Panel Sends Bolton Nomination to Senate (with out recommendation)

[sabra]

<<SNIP>>
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050512/ap_on_go_co/un_ambassador

Panel Sends Bolton Nomination to Senate

WASHINGTON - A divided Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday sent the nomination of John Bolton to be United Nations ambassador to the full Senate for an up-or-down vote. But it took the rare step of withholding any recommendation of its own.

The move kept the contentious nomination alive, leaving its fate in the hands of the GOP-run Senate. But the withholding of a committee endorsement was a slap at the president in one of the first big battles of his second term.

The panel acted after a critical Republican member, Sen. George Voinovich (news, bio, voting record), voiced opposition to the nomination, calling Bolton arrogant and bullying. But Voinovich broke an committee impasse by agreeing to let the full Senate vote rather than joining Democrats in a committee vote to block the nomination.

All 10 Republicans voted to send the nomination to the floor and all eight Democrats voted no.

Democrats vowed to try to defeat or block the nomination on the floor.

<</SNIP>>