Who do you trust - Dick, or Chuck?
Last week, Senate Democratic Whip Richard Durbin told an internet radio show that a filibuster of John Bolton only needed one more vote to force President Bush into the painful decision of whether or not to give his UN ambassador another recess appointment.
Now, Senator Charles Schumer seems to be trying to question Durbin's conventional wisdom on the subject in a bigger forum.
Last night on CNN's Late Edition, Schumer said that many Democrats are still making their decisions, and that he found the possibility of a filibuster unlikely. Schumer also said he himself is undecided on how to vote.
More at Raw Story this morning.
The question here really is - who should we believe? Dick Durbin, in theory, is the field marshall behind Harry Reid who helps to count the votes in advance so that the Senate Democratic leadership can decide how to position itself. However, Chuck Schumer is a respected senior Senator who is often a spokesman on key Democratic policy issues. I'm not sure whose word I find more reliable.
Clearly, Schumer is telling members of his party that his support should not be taken for granted. On the other hand, he could just be hedging here - by pointing to Bolton's failings in the same breath as his staunch support of Israel, Chuck shows us that both matters should be taken into consideration by everyone considering this issue.
I'd love to hear what Bolton Watch readers think - please, discuss!
isn't it telling that schumer's opposition to Bolton has been changed by his defense of Israel? Is that the new standard for advise and consent?
Lets see:Be belligerent, rude even to our allies, insult fellow diplomats,undercut allies by reaching agreements unilaterally,undermine the UN but support Israel's heavyhanded response against an innocent sovereign nation=confirmation.
August 1, 2006 10:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Lieberman is still in the Senate and Schumer already reaches for his mantle.
August 1, 2006 5:22 PM | Reply | Permalink