Reporting on President Bush's renomination of John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, co-anchor Jeremy Hubbard reported during the November 12 broadcast of KDVR Fox 31's News at Nine O'Clock that "[t]he White House says it will fight for Bolton to stay on the job, but Democrats are calling for new representation." However, Fox 31 failed to report that Republican U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee (RI) -- who would cast the deciding vote regarding the nomination by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee -- also recently stated his intent to block Bolton's nomination from advancing beyond the committee to a full Senate confirmation vote.

As The Washington Post reported on June 21, 2005, opposition to Bolton in the Senate “originally centered on his sharp criticism of the United Nations and his upbraiding of subordinates who differed with him on foreign policy.” The Post further reported:

Republicans denounced Democrats as obstructionists after yesterday's vote. But Democrats said Bush deserves the blame for tapping a nominee known for his combative style and criticism of the United Nations and then rejecting lawmakers' requests for documents related to Bolton's tenure at the State Department.

The Senate voted 54 to 38 to end debate on Bolton's nomination. That was six votes short of the 60 needed to stop filibusters in the 100-member chamber. It suggested that Bolton has lost ground since May 26, when 57 senators voted to end the filibuster before one of them switched for parliamentary reasons.

After the Senate refused to confirm Bolton for the second time on June 20, 2005, Bush named Bolton U.N. ambassador in an August 1, 2005, recess appointment. That appointment will end when the current Congress adjourns on or before January 3, 2007. As Fox 31 reported, Bush again is attempting to get the Senate to confirm Bolton and reappoint him before January.

From the November 12 broadcast of Fox 31's News at Nine O'Clock:

HUBBARD: A fight tonight over who should be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. President Bush temporarily appointed this man, John Bolton, to the position a year and a half ago, but his term expires in January. The White House says it will fight for Bolton to stay on the job, but Democrats are calling for new representation.

Fox 31 failed to note, however, that Chafee stated he would deny Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee “the last vote needed to send Mr. Bolton's nomination to the full Senate,” according to a November 10 New York Times article. As the Times reported:

Officially, administration officials say they plan to make all the necessary calls to Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to try to talk them into confirming Mr. Bolton for a next term as ambassador. “He has been extraordinarily effective up there at the U.N., and now is not the time to have a gap,” said the State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, repeating the official line.

But with Senator Lincoln Chafee's announcement Thursday [November 9] that he would deny Republicans on the committee the last vote needed to send Mr. Bolton's nomination to the full Senate, some administration officials privately acknowledge that Mr. Bolton's chances of getting Senate confirmation are “nil,” one State Department official said. “We know it's not going to happen.”

Similarly, CBS News reported on November 12 that “Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.), who lost on Election Day, said he would not end his opposition to Bolton. That probably would deny Republicans the votes needed to move the nomination from committee to the full Senate. Republicans now lack the 60 votes needed to force a vote.”