Finally, the man who bragged that he "cut hearts out for a living" has given up the ghost on trying to get John Bolton's nomination through the Senate. Conceding that the president lacks the votes to get the nomination past the 60-vote threashold needed to end debate, he will not bring the nomination back onto the floor for further consideration. Thus, the obvios choices are fro the president to withdraw the nomination, give Bolton a recess appointment, or (horror of horrors) give the intelligence committee leadership the information needed for the Democrats to fully assess Bolton's nomination and provide consent if warranted.
Of course, Frist never put it that way. He whined:
"Whether it is politics or whatever their concerns are with, the goal posts constantly shifting. Bringing up another vote's not going to change anything."
The
New York Times has a thorough description of the current status of the matter.
Hey, John:
Got votes?
Update [2005-6-21 14:35:47 by GOTV]: Now Frist-Flop says he'll seek another voter after all: L. A. Times. Guess he had a change of heart.