Posted by
Chris Warren on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 7:11:22 AM
Chris Dodd's reply to my Letter in July asking him to support John Bolton's nomination as permanent US Ambassador to the UN vs. a recess appointee only. While I do not agree with his opinion. I'll report. You decide. Let me know what you think.
Dear Mr. Warren:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the nomination of John
Bolton as Ambassador to the United Nations. It was a pleasure to
hear from you, and I appreciate the benefit of your views on this
important subject.
John Bolton was nominated by President Bush to serve as
United States Ambassador to the United Nations on March 7, 2005.
I did not support this nomination when it was voted upon by the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and I continue to oppose his
nomination. I strongly believe that Mr. Bolton's past actions,
most significantly his attempts to have intelligence officials
removed because they disagreed with his interpretation of
available intelligence, disqualify him from this position. His
selective use of intelligence data, as well as his actions to
stifle consideration of alternative policy options also cross
over the line of acceptability. If confirmed, his record
threatens to undermine the credibility of the United States and,
therefore, diminish our capacity to convince other nations to
support us on issues critical to national security.
According to interviews conducted by Senate Foreign
Relations Committee staff, on several occasions, intelligence
officials disapproved of and resisted Mr. Bolton's efforts to
"cherry pick" intelligence for ideological purposes. Moreover,
at least eight current or former members of the Bush
Administration have stated that Mr. Bolton tried to have
intelligence analysts removed from their posts. Many of these
officials stated that he may have done so because the
intelligence these analysts provided was at odds with the policy
positions he wished to take. Mr. Bolton's actions contributed to
the politicization of the intelligence process, which Carl Ford,
Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research (INR)
during President George W. Bush's first term in office, described
as causing a chill among his officers. Responding to this
chilling effect, Secretary of State Colin Powell was forced to
make a special visit to INR to reassure the analysts that they
should not succumb to political pressure.
At a time when the credibility of United States intelligence
has been called into question, there are few issues more critical
than the integrity of our intelligence analysis. Any official
who pressures intelligence analysts or "cooks the books" for
political purposes should not serve as a spokesperson for United
States foreign policy. For these reasons, I believe that
confirmation of this nomination would set a negative precedent
regarding the manner in which business should be conducted in our
intelligence community.
My opposition to this nomination is shared by 103 career
diplomats from five different administrations over the past four
decades, who have signed a public letter in opposition to Mr.
Bolton's candidacy. Even Larry Wilkerson, the Chief of Staff to
former Secretary of State Colin Powell, stated publically that he
believed John Bolton would be "an abysmal ambassador."
As you may know, the Committee on Foreign Relations voted to
report Mr. Bolton's nomination without recommendation on May 12,
2005. On May 26 and June 20, 2005, the Senate defeated motions
to invoke cloture and proceed to an up or down vote on the Bolton
nomination. On both those occasions, I voted against cloture
because I believe the Administration is withholding critical
documentation that goes to the heart of whether or not John
Bolton is fit to serve as the United States Ambassador to the
United Nations. These documents were requested nearly two months
before the first motion to invoke cloture, and, as a matter of
institutional privilege, I believe as a coequal branch of
government, the Senate has a right to solicit information that
directly pertains to the qualifications of a nominee to be
confirmed by the Senate. Nevertheless, the Administration
refused to provide this documentation. Please be assured that I
will keep your views in mind as we continue to debate this
nomination and important matters of concern to the country and
the people of Connecticut.
Thank you again for contacting me. If you would like to
stay in touch with me on this and other issues of importance,
please visit my website at http://dodd.senate.gov and subscribe
to my online newsletter, the Dodd Digest. Please do not hesitate
to contact me again if I can help you in any way.
Sincerely,
CHRISTOPHER J. DODD
United States Senator