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Bush to Force Lame Duck Bolton down Congressional Throats?
Bush may bypass Senate and appoint Bolton to UN
Mon Jul 25, 2005 9:42 PM BST
By Adam Entous
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House signaled on Monday that President George W. Bush may bypass the Senate and appoint John Bolton, his embattled nominee for U.N. ambassador, to the post temporarily as hope faded for a Senate vote on the nomination.
A recess appointment could be announced as early as Friday night, immediately after the Senate is scheduled to adjourn for the monthlong August recess, congressional aides said.
A number of senators have said they expected Bush to make a recess appointment which would allow Bolton to take up the U.N. post but he would serve only until January 2007.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan declined to say whether Bolton would receive a recess appointment.
But when asked in general about possible recess appointments, McClellan said, "There are important priorities we're working to advance and it's important to have people in certain positions."
"If the Senate fails to act and move forward on those nominees, then sometimes there comes a point where the president has needed to fill that in a timely manner by recessing those nominees," McClellan added.
Asked if his U.N. nominee fell within that category, McClellan said: "There's nothing that's changed, in terms of what we said previously on that at this point."
Senate Democratic leaders have removed a possible hurdle by signaling that they would not use a recess appointment of Bolton to hold up Bush's nomination of John Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"It won't be used against Roberts," a Senate Democratic leadership aide said.
There had been questions about whether Bolton would accept a recess appointment, which lawmakers said would send him to the United Nations in a weakened political position.
But Republicans say Bolton has signaled his willingness to accept a recess appointment if another vote by the Senate is unlikely to occur.
McClellan said it was premature to speculate on what "may or may not occur" until the Senate adjourns.
But congressional aides said there were no immediate plans to bring Bolton's nomination back to the floor of the Senate for another vote. "I don't see any appetite for that," one senior Democratic aide said.
In procedural votes in May and June, Democrats denied Republicans the 60 votes needed from the 100-member chamber to bring debate on Bolton to a close and move to a confirmation vote, which would require a simple majority.
A number of Democrats and Ohio Republican Sen. George Voinovich have urged Bush to give up on Bolton and offer another nominee.
Mon Jul 25, 2005 9:42 PM BST
By Adam Entous
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House signaled on Monday that President George W. Bush may bypass the Senate and appoint John Bolton, his embattled nominee for U.N. ambassador, to the post temporarily as hope faded for a Senate vote on the nomination.
A recess appointment could be announced as early as Friday night, immediately after the Senate is scheduled to adjourn for the monthlong August recess, congressional aides said.
A number of senators have said they expected Bush to make a recess appointment which would allow Bolton to take up the U.N. post but he would serve only until January 2007.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan declined to say whether Bolton would receive a recess appointment.
But when asked in general about possible recess appointments, McClellan said, "There are important priorities we're working to advance and it's important to have people in certain positions."
"If the Senate fails to act and move forward on those nominees, then sometimes there comes a point where the president has needed to fill that in a timely manner by recessing those nominees," McClellan added.
Asked if his U.N. nominee fell within that category, McClellan said: "There's nothing that's changed, in terms of what we said previously on that at this point."
Senate Democratic leaders have removed a possible hurdle by signaling that they would not use a recess appointment of Bolton to hold up Bush's nomination of John Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"It won't be used against Roberts," a Senate Democratic leadership aide said.
There had been questions about whether Bolton would accept a recess appointment, which lawmakers said would send him to the United Nations in a weakened political position.
But Republicans say Bolton has signaled his willingness to accept a recess appointment if another vote by the Senate is unlikely to occur.
McClellan said it was premature to speculate on what "may or may not occur" until the Senate adjourns.
But congressional aides said there were no immediate plans to bring Bolton's nomination back to the floor of the Senate for another vote. "I don't see any appetite for that," one senior Democratic aide said.
In procedural votes in May and June, Democrats denied Republicans the 60 votes needed from the 100-member chamber to bring debate on Bolton to a close and move to a confirmation vote, which would require a simple majority.
A number of Democrats and Ohio Republican Sen. George Voinovich have urged Bush to give up on Bolton and offer another nominee.
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