ok... let's fight...

condi can't be dumb enough to flip off the constitution... or can she...? steve clemons posted this - White House Wants to Battle On Advocating Bolton - in his washington note and senator boxer felt strongly enough about it to fire off this letter...

United States Senate
http://boxer.senate.gov/contact

April 20, 2005

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C StreetNW
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Rice:

According to reports in today's Washington Post, you have told senior members of your staff that you do not want "any information coming out of the department that could adversely affect the nomination" of John Bolton to be U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. I hope this report is untrue.

The purpose of this letter is to ask you to issue an instruction to your department stating that they will cooperate with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's bipartisan investigation of John Bolton.

I am sure you are aware that Article 2, Section 2 of the Constitution states that the
President is to appoint Ambassadors "by and with the Advice and Consent of the senate." As such, the Senate is fully vested with the authority to investigate executive nominations to ensure that they are qualified in tenns of experience, temperament, and conduct. In addition, paragraph 1 of Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate authorizes Committees "to require by subpoena or otherwise the attendance of such witnesses and the production of such correspondence, books, papers, and documents." The Supreme Court has upheld this authority, calling it, "an essential and appropriate auxiliary to the legislative function."

If you have, in fact, instructed your staff or any other employee of the federal government not to cooperate with this important investigation, I urge you to act immediately to reverse such course.

I look forward to your immediate favorable response.

BARBARA BOXER
CALIFORNIA
FOREIGN RELATIONS

Submit To Propeller
Tweet