Bush's 2nd term Trifecta?

Yesterday, amidst very little fanfare, the United States Senate (in a 98-2 vote) confirmed John Negroponte (http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2452) to become George W. Bush's new Director of National Intelligence. Following not far behind their recent vote to confirm Alberto "we have ways to make you talk." Gonzales (http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=246536) as Attorney General, they are just one cast member away from giving Bush his second trifecta in as many terms in the Whitehouse (See: Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, and Powell). Will John Bolton (http://www.ips-dc.org/comment/Bennis/boltonquestions.htm) round out the field as the new UN Ambassador?

In a remarkably refreshing sign that there may still be some life in the "opposition" party, Senate Democrats (with the much needed support of a couple of rational republicans) have managed to slow down the confirmation process by a couple of weeks while they investigate yet more allegations of Bolton's ill temper and bizarre diplomatic flare. Most interesting in this story is the emergence of Colin Powell as nemesis to Bush and his nominee (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/22/politics/22bolton.html?ex=1114833600). After playing "good soldier" to the neo-con war machine, perhaps this is an early sign on contrition?

Chad (The Left) Shue
Watch out for those flying monkeys