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.
The question for Frank Gaffney and his allies is whether they can live with Paula Dobriansky. I sometimes find myself at odds with Under Secretary Dobriansky’s views — but also find a lot of common ground. In my view, she is the perfect combination of U.N. skeptic combined with a very seasoned and capable diplomatic touch.
She would get the work done at the U.N. that we need done. And she doesn’t take lip from anyone for those who want a “tough as nails” candidate.
Pull John Bolton. There is real doubt among the pro-Bolton ranks about his candidacy.
Replace him. Paula Dobriansky can work, I think. There are other possibilities.
The Senators need to compare the stories of foreign policy recklessness that they are hearing and reading about with Paula Dobriansky’s impressive record.
More to do. Get to work.
— Steve Clemons
