Frist says its been a ver-r-y inter-r-resting week.....

by graysmoke

Indeed Mr. Frist. Obviously he and Mitch McConnell don't get it yet. You know, the difference between standing firm and the word they love to throw around, "obstructionists".

My advice is stop licking your wounds and cope with the newer reality. The public is demanding that their representatives not lay down and let the rads run over them. Admittedly, this new configuration is fragile, but today was strengthening on another level. I think Frist/McConnell were counting on getting the Bolton nomination confirmed before the holiday break, expecting that the opposition would be willing to feel like they could give a bit after averting the nuclear option.

My take is that the senators are hearing plenty of input from constituents, wanting them to resist the authoritarian insistence of the administration of having their way, like spoiled rich brats - which our POTUS still behaves like.

Floor comments that don't hold water are:

Bolton should be okayed because he's been confirmed four times previously.

Previous confirmations are not sufficient reason to give an aye if the nominee doesn't have the education, training, experience, abilities specific to the assignment, or temperament for the new position. Isn't this what underlies the Peter Principle?


Peter Principle

NOUN:
The theory that employees within an organization will advance to their highest level of competence and then be promoted to and remain at a level at which they are incompetent.
ETYMOLOGY:
After Laurence Johnston Peter (1919–1990).

Behavior towards subordinates should not be a significant factor.

At the U.N. I am sure Bolton will consider everyone else a subordinate, so this proclivity alone should disqaulify him.

The everybody does it cliche. Should not be used after age 16.

This was used as the basis for excusing his efforts to have those who disagreed with him and resisted his aggressiveness, reassigned or demoted, perhaps even dismissed.

Presenting a false picture of his past performance.

This was particularly obvious in trying to give him any credit for the Libya case. In fact it was requested by the British that he be removed from the negotiations because he was a hindrance and not a help.

We don't need a minister of propaganda.

He essentially wanted to misuse intel.Insisting it be fashioned to fit his ideological position.

Let's nominate him for a crew of one to go to Syria and stay there until he finds those WMDs he declared were clandestinely trucked there from Iraq.

Administration members seem incapable of distinguishing between public diplomacy and public relations.

Let's hope between now and June 7th someone has enough sense to not assign Johnny to be nannied by Condi. Will it turn out that way? No way to know, just be a C-Span junkie when this is on the calendar for further action.