Dropping Like Flies Now

On Friday, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, became the fourth GOP committee member to express doubts about John Bolton's nomination as UN Ambassador. Through a spokesperson, Murkowski said she thought the committee "did the right thing delaying the vote on Bolton in light of the recent information presented to the committee." Asked if Murkowski would vote to confirm Bolton, Murkowski's spokesperson said she "[couldn't] speculate on how she would vote."

Murkowski apparently has spoken with Senator Voinovich about the Bolton nomination, and her spokesperson said that she decided only recently that the charges against Bolton deserved more investigation. Voinovich, Hagel and Chafee are the other Republicans who have so far distanced themselves from ironclad statements of support for Bolton.

Committee Democrats and Republicans have agreed to meet on May 12 to hold a final vote on Bolton ... the question now is, will the Administration keep him around that long?