Democrats Playing Cards Well

It is already the 8th day of June and a) no bombs have been dropped on Iran, and b) John Bolton has not been confirmed as ambassador to the UN. Perhaps the two items are related, no?

I didn't think the Democrats would be able to juggle both the Bolton nomination and the various other judicial nominations for so long, but so far they are hanging tough. They have to be careful, but so far they have held up the appointment without looking obstructionist by simply demanding certain additional information.

From Reuters:

Democrats insist the administration turn over e-mails and other internal communications leading up to testimony Bolton gave Congress on Syria's weapons. They also want some access to classified National Security Agency intercepts sought by Bolton that contain the names of Americans.

"This is now beyond Mr. Bolton. It's about whether the Senate should have a right to certain information pertaining to a nominee," said Sen. Christopher Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat.

I also note that every the pro-war Lieberman is holding firm on the demand for additional background information on Bolton.

The demands from the Democrats are plausible enough that they will not get much heat from the public. The Bush admin will be forced to either play ball or pull the nomination. Either scenario is good for the antiwar effort.

Reuters