Bolton predicts he would win Senate vote on U.N. post

[Ron Burgundy]

Bolton predicts he would win Senate vote on U.N. post

By Evelyn Leopold2 hours, 35 minutes ago

John Bolton said on Wednesday that he believed a vote in the full U.S. Senate would confirm him as ambassador to the United Nations, despite opposition from Democrats and a key Republican.

Last year the Senate Foreign Relations Committee blocked Bolton's nomination from getting to the floor. But President George W. Bush used a temporary appointment for Bolton that expires when Congress adjourns no later than January 6.

Bush has resubmitted Bolton's name to the Senate.

Outgoing Sen. Lincoln Chafee (news, bio, voting record), a Rhode Island Republican, who holds the swing vote on the committee, has said he would not support the nomination. Democrats also oppose Bolton.

"The White House is continuing to search for ways to get the nomination to the floor of the Senate," Bolton told CNN. "And I think we've believed for 18 months now that if I could get a straight up or down vote, I'd be confirmed."

"So I'm glad they are continuing to push for it," Bolton said. "I'd actually like that vote."

In the meantime, Bolton said he was focusing on Iran and North Korea and hoped "the situation in the Senate will take care of itself."

At the United Nations, some diplomats sigh with relief while others say they will miss his expertise and no-nonsense approach to issues if he is replaced. Everyone has an opinion on Bolton although few will speak publicly.

Some diplomats distinguish between Bolton's work in the 15-nation Security Council and that in the 192-member General Assembly, which handles budgets and U.N. reform plans.

"In some ways, he seems to have been more an ambassador to the Security Council than to the United Nations as a whole and I think he has done very well there," said Edward Luck, a Columbia University professor and U.N. expert.

EXPERTISE ON NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION

In the council, Bolton was key in negotiating two unanimous resolutions on North Korea's nuclear program, put abuses in Myanmar, formerly Burma, on the agenda, was intricately involved in peacekeepers for Lebanon and is praised for his knowledge on nuclear proliferation in current talks on Iran's programs.

"I enjoy working with him," China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya said. "Professionally he is capable, he is effective but I don't want to get into the politics of the U.S."

But the problem, say Luck and others, is his actions in the General Assembly, which is increasingly polarized between developing and developed countries.

"He is very good on preaching on reform but not good at doing it," said Luck, raising the question of "whether he wants to strengthen it or find excuses for abandoning it."

Algeria's former U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Bali, who served in the Security Council last year, said, "When you look at what he did in the reform of the U.N., he did not achieve any of the goals he set for himself -- budget reform, management, a different Human Rights Commission."

The White House could give Bolton a second recess appointment, but he would not receive a salary. Other possibilities include creating a position in the State Department that would allow him to continue his work at the United Nations, according to some U.S. officials.