These days, it’s hard to imagine Democrats blocking a stage play, let alone a Presidential nomination. With the power stacked Conservative-style in all three branches (yes, try as you might to dissuade the American public of that fact, Mr. Delay, the judiciary is becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of the GOP as well), it would take a lot to stop Bush’s governmental nominees. At first blush, Democratic opposition to any of the President’s appointments might look like sour grapes. But from Condi Rice, to Alberto Gonzales, right on up to John Bolton, there are very apparent issues with the choices.
With Condi, it was the fact that 9/11 happened on her watch. Mr. Gonzales found the “loop hole” allowing torture of prisoners. John R. Bolton appears to be just the guy to represent the United States on the world stage. He fits right in with the Presidential modus operandi, which is, making claims about things that aren’t true. Call it the Weapons of Mass Destruction that Could Club. After all, it was John Bolton who suggested that Cuba should be the next target after the axis of evil. From his remarks to The Heritage Foundation, May 6th 2002:
Here is what we now know: The United States believes that Cuba has at least a limited offensive biological warfare research and development effort. Cuba has provided dual-use biotechnology to other rogue states. We are concerned that such technology could support BW programs in those states.
Except, not really. From the September 18th 2004 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle:
The Bush administration, using stringent standards adopted after the failure to find banned weapons in Iraq, has conducted a new assessment of Cuba's biological weapons capabilities and concluded that it is no longer clear that Cuba has an active, offensive bio-weapons program, according to administration officials.
What’s the big deal you say? Well if I went through life making claims that didn’t turn out to be true, then you’d say I was a blowhard. Somehow, just because they’re on Bush’s team, the Right wants to give a pass on everything,
So yes, the Left has problems with Bush’s appointees, especially when claims like this get challenged. Maybe, just maybe, there is more to it than just “Screw Bush.” I, for one, would like to have people I can trust sitting at the adult’s table.