John Bolton Will not Be Confirmed

Steve Clemons of The Washington Note reports that the nomination of John Bolton as Ambassador to the United Nations is now dead:

The last pre-election loophole through which John Bolton's confirmation might have snuck through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was at 2:15 this afternoon at a previously called "business meeting" of the Committee.
That meeting has been cancelled -- and with it even the dimmest chance of John Bolton being confirmed as US Ambassador to the United Nations. Some have said that another effort could be mounted during a lame duck session of Congress, but there are several Republicans who will not feel bound by the White House in that circumstance; Dems as well -- who will vote against cloture on the floor of the Senate were it to get out of Committee then.
So, it's over. Wow.
John Bolton might agree to serve as the uncompensated Ambassador to the UN in a second recess appointment, or might agree to serve as a recess appointed political deputy at the UN and made "acting Ambassador and Chief of Mission" at a pay cut.
Either way, Ambassador Bolton will fill his term as the only unconfirmed Ambassador at the United Nations in American history.

Bolton was sent to the UN via a recess apointment after his nomination stalled in the Senate in July of last year. Even among the neocons who believe that diplomacy is for girly men, Bolton stood out as being contemptuous of the chain of command and all too willing to undermine colleagues in the State Department when it suited his ideological purposes.