GOP conveys confidence in Bolton

WASHINGTON – The White House and Republicans expressed confidence Sunday that John R. Bolton would win Senate approval as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations after a bruising confirmation battle in committee.

“The president continues to have confidence in John. He believes he’s the right person for the job,” national security adviser Stephen Hadley said on a Fox News program Sunday. “And we’re confident, we’re pleased he’s going to get a vote and we’re confident that the Senate at the end of the day will agree with the president and John Bolton will be confirmed.”

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 10-8 on Thursday to send President Bush’s nomination of Bolton to the Senate without an endorsement.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., put a hold on the nomination Friday, saying she did not want debate to begin in the full Senate until the State Department provided more information about Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.

Asked if Democrats would try to stop Bolton’s confirmation with a filibuster, requiring 60 votes to overcome, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., said: “I’d rather have an opportunity for the president to come forward on the information we’re entitled to that hasn’t been delivered yet. … It’s much too premature to talk about filibustering Mr. Bolton.”

Sen. Richard Lugar, chairman of the Senate committee, told CNN’s “Late Edition” that “a majority of senators are in favor of confirming John Bolton.”