Hold Everything

Just when you thought the Bolton nomination was headed right to the floor, in comes my Senator, Barbara Boxer, has slammed on the brakes:

Later Thursday, however, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., placed a hold on the nomination, according to her spokesman, David Sandretti.

By placing the hold on the nomination, which is a privilege that any senator can invoke, Boxer can prevent it from going to the Senate floor for a vote. Under Senate rules, it takes 60 votes to overturn a "hold."

Republicans are crying "sore loser," but here's why she did it. Politically speaking, having Bolton in the news is good for Democrats whether he is confirmed or not. He's already been defined to the American people as something of a prick. I forget the post I read, but apparently a sportscaster on ESPN referred to combative Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen as "the John Bolton of Major League Baseball." So he's penetrated the cultural lexicon, and in a bad way. That can only be bad for the Bush Administration.

Furthermore, a hold is not a filibuster. It's the Congressional equivalent of a motion for continuance. Clearly Boxer and the Democrats want more time to force out those NSA intercepts from the State Department that the White House has been loath to give up. That gives this nomination more time to fester, and more pressure to let those intercepts free, the consequences of which could be very damaging to Bolton.

Finally, Boxer is speaking with her heart on this one, in my view. It's too easy to open oneself up to obstructionist charges with this move. Boxer must genuinely feel that the full facts on Bolton must come out.

Steve Clemons at The Washington Note is one-stop shopping for all the latest Bolton news.