Administration Officials: Bush Likely to Bypass Senate, Appoint Bolton to UN

Administration officials say President Bush is likely to bypass the U.S. Senate and appoint John Bolton as Ambassador to the United Nations.

Speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, two U.S. officials said Mr. Bush will use his constitutional powers and make a rarely-used recess appointment of the controversial nominee early next week.

Under the Constitution, a president can appoint someone without Senate confirmation while Congress is in recess. Mr. Bolton would only be able to serve until the next Congress convenes in January 2007.

Senate Democrats have stalled Mr. Bolton's appointment for months, accusing him of manipulating intelligence data in the run-up to the Iraq war. He has also been a vocal critic of the United Nations.

In a letter to Mr. Bush Friday, 36 senators charged that Mr. Bolton was "not truthful" in answering questions to Congress, and urged the president to find another nominee.

Some information for this story provided by Reuters and AFP.