Bolton-Day

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee takes up the nomination of John Bolton to be UN Ambassador this morning at 9:30. C-SPAN will air the hearings live; they are expected to last several hours today and then resume tomorrow. You can tune into a webcast of the hearings here. They will re-air the hearings tonight on t.v. and the web at 8 p.m.

The Washington Post summarizes Bolton's career and the controversy over him, and also (unfortunately) editorializes in his favor this morning.

[Update: After the morning's hearings, some of which I heard and some of which I missed, several news updates have been posted. Barry Schweid of the AP filed this report, CNN has this.
In his opening statement, Bolton said "The United States is committed to the success of the United Nations, and we view the U.N. as an important component of our diplomacy. If confirmed, I look forward to working closely with this committee to forge a stronger relationship between the United States and the United Nations, which depends critically on American leadership."

This has been headlined as somehow saying that Bolton will work with the international community, but in fact to me it seems to jive completely with his earlier statements ("If I were redoing the Security Council today, I'd have one permanent member because that's the real reflection of the distribution of power in the world" - to NPR's Juan Williams in 2000; "There is no such thing as the United Nations. There is an international community that occasionally can be led by the only real power left in the world and that is the United States when it suits our interest and we can get others to go along" - at the Global Structures Convention in 1994).

Senator Biden has done well in questions so far, and as Steve Clemons notes, Sen. Hagel asked some tough questions as well and got very little in the way of answers. Here's a quote from Biden's opening statement: "We need a strong voice in New York who knows the U.N. and who can advance our reform agenda. But we don't need a voice which people may not be inclined to listen to. And I fear that, knowing your reputation - and your reputation known well at the U.N. - people will be inclined to tune you out."

Chairman Lugar wasn't particularly effusive toward Bolton, who at times during his opening statement seemed to be lecturing the nominee (someone sure should): "In the diplomatic world, neither bluntness nor rhetorical sensitivity is a virtue in itself," said Lugar. "There are times when blunt talk serves a policy purpose; other times it does not."

The 'most disappointing so far' award goes to Senator Chafee, who during the first round of questions told Bolton "You said all the right things in your opening statement." Senator, he's got to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Clearly he can go before the committee with a little Kofi Annan doll and act all positive, but think about what he's going to do once he's got his vote.
During this second round of Chafee's going after Bolton a little bit more, so we'll see what happens.

More as events warrant. -- 2:44 p.m.]

[Late Update: I haven't had time to read up on all these things yet, but I offer up a couple links on the first day of Bolton hearings: Fred Kaplan in Slate says "It's Time to Write a Dear John," and Steve Clemons thinks Chafee landed some good punches.

More on Bolton tomorrow, I'm sure. -- 10:36 p.m.]