The Battle over Bolton lurks just behind the showdown between Republicans and Democrats on the slate of contested judicial appointments. The major similarity in both cases is that there are some Republicans who oppose changing Senate filibuster rules — and there are Republican Senators who find the Bolton nomination disagreeable and offensive.

TWN has received a copy of the minority views in the Bolton Nomination Report filed by the Foreign Relations Committee with the U.S. Senate. Here is one excerpt of a report very well worth reading in full: VI.

In the most recent May 23rd edition of Newsweek, Howard Fineman writes in his article, “Ready to Blow”: Still this is the Moderates’ Moment, and for a paradoxical reason. With the rest of the Washington machinery in GOP hands, conservative activists understandably expect results.

TWN‘s earlier post about the likely timing of the Bolton vote seems to be holding. The Hill reports that Bill Frist and the White House split on the preferred timing of the Bolton vote.

I have heard lots of “non-denial denials” in the past, but George Galloway’s rejection and “full-body denial” of all accusations posed by Norm Coleman yesterday was as clear and resolute as could be imagined.

Today it is likely, though not certain, that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will “report on the Bolton hearings” to the U.S. Senate “without recommendation.

Ken Jarboe alerted me to this important point made by Alan Greenspan on Sunday during a commencement address at the Wharton School: I do not deny that many appear to have succeeded in a material way by cutting corners and manipulating associates, both in their professional and in their personal lives.

There are too few great moments in our democracy lately. We are collectively jaded, too prone to spin, and too willing to forgive our Senators and House Members’ sacrifice of principle to curry favor with loyalty-obsessed White House. George Voinovich startled the nation and the world with his eloquent rebuke of John Bolton.

James Wolcott does a great job not only of picking on something that TWN worked up on the anti-U.N. intentions of Bolton supporters but gets right at the key questions about Iran, WMDs, and the impact on America, its allies, and the U.N. More later.

I have been flooded by people’s emails today asking “what next on John Bolton?” The news has been focused on the Newsweek retraction, on the “nuclear option” in the Senate regarding judicial confirmations, and the battle today between British Parliament Member George Galloway and Norm Coleman over the wrong-headedness of U.S. foreign policy.