PREVIEW ahead of lawmakers' vote to confirm John Bolton as next UN ambassdor

(12 May 2005) SHOTLIST

Washington, DC - 11 May 2005
1. Senator Richard Lugar walks to podium
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Senator Richard Lugar, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Republican:
"My hope is that we will have a meeting and a vote hopefully before three o'clock in the afternoon. I hope they'll not be parliamentary challenges either in the meeting or voting and my hope and general prediction is that we'll have a motion that will bring John Bolton to the floor and that we'll succeed."
3. Wide shot Lugar
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Senator Richard Lugar, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Republican:
"We have some persons complaining about treatment by Mr. Bolton, others coming in complaining about people making complaints that they were a problem. So this is not necessarily a free-for-all. I've tried as generously as possible to describe this inquiry, but I would say it has been more exhaustive than any single nomination I can remember in 29 years on the committees. This has been pretty thoroughly done."

Washington, DC - 11 April 2005
5. Wide of committee hearing room
6. Photographers around Bolton scatter
7. Chairman bangs his gavel
8. SOUNDBITE: (English) John Bolton, United Nations ambassador nominee:
"Now, more than ever, the UN must play a critical role as it strives to fulfil the dreams and hopes and aspirations of its original promise to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom."
9. Wide of committee hearing room

Washington, DC - 28 April 2005
10. US President George W. Bush at podium
11. SOUNDBITE: (English) George W. Bush, US President:
"John Bolton is a blunt guy. Sometimes people say I'm a little too blunt. John Bolton can get the job done at the United Nations. Seems like to me it made sense to put someone who's capable, smart, served our country for 20 years, been confirmed by the United States Senate four times, and who isn't afraid to speak his mind, in the post of the ambassador of the UN."
12. Reporters

Washington, DC - September, 2004
13. John Bolton walks into hearing room
14. Cutaway of committee members
15. Bolton testifying before a House committee

Washington, DC - 19 April 2005
16. Wide of Senate Foreign Relations Committee
17. SOUNDBITE: (English) Senator George Voinovich, Republican for Ohio:
(part over Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting)
"I've heard enough today, that I don't feel comfortable about voting for Mr. Bolton and I think we all ought to get some more information about this man before we vote him out of this committee."

STORYLINE

US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Senator Richard Lugar said he was optimistic about the Committee voting on Thursday on whether to recommend John Bolton's confirmation as US ambassador to the United Nations (UN) by the full Senate.

US President George W. Bush's embattled nominee has gained momentum recently despite weeks of intense investigation, with at least one wavering Republican now falling into line with the White House.

Democrats said they had yet to decide whether they would filibuster the nomination if it reached the Senate.

Bush has spoken out in support of Bolton, saying that he "can get the job done at the United Nations".

Senator Joseph Biden said on Tuesday that Democrats would not stall the committee vote.

But Biden, a Democrat, said he would push Lugar to hold off until Democrats received information they requested from the State Department and the National Security Agency (NSA).




Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...