Voinovich has created the political space for defeatist-tilting Democrats to buck up and for Bolton-offended internationalist Republicans to oppose Bolton.
If this comes out of Committee shortly with a 9-9 vote, we will have even more time to tell countless troubling vignettes about Mr. Bolton’s recklessness with national security intelligence. We will also have the time to profile many other worthy candidates who would do a much better job for Americans at the United Nations.
Senators have said that they will keep this Bolton nomination from going to a vote in the full Senate until:
1. The NSA intercepts are provided to Senators — including the identities of redacted names in whom Bolton was interested;
2. More information on the story of Matthew Freedman — who was paid a six-figure salary as a part-timer in Bolton’s office, though listed on the State Department personnel directory, and maintaining private lobbying clients — which we are still trying to ascertain whether these were foreign governments
3. Information related to Bolton’s battle with practically the entire U.S. government intelligence establishment about public commentary and accusations he wanted to make about Syrian WMD weapons programs
So, to all those defeatists out there — particularly the normally insightful James Carville — take your defeatism home. You all played into the psych warfare of the White House that wanted this to look like a “done deal.”
It’s not. TWN called it right.
And for marathoners out there, we are at Mile 16 in a 26.2 mile race — if this gets out of Committee today.
Stay tuned.
— Steve Clemons
