Reid Throws Down the Gauntlet

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid issued the strongest threat yet on the Bolton nomination, telling CNN "You can't ignore the Senate. We've told them what we've wanted. The ball is in [President Bush's] court. If they want John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations, give us this information. If they don't, there will be no Bolton."

Responding to White House charges that Democrats are obstructing a final vote on Bolton, Reid turned the tables: "The president is obstructing a vote on John Bolton. We've asked for simple information that Congresses over many decades that we have been in existence have been given by the White House."

As I noted earlier, Senator Frist failed to mention when the Senate would next take up the Bolton nomination when he announced the schedule yesterday. He continued that trend this evening, and Steve Clemons already has up some analysis of what that means.

The nomination's opponents are correct on this. Their requests are not inappropriate, and the White House ought to make the information available. Better yet, they ought to withdraw Bolton's name and find themselves and the country a decent nominee.