Democrats have made a scandal out of the fact that Bolton asked ten times in four years to get the names of Americans ? routinely blacked out ? captured on National Security Agency intercepts of foreign conversations. It is perfectly legitimate to make such requests. During the same four-year period, other State Department officials made roughly 400 similar requests.
Finally, Democrats are retailing a charge from a partisan Democrat ? founder of the Dallas chapter of Mothers Opposing Bush ? that Bolton chased her through a Moscow hotel 11 years ago, throwing things and acting like a ?madman.? Bolton was working for a company for which the woman, Melody Townsel, was a subcontractor. The head of the company, Jayant Kalotra, says he doesn?t believe it happened and that Bolton was always professional. Townsel?s boss at the subcontractor, Charlie Black, also says he didn?t hear of it at the time, even though Townsel was never shy about complaining.
As the Bolton-nomination fight drags on, even more criticisms of him will surface from the State Department. Bolton vigorously supported Bush?s foreign policy at the incorrigibly weak-kneed department, earning him the enmity of its bureaucrats and their former servant Colin Powell, who appears to be feeding some of the anti-Bolton attacks. And the Democrats are willing to float any trash they are given ? anything, anything to avoid discussing the substance of Bolton?s views.