Trust

The Bush administration has asked for the opportunity to see an up-or-down vote on, John Bolton, the President's nominee for U.N. ambassador. The committee, rightly I believe, agreed and forwarded Bolton's name to the floor, though with no recommendation. Now Senator Barbara Boxer (D—CA) is holding up the nomination until the State Department finishes turning over documents related to Bolton's treatment of someone who disagreed with him. This, too, is right. Here's the problem.

The Bush administration insists that the Senate has enough information to make its decision. I'm sorry, but if, as some people in the State Department have suggested, these documents could reveal that Bolton distorted, favorably for himself, the events during his confirmation hearings, Boxer's actions are not only jusified but necessary.

Some suggest that Bolton is the right man for the job because he can push people to reform the U.N. Of course, the U.N. is already working toward the very changes the Bush administration wants. What the U.N. does not need is another liar; deceit is at the very heart of the problems the U.N. is having. And there is another problem.

We have a trust gap. The Bush administration told the Senate back in 2002 that it had all of the evidence needed to provide funds for military action against Iraq. That evidence has since been shown to have been incomplete and inaccurate. Until someone ignites the President and has him speak in Hebrew with the voice of God, I'm not about to rush to accept his claims of "enough evidence" when more is readily available.