As Congress prepares to leave town for its July 4 recess, Republicans are lining up behind the suggestion that President Bush should use a recess appointment for UN Ambassador-designate John Bolton. Bolton would win a Senate confirmation vote, but Democrats have blocked that vote with a filibuster that they are unlikely to end soon. Since January, when former Republican Sen. John Danforth of Missouri resigned as UN ambassador, the position has been vacant. Given the unfolding scandals at the UN, the need to reform the institution and the war against terrorism, it is vital the U.S. have a strong voice at the UN. Agence France-Presse quoted Danforth as saying that Bolton’s position would not be weakened by a recess appointment. “I don’t think anybody at the United Nations cares whether Bolton is supported by 60 senators or 50 senators,†he said.
