Patrick Leahy: “I have been privileged to have served under both President Clinton and President George W. Bush as one of the two Senate…”

“I have been privileged to have served under both President Clinton and President George W. Bush as one of the two Senate delegates to the United Nations, and there is no doubt that the United States Permanent Representative to the U.N. is one of the most important diplomatic posts in the U.S. government. The Permanent Representative is the public face, voice, and vote of the United States at the world's only body charged with maintaining international peace and security. Therefore, it is essential that this individual be someone with indisputable integrity and extraordinary diplomatic abilities. After listening to John Bolton's confirmation hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I feel confident in saying that John Bolton is not that person. Most troubling to me are allegations from senior U.S. intelligence officials--including a senior Bush administration appointee--of Mr. Bolton trying to intimidate and even remove intelligence analysts simply because they did not share his political views. Mr. Bolton even went so far as to get in his car and go out to the CIA to seek the removal of one intelligence officer. At any time, but especially in the wake of the massive intelligence failures associated with the decision to invade Iraq, efforts by administration officials to shape intelligence to conform to a particular preconceived view is unacceptable.…”