After nearly a year on the job and under the watchful eye of Congress, John Bolton is inching toward Senate confirmation of his post as U.N. ambassador. Bolton has the green light from Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, who last year sided with Democrats in opposing the president's nomination. While Democrats are still expected to oppose the confirmation, Bolton also has retained the support of other key GOP senators.The Senate Foreign Relations Committee planned to conduct a hearing Thursday to reconsider Bolton's nomination. By resubmitting Bolton's nomination to the Senate, the president has made clear "that Ambassador Bolton is important to the implementation of U.S. policies at the United Nations and to broader U.S. goals on the global stage," Sen. Richard G. Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in prepared remarks. Lugar, R-Ind., noted in his remarks that the Senate has already conducted an "exhaustive review" of Bolton's credentials.
Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., the Foreign Relations Committee's top Democrat, has said Bolton should not get a confirmation vote until the White House turns over documents Biden requested when Bolton was nominated last year.
Voinovich announced last week he would support Bolton.
"My observations are that while Bolton is not perfect, he has demonstrated his ability, especially in recent months, to work with others and follow the president's lead by working multilaterally," Voinovich said in a statement. The senator insisted he had not been pressured into his decision by the White House and that he believed Bolton's personality had been "tempered" in recent months.