Official Says Bolton Flouted Travel Rules

[spotbird]

WASHINGTON - John R. Bolton, the embattled nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, regularly tried to set up meetings abroad with Russian, British and French officials without notifying the U.S. Embassy or the State Department, the outgoing head of the department's European bureau said Friday.

On each occasion, Bolton ultimately received permission to hold the meetings before they actually were conducted because State Department officials found out about his plans, A. Elizabeth Jones, assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia, said in an interview with The Associated Press.

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=542&e=2&u=/ap/20050429/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/un_ambassador

[Zynx]

1. Stop smearing this poor honest, blunt individual.

:evilgrin:

[peacetalksforall]

4. A neanderthal may not understand laws, courtesies, and considerations.

On the other hand, maybe a neanderthal might have got it while he doesn't seem to.

What an uncivil maverick abuser.

[Mr.Green93]

2. Travel Rules

What's with this party and their seemingly constant problems with 'Travel Rules'?

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. Good God.

Did he do this as a private individual? I could visualize some Bush family crony making business deals with some foreign power and threatening to pull strings to use U.S. military strings to close the deal. At this point, I'm so jaded, that I could see this kind of crap happening at our expense.

[dxdem]

5. Anybody hear *

when he said that "some people call me blunt" (or something to that extent)? Lol. Some people call you stupid, not blunt. Big difference.

[MO_Dem]

11. Some people call him blunt

must be true, 'cause he sure as hell ain't sharp, is he?

[kodi]

17. hehe. nicely done

.

[newscott]

6. Is this guy a spook or what?

Does he have a CIA pedigree?

Sounds like Poppy Bush with blinders on.

[DS1]

7. Bolton would be better off with the top third of his body cut off

:eyes:

[MasonJar]

8. Kudos for that response.

[davidinalameda]

9. he's still be able to function

cockroaches are like that

[DS1]

10. His halogen emergency mustache would click on and his body

would scatter

[wicket]

12. His moustache makes certain people VERY jealous

:rofl:

[MontageOfFreedom]

13. Now this story just keeps getting better.

Oh sure, Bolton absolutely deserves the nomination. Nothing to see here, he's just shaking hands with corrupt crooks before UN meetings are even actually held. Pay no attention to the tinman behind the screen.

[LiberalFighter]

16. That is what that creep Jonah Goldberg stated in his column

That Bolton deserves the position

[Erika]

14. Just the person needed to reform the evil U.N.

He's a talented and bold man and has shown it in his harassment of employees and disregard for rules the rest of us choose to follow. Just the man to reform the arrogant U.N. and show them that our will is going to be their will. Additionally, the U.N. better agree, or he'll see the need to ship them to other countries we've contracted with to "enlighten" them that they will be an extension of right wing globalism to help democratize and liberate the entire world.

Bush & Condi off.

[DoYouEverWonder]

15. Official Says Bolton Flouted Travel Rules

April 29, 2005

WASHINGTON - John R. Bolton, the embattled nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, regularly tried to set up meetings abroad with Russian, British and French officials without notifying the U.S. Embassy or the State Department, the outgoing head of the department's European bureau said Friday.

On each occasion, Bolton ultimately received permission to hold the meetings before they actually were conducted because State Department officials found out about his plans, A. Elizabeth Jones, assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia, said in an interview with The Associated Press.

But Bolton, who is undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, persisted in trying to set up subsequent meetings on his own, Jones said.

"It's symptomatic of his determination not to work with other people," she said.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050430/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/un_ambassador;_ylt=A


Don't you just love the Friday night news dump.

[maddezmom]

18. NYT- Bolton's Nomination Is Questioned by Another Powell Aide

WASHINGTON, April 29 - A fourth senior member of Colin L. Powell's team at the State Department expressed strong reservations on Friday about the nomination of John R. Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations.

The official, A. Elizabeth Jones, is a veteran diplomat who stepped down in February as assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia. Among those who have now voiced public concerns about Mr. Bolton, Ms. Jones joins Lawrence Wilkerson, Mr. Powell's chief of staff; Carl W. Ford, Jr., who headed the department's intelligence bureau; and John R. Wolf, who was assistant secretary of state for nonproliferation. Associates of Mr. Powell have said he has expressed concerns of his own in private conversations with at least two Republican senators.



"I don't know if he's incapable of negotiation, but he's unwilling," Ms. Jones said in an interview. She said she believed that "the fundamental problem," if Mr. Bolton were to become United Nations ambassador, would be a reluctance on his part to make the kinds of minor, symbolic concessions necessary to build consensus among other governments and maintain the American position.

Ms. Jones spoke as the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is reviewing Mr. Bolton's nomination, was holding closed-door interviews with former senior intelligence officials who clashed with Mr. Bolton during his tenure as under secretary of state for arms control. Congressional officials who heard the testimony said John E. McLaughlin, a former deputy director of central intelligence, used strong language on Friday in telling the group that he regarded as totally inappropriate an attempt by Mr. Bolton in 2002 to seek the ouster of Fulton Armstrong, the national intelligence officer for Latin America, in a dispute over reports on Cuba.

~snip~
more: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/30/politics/30bolton.html?

[FourStarDemocrat]

19. In other words, the man is a total ass & completely unsuited for this job

If this nomination even gets out of committee it will be a testament to the repugs' willingness to place party over country. This loon is a danger to our government, along with the chimp who nominated him.