FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 1, 2005
Contact: Marshall Manson
703.535.5836
CFIF Praises Bolton Appointment
U.N. Watchdog Group Glad �Strong,� �Proven� Bolton Will Stand Up for U.S. Interests
Alexandria, VA — The Center for Individual Freedom praised President Bush for bypassing obstructionists in the U.S. Senate and using his constitutional authority to appoint John Bolton as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
“John Bolton is an outstanding choice to be U.N. Ambassador,” said Marshall Manson, the Center’s Senior Vice President of Public Affairs. “He’s a proven diplomat who will be a strong and unyielding advocate for
President Bush nominated Bolton to the post on March 17, 2005. After lengthy consideration of the nomination by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bolton’s nomination was sent to the Senate floor. But a minority of Senators blocked a final vote, justifying their obstruction with an over-reaching and inappropriate demand for classified documents.
“The blocking of a fair up-or-down vote on John Bolton’s confirmation was yet another chapter in the obstruction that’s become too common in the Senate,” said Manson. “The improper insistence by a minority of Senators on reviewing confidential documents was nothing but a tactic to rationalize their obstruction. Unfortunately, it appears that some Senators will try to employ the same tactic to block the confirmation of John Roberts to the Supreme Court.
“The obstructionists know that they won’t get and shouldn’t ask for the documents they are demanding ― whether classified signals intercepts or confidential attorney work product from the Solicitor General’s office ― but they persist with their requests in an effort to score cheap political points,” Manson concluded.
The Center for Individual Freedom (www.cfif.org) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting individual freedom and individual rights. The Center’s U.N. Monitor Project (www.unmonitor.com) educates the public about the U.N.’s activities. The Center has also (www.cfif.org/supremecourt) advocated up-or-down votes on the Senate floor for the President’s judicial nominees.