WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- A U.S. Senate confirmation vote to formalize John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has ground to a halt, the Christian Science Monitor reports.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has wound up in a 9-9 deadlock over confirming Bolton, who has served without confirmation since August 2005 under a presidential recess appointment.
Until last week, it appeared Bolton was on his way to confirmation but Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., announced he was not prepared to vote for Bolton, as he dislikes the administration's -- and Bolton's -- pro-Israel policy.
Chaffee's U-turn, along with all eight of the Democrats on the committee created the stalemate, the report said.
With Congress in recess for midterm elections, Bolton is once again in political limbo and the newspaper said part of the reason is he has not been able to throw off his close association with the "our-way-or-the-highway" approach for foreign policy in the first Bush term.
