

9. I want to know what Rove says to these guys

that always makes them fall in line. What can you possibly say that would make someone sell their soul - or at least their integrity?

[LisaM]

10. I want to know if he ever once voted against one of Clinton's choices

I want to know if he is a hypocrite.

[lastliberalintexas]

11. So tell me again why we're running an anti-choice

Dem against him? Do we actually WANT to lose that seat? It certainly seems like it, since we're trying our hardest to just give the race to him.

For all the lionizing of this man on this site, Chafee and the other supposed moderate republicans have voted lockstep with this administration since January. So much for that crack in the republican solidarity.

And we could have an incredible chance to get his seat in RI, but instead will likely lose it over abortion. It would certainly be a tough call for me- a supposed moderate who is at least very pro-choice versus a fairly moderate anti-choice Dem? Glad I don't have to vote in that one.

Sometimes there actually is an advantage to being forced to choose between a right wing Nazi Christo-fascist Smith-Friedman wannabe nutjob and a DLC style centrist as we usually get to do in Texas. Makes our lives so much easier. :)

[Imalittleteapot]

12. Didn't Zogby or some other pollster report that 80% of Rhode Islanders

were against Bolton? What does the GOP have hanging over wimpy little Chafee's head?

[leftchick]

13. Reluctant is so much worse than whole hearted

fucking wimp.

[Zorra]

14. Chafee is not a moderate republican, he is a right-wing republican. n/t

[MaineDem]

18. Bottom line...he is a Republican

Whether "moderate" or not.

Same as Collins and Snowe. I don't trust them at all.

[seemslikeadream]

15. Cracks Showing in the Pro-Bolton Facade:

May 10, 2005
Cracks Showing in the Pro-Bolton Facade: Paula Dobriansky Next in Line for U.N. Job?

TWN has just learned that State Department officials are worried that Bolton's nomination will not go through.

The combination of stone-walling, withholding of key documents, shenanigans related to the long-awaited NSA intercepts and names of U.S. officials requested by John Bolton, dysfunctional behavior questions, and recent relevations about the extent that Colin Powell and Richard Armitage felt they needed to go to guard themselves and U.S. diplomatic efforts from the potential damage that John Bolton might do has seriously undermined the administration's confidence in the nomination.

There is a crack in the facade of the pro-Bolton forces.

The Office of the Vice President and the Secretary of State refuse to acknowledge that the Bolton nomination is limping -- and there has been a tremendous game of psychological warfare underway to convince Bolton opponents that a party line vote is on its way.

This is not the case -- at least not by my read of circumstances.

There are several names quietly being floated as the back-up alternative to John Bolton, the most prominent and impressive of whom is Paula Dobriansky, currently Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs.

There are others being discussed, but TWN has not confirmed how serioualy these other candidates are being considered. . .while TWN has confirmed that back room gossip is that Dobriansky is a strong alternative candidate.

The Center for Security Policy has cynically argued that those who oppose John Bolton are really just sore losers about the 2004 Presidential Race. I disagree, strongly.

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/000597.html

[davidinalameda]

19. it looks like he read his latest polls

http://www.politics1.com

[wicket]

21. Time for Chafee to go, who's running against him in 2006?

n/t

[Piperay]

23. They're all alike

when it comes right down it, NEVER EVER think that a repuke by chance might do the decent thing. :banghead: :mad:

[KoKo]

24. Kissy, Kissy....Lincoln.... and you father must be feeling like Chimp's

about now. Not that I liked George I...he was disgusting..but his son is even more disgusting and doesn't have the intellectual capacity of the father...not that Poppy had much...but still.

Lincoln Chaffee .....a joke. But, his poll numbers went up in Rhode Island...and that's all these politicians care about. So, short of "death threats" and "Plane offings" we gotta figure it was his poll numbers. :-(

[katty]

25. OK, now appoint Michael Jackson head of UNICEF

[leesa]

26. Republicans are such amazing spineless cowards!!

I have never met a breed more cowardly!

[UCLA Dem]

27. Lets get him out of there!! We should be able to take that seat!

:mad:

[still_one]

28. keep in mind that chafee was one of the few who voted against

giving * the authority to go into iraq, which is more than I can say for most of the senate

[JerseygirlCT]

29. Wonder how much it cost.

What's a soul going for these days, anyway?

[hatrack]

31. Piss off, Linc

Or should that be "Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp Fan"

Fucking tool.

[Generator]

32. "Because he is President Bush's choice"

Rant ahead:

Excuse me for SCREAMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You stupid fuckhead BUSH choice means it's not the BEST this country can do you fuckhead-GOD in HEAVEN is this a cult of personality-is there NOTHING you stupid fucking politicians won't do to lick his ass-to get another TERM??? Selling out your conscience your soul your real GOD your countrymen..is there nothing you won't do?


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