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Politics : Sioux Nation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: stockman_scott who wrote (16802)	5/12/2005 10:18:14 AM
From: Knighty Tin	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 361199

Democracy was certainly imposed on Japan and Germany after WWII, and it's been pretty successful. However, I don't think there is a Marshall Plan for The Middle East after we blow them up. First of all, there is nobody in this doofus administration who could carry Marshall's jock strap. Also, the USA is no longer rich enough to build economic miracles in other countries. And, without the economic side kicking in, the democracies will yearn for the good old days under Saddam.

To: stockman_scott who wrote (16802)	5/12/2005 10:39:26 AM
From: T L Comiskey	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 361199

Lugar given black bag full of Ky Jelly.. for Taking it like a man.. Ho..Ho..Ho Lugar Urges Bolton Nod Despite Behavior By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON - The Republican chairman of the Senate panel considering John R. Bolton's nomination to be U.N. ambassador said Thursday that Bolton should be confirmed despite sometimes objectionable or wrongheaded behavior. "Secretary Bolton's actions were not always exemplary," Sen. Richard Lugar (news, bio, voting record), R-Ind., acknowledged in remarks prepared for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's debate on Bolton's nomination. The hearing began on a contentious note as Democrats challenged ground rules for the five-hour proceeding set by Lugar. Sen. Joseph Biden (news, bio, voting record), senior Democrat on the panel, said, "I understand your wishing to set the terms of the debate. I understand the deal." Bolton misjudged the actions of subordinates and sometimes clashed with superiors in his current job as the State Department's arms control chief, Lugar said. But weeks of intense Senate inquiry turned up no evidence that Bolton did anything that would disqualify him as President Bush's choice for the United Nations job, Lugar said. "The picture is one of an aggressive policy-maker who pressed his missions at every opportunity and argued vociferously for his point of view," Lugar said. "In the process, his blunt style alienated some colleagues. But there is no evidence that he has broken laws or engaged in serious ethical misconduct. " Bolton's chances of winning committee approval appeared to brighten as Republican fence-sitters drifted in his direction. But even if it reaches the full Senate, it is possible that Bolton's nomination could be blocked by a Democratic filibuster, said Biden of Delaware and Sen. Christopher Dodd (news, bio, voting record), D-Conn. The committee scheduled a daylong session Thursday culminating in a vote while Democrats flyspecked last-minute documents from the State Department to bolster their claims that Bolton was unfit for the diplomatic post. The committee's final action — a vote on whether to approve the nomination and send it to the full Senate for a confirmation vote — would amount to a dramatic test of President Bush's ability to muster support for an embattled nominee and of the limits senators place on their own "advice and consent" constitutional authority. The Democrats' chances rested on converting Republicans, who hold a 10-8 edge in the committee and a 55-45 majority in the Senate itself. One of their targets, however, Sen. Lincoln Chafee (news, bio, voting record), R-R.I., told The Associated Press on Tuesday he reluctantly would vote for Bolton. Two other Republican fence-sitters, Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, said they too were inclined to vote for him. A fourth Republican, George Voinovich of Ohio, playing it close to the vest, declined to tip his vote in advance. An energetic diplomat who pioneered a program to curb the spread of dangerous weapons technology, Bolton has strong ties to political conservatives inside and outside the administration and shares their skepticism about some international treaties. The spirited debate over the last month, however, has focused mostly on allegations that he berated several U.S. officials, especially intelligence analysts who did not agree with his assessments of Cuba and Syria's military strength. Dozens of retired American diplomats signed a letter sent to Lugar opposing Senate confirmation. Dozens of others endorsed Bolton for the U.N. post in competing letters to Lugar. Bush, trying to turn the personality issue to Bolton's favor, has called Bolton "a blunt guy" who "can get the job done at the United Nations" and "who isn't afraid to speak his mind in the post of the ambassador to the U.N." Vice President Dick Cheney, outspoken himself, said "if being occasionally tough and aggressive and abrasive were a problem, a lot of members of the United States Senate wouldn't qualify." And Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice endorsed Bolton as the right choice to help bring about reform in the United Nations. By contrast, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, noting Bolton's public criticism of the United Nations over the years, said she wondered why someone who disliked the world organization so much wanted to take on a job there. At the opening of hearings April 11, Bolton pledged to help strengthen the United Nations if confirmed. He called it an institution that had occasionally "gone off track." A 56-year-old lawyer, Bolton was senior vice president of the American Enterprise Institute before he became Bush's undersecretary of state for arms control and international security affairs four years ago. He had been assistant secretary of state for international organizations under President George H.W. Bush, playing a leading role in organizing support for the U.S.-led coalition in the 1991 war against Iraq.