UNITED NATIONS — John R. Bolton's prospects for remaining the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations dwindled Thursday as Democrats and a key Republican senator rejected efforts to have the still-Republican- controlled Senate confirm his nomination.
The White House continued to explore ways to keep Bolton at the U.N. without going through a confirmation process.
Outgoing Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.), who holds the swing vote that would determine whether the evenly split foreign relations committee reconsiders Bolton, said he would not support the nomination, which the White House resubmitted Thursday.
"To confirm Mr. Bolton to the position of U.N. ambassador would fly in the face of the clear consensus of the country that a new direction is called for," he told a news conference in Rhode Island. Chafee lost his reelection bid Tuesday.
"I have long believed that the go-it-alone philosophy that has driven this administration's approach to international relations has damaged our leadership position in the world," Chafee said.
When senators blocked Bolton's nomination last year, Bush put him in the position using a special recess appointment that expires upon Congress' adjournment this year.
In September, Bolton's nomination came up again. Chafee, who had expressed reservations about Bolton's style of diplomacy and his effectiveness, came under intense pressure from Democrats and Republicans.
Chafee requested then that the hearing on Bolton be delayed until after the election, citing unresolved questions about the administration's Middle East policy.
Chafee said Thursday: "Mr. Bolton does not demonstrate the kind of collaborative approach that I believe will be called for if we are to restore the United States' position as the strongest country in a peaceful world."
Chafee's comments echoed those of Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), who is expected to be chairman of the foreign relations committee when the Democrats take control of the Senate in January.
Biden said Thursday that Bolton would not get a Senate hearing until the White House provided relevant National Security Agency documents that the committee requested last year.
"I see no point in considering Mr. Bolton's nomination," Biden said.
That leaves the White House to decide how hard it wants to push Bolton for the post in the face of a decisive defeat in Tuesday's election, and how he could stay in the job without going through confirmation hearings.
