RSS
Using PayPal
Biden Says If NO DEAL by Close of Business Today, Then "It's Over"
Share / Recommend - Comment - Print - Friday, Jun 24 2005, 10:23AM
Reuters reports a comment by Senator Biden that indicates the Senator's assessment that the Bolton confirmation battle is quickly coming to a close.
Joanne Kenan writes:
"If they don't have (the documents) by the end of the day, it's finished," the Delaware Democrat said of the bitter dispute over President Bush's choice to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
TWN has done some digging into whether this was Biden drawing a firm line and what drove this comment yesterday evening.
Biden's declaration that all document requests must be satisfied by close of business today -- or all deals are off -- is more the Senator's "assessment that the window for confirming Bolton is closing fast," according to an official familiar with Biden's stance.
But TWN has learned that Biden's comment fits in a context of interactions with Senator Frist these past several days about potential deals on the document requests.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist approached Biden on Tuesday asking that if Frist could, in fact, secure access for the Senators to the requested NSA documents and names of U.S. officials redacted from these documents, what mechanisms could Biden's side propose that would be satisfactory to the Democrats given the sensitivity of the material.
There was no indication whether the White House was supporting Frist's initiative or whether Frist was on his own -- attempting to demonstrate to the administration and to Bolton supporters that he was doing all he could to try and secure an up-or-down vote on Bolton.
Nonetheless, Biden's side took Frist's proposal seriously.
Frist wanted to know how the NSA materials would be handled. What mechanism would be proposed regarding access to the documents? Which Senators would need to see the documents? Would digests of the NSA intercepts be enough? Or, what form of the NSA intercepts would be acceptable to Biden and Dodd?
Frist sounded Biden out on all of these questions, and serious discussions were had.
However, according to reports from those close to this negotiation process, Frist backed off from all of his offers and chose not to pursue the matter further. It's not clear whether Frist was trying to demonstrate some illusion of progress or whether the White House -- when it learned what Frist was negotiating with Biden -- told Frist to back off and stop trying to "successfully" negotiate a deal on the NSA intercepts and the Syria testimony -- two of the three pending document requests made by Senators.
TWN has learned that Senator Biden made clear in these discussions with Senator Frist that while he, Senator Dodd, and other Senators were not going to request more documents if the pending requests were satisfied, they would need some time to assess the significance of the evidence.
In other words, a day or two would be needed after getting access to the materials to connect the dots. Biden had no sense that anyone -- including Senator Frist -- objected to this if they were going to actually provide the documents.
Then, indicating either White House intransigence on the issue of not conceding to the requests by Democrats or that Bill Frist may have been unable to deliver on the deal he was cutting, there was no follow-up to this discussion.
During this period of discussions, Biden's team gave some serious thought to the questions posed by Senator Frist and prepared some very detailed mechanisms to assure responsible management of the NSA materials and still satisfy the need of the Senators to interpret and communicate any problems (or not) discovered in the Bolton material.
One part of this story that has not been reported in the press is that the Democrats offered that JUST ONE Senator seeing the "unedited" NSA intercepts would be enough to satisfy that element of the document requests.
The three Senators that the White House could choose from would be Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joe Biden, Ranking Member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence John D. Rockefeller IV, or Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid. Senator Dodd agreed to defer to either of these three Senators as interpreters of the NSA material with the expectation that the chosen Senator would report back on findings.
Biden's staff had begun to work out a plan to highlight the "topical areas of concern" and roster of "connect the dot scenarios" for whichever Senator was given access as Biden had been closer to the micro-detail of the Bolton investigation than either Senator Rockefeller or Senator Reid.
This suggestion of a "single Senator" was an attempt by Biden's team to be flexible about modalities of gaining access to this material. Biden has repeatedly made it clear that he and the other Senators requesting access to the NSA material and the Syria documentation are aware of the sensitivity about the materials, even though the NSAS has made clear that there are no "sources and methods" issues involved.
Biden's comment last night is that the clock is ticking. As one staffer told TWN, "time is awasting. . ."
Today is Friday -- and if the materials are not received today, or at the latest on Monday, there will be no time for Senators to be able to interpret and assess the materials so that a vote can be held next week.
Karl Rove is known for Friday "close-of-business document dumps," so there remains a possibility that the White House will provide something this evening. We just have to wait and see -- though there is no evidence of movement by the White House -- and no one on the Democratic side reports that a deal is anywhere near being reached.
The other procedural reality is that a NEW cloture petition on the Bolton nomination will have to be made. What that means is that Frist will have to announce his intention to call for another cloture vote -- but that petition will have to "ripen" for 2-3 days.
That means that if Frist calls for a new vote today (Friday), then Senators can consider a vote on Tuesday or Wednesday. But if the Senate puts the cloture petition on the schedule next Monday, the Bolton debate and vote really mucks up the mountain of other business Senators want to get through before close of business Thursday when Senators want to go into recess for the July 4th break.
Stay tuned.
-- Steve Clemons
« Previous Article - Tectonic Plates Moving on Bolton Nomination: Republicans Lining Up to Call for Document Release» Next Article - Two New Dimples in the Bolton Story
So what is Frist asking for. That Biden or the other Senators do not share these documents with the investigators of the Valerie Plame case? It sounds like they really do not want anything from those documents getting out into the public. It sounds like they are all very concerned about what the documents contain. What could be so damaging? Huh? Huh?
steambomb
I suspect they're worried about it getting into the press. I suspect they want to keep this information under wraps where a bunch of GOPers confim, assuming none of this information will leak to their constituents. But if the Dems are able to make their case in public--pointing out that Bolton was spying on his superiors, that Bolton preferred NK to go nuclear over actually working with a colleague, that Bolton hired a guy who was simultaneously lobbying for Israel and Saudi Arabia--then they will get in a load of trouble for confirming Bolton.
I am rather fascinated that they seem to have dropped their primary interest in the Matthew Freedman requests. Does that suggest it would be easier to accede to this demand, or that they're just trying to find a way to release the intercepts without causing a big issue. In other words, does this suggest that only the NSA intercepts have a smoking gun in them?
Boy, there must really be some indicting information in those documents and spy intercepts.
Regardless of whether Bolton sneaks into the UN or not, or even if his nomination is withdrawn. We should be asking for or subpoenaing these documents until they are reviewed by the Senate.
If fact, I agree with an earlier suggestion by EasyE:
LET'S GET ALL THE DOCS To connect all the DOTS. Bolton docs only tell part of the story. How about:
* Office of Special Plans (OSP) docs
http://www.sourcewatch.org/wiki.phtml?title=Office_of_Special_Plans
* Douglas Feith docs
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/22/AR2005062201989_pf.html
We should ask for ALL documents that the Senate is entitled to including the ones requested by Susan Collins regarding Military Base closings.
With all the corrution and dishonesty going on in this Republican dominated Government, we should be asking for documents, every day, for the next three years and intil America is finally "freed" from this group of Neo-Con War Criminals.
All of these documents will just keep revealing how Bush is deceiving and destroying America for Corporate and Christian interests..
Turn up the heat! Get some spine!
Further on emptywheel's point - Steve, what is your analysis of the complete absence of reference to the Freedman materials in all of this negotiating and (anemic) news coverage. You mentioned in your immediately prior post that this was one of the 3 distinct sets of required documents, but I never see it mentioned anywhere but here. Why is this?
Thanks for your continued perseverance
Bob M Point on the rhetoric. I don't consider those interests Christian on review of the agenda. Not unless support for war suddenly meets criteria.
Posted by opit at June 24, 2005 01:03 PM
Bob M Point on the rhetoric. I don't consider those interests Christian on review of the agenda. Not unless support for war suddenly meets criteria.
My response to opit:
My point was that Bush's second term agenda is satisfy his base, or what I call the three "C"'s:
CORPORATIONS, CONSERVATIVES and CHRISTIAN EVANGELICALS.
Bush and Rove plan to feed their base silly up to the 2006 election, This will be evidenced during the upcoming Supreme Court battle-rama.
To ask for and request these documents will just add to the goal of exposing BushCo. for what they really are.
A President must do more than just serve and cater to his wacky right wing base.
Whoa Nelly!
Ok, kiddies, repeat after me:
WAR CRIMINALS
Ok, now who have we been saying are our War Criminals?
Raise your hand if you can tell the rest of the class who our War Criminals are.
Ooo, seems like all of you know. Good. Now, let's all say it together. Ready, one... two... three...
BUSH AND HIS HENCHMEN !!!
Let's say it again ! Mrs. Crabtree. It's so much fun to tell the truth !
Yay !
Rove on Bolton, via Dan Froomkin: Rove also made some news. Until now, White House officials have been noncommittal about whether or not Bush will give John R. Bolton a recess appointment if he's not confirmed by the Senate. Rove made it pretty clear.
"ROVE: John Bolton is going to be the United States ambassador to the United Nations. We will get either an up-or-down vote or he will be the ambassador one way. . . .
"SCARBOROUGH: A recess -- possible recess appointment?
"ROVE: Well, I'm not going to -- we have got plenty of options. . . . "
I am taking advantage of the readership Steve has.
Please read this scathing attack on K. Rove for his recent controversial speech. The author is a 9/11 activist widow and leader of the so-called Jersey Girls who were prime movers for 9/11 Commission.
If only the Bush Admin had her insight on both foreign and domestic policy.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/kristen-breitweiser/karl-roves-understandin_3103.html
Re: Rove saying Bolton'd be ambassador one way or another.
Those comments were made on Tuesday, the day of Frist's famous flip-flop. Then, later coverage of the flip-flop noted that Bolton is not willing to accept a recess appointment. So that comment is only operative if it was given after Frist's lunch with Bush. (Froomkin doesn't say what time on Tuesday Rove taped the Scarborough show).
I am surprised there is no mention of three new Republican senators (Alexander, Lott, and Chafee) who are urging the White House to provide the documents the Democrats are demanding:
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1119506318267140.xml&coll=1
I think this constitutes very significant news and progress toward turning Bolton away from the nomination. I would also recommend Wayne Madsen's new website regarding this issue and others:
I'd personally be a lot more encouraged by Biden's statement if there was any evidence that he had grown a spine in the last 24 hours -- and that the Democrats in the Senate had agreed to this ultimatum.
Face it, the White House can make Biden look like an ass by "reopening negotiations" on Tuesday...
Bolton and the nomination aside, I think taxpayers generally have a right to know what clients a lobbyist-to-dictators like Mitchell Freedman retains while hauling down a $100K salary with access to the kind of sensitive information in Bolton's office. Particuarly when it isn't clear what his job even was, or what he did to earn the money.
I'd like to see members of the committees that oversee the State Dept. budget keep pushing for this information no matter what happens with Bolton.
Reader Comments (16) - post a comment