Bush action lets questions stay unanswered

08/02/05

In a move sure to fan the already hot flames of partisanship in the nation's capital, President George W. Bush took advantage of Congress's summer recess and a constitutional loophole and appointed the controversial John Bolton to the post of ambassador to the United Nations.

The last echoes of the din of retreating lawmakers had barely finished ringing around the halls of Congress before Bush made his announcement, thumbing his nose at both the nomination process and those who questioned Bolton's fitness for the position.

It is not the first time this president, or any before, has made a recess appointment. But the controversy that swirls around Bolton, and the manner in which Bush tried to justify his circumventing of the normal process, make this one particularly troubling.

Bolton's record - at least the part of it that is known - raised many questions. His critics in the Senate and elsewhere say he tried to manipulate intelligence toward his own hawkish ends and intimidate those whose views did not support his own. These are not exactly high on the list of desirable traits in a diplomat.

As the wheels of the confirmation process began turning, the quantity and volume of these charges increased. How true they actually are was never really confirmed. When pressed for details in his confirmation hearing, Bolton stonewalled. And repeated requests for answers and more information from the White House were repeatedly denied.

We believe that every president is entitled to choose who will serve on his team. But we also believe that Americans have a right to be represented by quality people. And the only way to determine this is through the confirmation process.

Had Bolton been interviewing for a job in the private sector, he would have had to answer questions applicable to his fitness for the position he applied for. It's only right and fair that he do the same for those he was nominated to serve. His refusal to do so only adds to the suspicion that Bolton had something to hide.

Sen. Joe Biden, a Delaware Democrat, defended the confirmation process that raised questions about Bolton.

" We need someone who has credibility with the international community and Americans can trust," he said. "That is not John Bolton."

That the president placed the blame for a slow confirmation process on "partisan delaying tactics by a handful of senators" is Washington spin at its worst. Even senators of the president's party were troubled enough by Bolton that his nomination barely advanced out of the Senate committee that conducted the hearing.

Sen. George Voinovich, a Republican from Ohio, summed up the disappointment at Bush's action.

" I am truly concerned that a recess appointment will only add to John Bolton's baggage and his lack of credibility with the United Nations," he said.

We are disappointed that the president disregarded normal procedure in installing someone as controversial as Bolton as this country's ambassador to the U.N. without insisting that legitimate questions be answered. The American people deserve better.