The GOP Senate: Profiles in Cowardice

Can you stomach more on the Bolton nomination debacle?

Then here it is:

Lugar has badly misplayed the Bolton nomination process, from initially voicing doubts about Bolton -- for which the White House took him to the woodshed -- to the Tuesday televised debacle that gave Democrats an opportunity to pound away on Bolton. Republican leadership staff was miffed that Lugar was apparently aware of the Democrats' ammunition against Bolton, but chose not to share it with them prior to the Tuesday committee meeting, this, after Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist had cleared the decks for a committee vote.

"It isn't clear that any of the material the Democrats are throwing around has a lot of traction, but even if it doesn't the damage is done," says a Republican staffer on another Senate committee. "But if Foreign Relations Democratic staff is anything like mine, then Bolton probably can't survive three weeks of what surely will be daily leaks against his character. There has to be some push back, and Lugar and Hagel clearly aren't capable of doing that."

On Wednesday morning, White House congressional liaisons attempted to reach out to Ohio Republican Sen. George Voinovich, who had previously met with Bolton privately and had told White House and State Department handlers that he was supportive of the nomination. But Voinovich wouldn't make himself available, a bad sign.