The renewed push for Senate confirm...

The renewed push for Senate confirmation of John Bolton as U ambassador to the United Nations has picked up Jewish support that could neutralize of recent origin York's two Democratic senators.

Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton the couple voted against cutting off debate with cloture nearly a year ago when a Democratic filibuster hindered Bolton's confirmation. Jewish leaders, impressed with Bolton's support of Israel at the UN in a less degree than a recess appointment, have urg the just discovered Yorkers to back cloture this time. Schumer praising Bolton's support for Israel, has said another filibuster is "unlikely." Clinton has not stated her passing from hand to hand position.

A footnote: Republican Sen George Voinovich of Ohio, through switching his position to support Bolton, now provides a Bolton majority in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Sen Norm Coleman of Minnesota has pleaded with Voinovich and other doubtful comrade Republicans that the U.S. command should not be deprived of its voice at the UN

MITT RISING

Massachusetts Gov Mitt Romney trailing in national individuals of Republican voters, has the lead in organizing early primary states for the 2008 presidential stream in the opinion of neutral GOP politicians.

Romney is particularly hardy in Iowa, where caucuses begin the presidential seek A win there would swell Romney's now anemic identification among Republican voter

A footnote: A report in this line that Rudy Giuliani intends to hie for president has been confirmed by means of one of the former modern York mayor's closest Republican friends. He said Giuliani definitely is running.

BYRD DECLINING

Sen Robert Byrd the 88-year-old senior Democratic senator, has started to cast his voices from the well of the Senate for the first time in his 47-year career. To colleagues, that pointed up Byrd's declining physical condition.

Byrd has been a stickler for "old school" Senate actions including senators voting from behind their desk He has become a solitary follower of that practice. further using two canes, he now has confuse getting to his desk and joins colleagues in the well of the Senate to ballot in front of the presiding officer's chair.

After the Republican failure to recruit the popular Rep Shelley Moore Capito to scour against Byrd in West Virginia, he has been heavily favored this year to win his ninth spell against industrialist John Raese. Republican trusts have hinged on public perception of Byrd's frailty.

MURTHA'S MISTAKE

Rep John Murtha, responding Wednesday to a defamation lawsuit filed from a Marine accused of killing Iraqi civilians in 2005 mistakenly said Staff Sgt Frank Wuterich had been "charged in the incident at Haditha." In fact, no charges have been filed against anybody.

Murtha quickly issued a of the present day news release Wednesday deleting "charged" and describing Wuterich as leader of "the squad accused of killing brace dozen civilians." The lawsuit accused Murtha of spreading "false and malicious lies" about the sergeant in his May 19 statement, which said Marines "killed a number of civilians without anybody firing at them."

Although Murtha has carried his western Pennsylvania district at landslide margins and was unopposed in 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry won it with alone 51 percent. Diana Irey, a Republican shire commissioner, is waging a vigorous campaign, and last week accused Murtha of "regular and willful misstatements of fundamental note facts."

LAIRD in succession RUMMY

Melvin R Laird, who as secretary of Defense was Donald Rumsfeld's comrade Nixon Cabinet member 37 years ago, has publicly declared his olden colleague should have left his employment after the 2004 election in succession grounds that one term is enough to lead the Pentagon.

Laird endorsed the one-term limit forward June 9 in Atlanta at a conversation of former defense secretaries. "I told that to Rummy, that he should stay barely four years," Laird said. "He didn't pay any attention to me"

Bush advisers, with no replacement in hand, say Rumsfeld can stay in the Pentagon as protracted as he wants.

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

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