(Reid) Senate Democrat offers pledge on Bolton vote

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate's top Democrat pledged on Wednesday that he would not block a confirmation vote for U.N. nominee John Bolton if the party got all the information it was seeking, after an influential Republican urged the White House to comply.

If the President turns over the information ... not part of it or a summary of it ... but turns over all the information requested, the White House will get their up or down vote on Mr. Bolton," Democratic leader Sen. Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record) of Nevada said on the Senate floor.

Some Republicans have expressed frustration at Democrats, saying they keep shifting their demands for background and information in an attempt to block the nomination, which President Bush made in March.

Democrats have twice used procedural moves to block Bolton, formerly the Bush administration's top diplomat for arms control, from getting a confirmation vote. Critics have accused Bolton of trying to manipulate intelligence and intimidate intelligence analysts to support his hard-line conservative views, but he is likely to win confirmation in the Republican-controlled Senate if a vote is held.

more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050622/pl_nm/bush_bolton_dc;_

[tk2kewl]

1. Good strategy. Now who are the obstructionists.

you know that bush won't give them the info.

[meganmonkey]

4. Yep - Even Trent Lott is encouraging the White House to release

the docs....

:popcorn:

[sui generis]

5. What Are They Hiding?

If they have nothing to hide, then release the damn documents. Prove they have nothing to hide.

They can't prove it - everybody knows what's in those documents will ensure a "down" vote, or else they would have already been released and the vote would already have happened. The White House is lying again, surprise.

[FreedomAngel82]

20. Obviously

it has to be something very damning. Either with Iraq or Valrie Plame or both.

[Cocoa]

29. I think Plame is one of the names

one of the "persons of interest" about the names on the NSA intercepts.

And I think everyone knows it, the dems, Bush, everyone.

[Gelliebeans]

31. I think you are right Cocoa

they don't want that little blunder out of the bag

[Ponderer]

25. So funny . . .

How when Bush was creating the UN crisis over Iraq he kept saying if Saddam had nothing to hide he should just put all his military weapons out there where everyone could look at them. But that same "if there's nothing to hide" argument works quite differently when it comes to Cheney's Energy Task Force or answering requests from a Congressional oversight committee.

[struggle4progress]

27. It's a reflexs. They lie so often, it's just safer for them not to let ..

.. any paper out, lest they be caught in yet another lie ...

[IndianaGreen]

2. Do you really think that Bush will turn over incriminating documents?

The Bolton documents, if fully released, will cause a further erosion of Bolton's support among Republicans, so much so that Bolton could end up losing an up or down vote. This is why Bush won't release the documents, and this is why that wily fox that Reid has turned out to be has said what he said.

[jsamuel]

6. Say it with me, "What are they hidding?" n/t

[SoDesuKa]

9. Echoes of Tom Daschle

Tom Daschle would not only have caved by now, he'd be posing in the Rose Garden with Bush and Bolton.

[BrendaStarr]

16. Lautenberg's speech on obstructionists

<ol>“This isn’t a nation where we have a dictator…

“Saddam Hussein didn’t have to worry about obstructionists, not in his country, he killed them, jailed them…

“Leaders who are free of obstructionists are also known as dictators.

“Throughout history, so-called obstructionists have been the champions of democracy.”
(Lautenberg showed posters and talked about each: of a man standing in front of tanks, the Boston tea party, the founding fathers who stood against King George III, Rosa Parks getting fingerprinted, photo of Margaret Chase Smith who stood against Joe McCarthy, and a photo of woman suffrage advocates. Each poster had the word “Obstructionists?” printed at the top.)

“Obstructionism is not an evil course if you’re on the side of the people. In light of our democracy’s heritage of productive obstruction, I will be proud to obstruct some of President Bush’s proposals this year.” (He noted privatization of social security, Medicaid cuts to the poor and elderly “Is there any compassion there – I don’t think so.”, and other issues.)

“Obstructionism is all that separates democracy from dictatorship.”</ol> More to it in the comments section at: http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/000753.html

[AllyCat]

22. This is uplifting, Brenda

Thank you for posting that!

[tex-wyo-dem]

3. Reid knows that the information they are seeking...

is highly damaging to the * admin.

What are they hiding?

I have a sneaking suspision that the name "Plame" is in there somewhere.

[BrendaStarr]

11. I was thinking that he might be involved with the Plame case too

Since he was involved with the yellowcake "intelligence" according to Ray McGovern's piece at http://www.antiwar.com/mcgovern/?articleid=5934

[BrendaStarr]

14. If you need more info on Bolton this is what we have

The string starts here: http://www.network54.com/Forum/message?forumid=341201&messageid=1114060046

[Oversea Visitor]

7. This Bolton guy

Engineer the sacking of the Brazilian diplomat in charge for chemical weapon inspection department of the UN on Iraq
Reason the diplomat want to send in chemical weapon inspector to clear the air on claims of WMD
This will off cost spoil the hype Bush was creating for reason to invade Iraq.
The UN later state that the sacking of this guy was in violation of ( I forget what was say)
Think AP has articles on this.
This was reported in our papers.
So if you guys can dig it up it also part of the DSM picture that war was premeditated

[Just Me]

8. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Reid turning the tables and placing responsibility precisely where it belongs. If the WH fails to turn over the docs, they are taking their demand for an up or down vote right off the table.

[tk2kewl]

13. Paint the bastards into a corner

:evilgrin:

[cascadiance]

23. I wonder if we have a "Deep Throat" style insider...

Who has access to these documents, knows how damning they are, and knows that one of the following things will happen:

1) they release them as asked, and it releases more stuff that gets the Valerie Plame investigation renewed, Sibel Edmonds "ungagged", or the like. Bush goes down with impeachment in the subsequent investigations.
2) they release "doctored" versions of what is actually there, or hold some of it back. Then the insider comes forth with them *lying* to congress with proof, which also leads to impeachment proceedings!
3) Bush folks realize the predicament they are in and pull back the nomination and go with someone else to keep the coverup going as long as they can!
4) Bush and his folks discover who the "insider" is and find a way of quietly "offing" him/her and proceed with #2.

As noted, well played Mr. Reid! I'm wondering if we'll force #3. If things are really bad in some of these docs! On the other hand if they go with #4, that will be really scarey. And it will be scarey that we probably won't know about it until it's too late!

[FlemingsGhost]

10. Well played.

Squeeze ... hard!

[sattahipdeep]

12. "human scum"

Bolton was in South Korea on an AEI assignment when he received a call from long-time
mentor James Baker, who was leading the charge on the Florida recount in 2000. Baker
told him to get on the next plane, which he did. After working as a lawyer with the
Republican team in Florida, he grabbed reporters' attention when he burst into a
Tallahassee library announcing ''I'm with the Bush-Cheney team, and I'm here to stop
the count."

http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=252671

[deacon2]

28. Forgot about that one.

Why doesn't Bush just whip it out at the next press conference and piss on the front row while shouting, "There you go, America. And you're going to like it!" Then we'd be back to some kind of reality... sort of.

[zara]

15. WH response predicted: Demos Just Playing Games!...

Won't follow through even if we comply harrumph harrumph harrumph,
So can't.
Can't trust em.
Boy who cried Wolf.
We'd be fools to play along.
Oh and DEMS are WEAK ON TERROR and OVER THE TOP!!!!
Etc.

[Orion The Hunter]

17. Nice work, Mr. Reid.

If Bush & Co. got nothing to hide, then they can just fork over the documents and get their man in the U.N. Now its entirely on Bush if he does not get his up and down vote.

[Iowa]

18. Excellent move by Reid!

[ElectroPrincess]

21. It better be! If the WH half steps and feeds them pablum ...

we're on the hook with that horrid creature representing the USA in the UN. :puke:

I'm still trying to understand what the hell we gained by that judicial compromise?

However, I'm holding Reid to this strategy, he better be playing for OUR side, not fawning a "bad cop" waltz for us sheeple - in behalf of the ruling class. :P

[Iowa]

26. Agreed...

I'm assuming Reid's motives are good and that he's covered all his bases. Usually I'm extremely cynical - I just have a good feeling on this one.

[Alizaryn]

19. Will someone please explain to me

HOW the Democrats "keep moving the goal posts"? Is the information being requested any more then what they requested a month ago? If not why is that Repub Line not being challenged?

[AllyCat]

24. I've been asking the same thing Alizaryn

What has changed? They have consistently asked for the documents ShrubCo. is hiding. I've been unaware of any other requests since this whole thing started.

I'm glad Reid is calling on them and making the point completely clear. Someone should have done it sooner, but I'm glad Reid has put that on the line now. Then we need to push the "obstructionist" meme back in their faces!

[Raiden]

30. Way to go Harry!!

B-)

[GetTheRightVote]

32. I really want to know what they are hiding about dear old Johnny ??

:kick: