Maine is fortunate to have two senators who stand out as moderate voices and strong advocates for their constituents. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins both have been independent on a number of issues that affect not only Maine but also our country as a whole. Along with Reps. Tom Allen and Mike Michaud, they have fought tirelessly to keep open Brunswick Naval Air Station and I believe they will continue to fight in Washington for the things that matter most to us in Maine.

Throughout their tenure, Sens. Snowe and Collins have faced tremendous pressure from some members of the Republican Party. Despite such pressure, Snowe and Collins were two of the seven GOP senators responsible for diffusing debate around the Senate’s option to filibuster. For the time being, the nuclear option is off the table. The bipartisan agreement will allow the Bush administration to move forward with their appointments to a number of circuit courts. It also clears the way for confirmation hearings on President Bush’s nomination of John Bolton to serve as the United States ambassador to the United Nations.

Above all else, the debate on Bolton’s nomination is about our security as Americans. Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice has suggested, as has President Bush, that the administration recognizes it cannot go it alone where security is concerned. We need the U.N. and nations like France and Germany in the global campaign against terrorism.

It remains in serious question whether Bolton can actually work with others in a collaborative manner. Bolton has shown a dangerous disregard for how intelligence is used and has a track record of pushing his own agenda over the facts. Bolton’s extremist views on international affairs and the U.N. specifically are well documented.

John Bolton brooks no dissent -not from his own office let alone from foreigners. Carl Ford, a State Department colleague – who, by the way is a Republican – told the Foreign Relations Committee that Bolton’s move to sideline intelligence analysts just because they disagreed with him “sent a chill” through the intelligence community.

Bolton, said Ford, is “a serial abuser,” who “abuses his power and authority over little people.”

Bolton has gone so far as to suggest that if the U.N. Security Council were designed today it should have only one member – the United States – because that better reflects the real distribution of power. Should this be the attitude of an American ambassador to the United Nations?

As Ford made clear this is a man who is anything but diplomatic. He repeatedly has shown his explosive temper and is known for being mean-spirited toward subordinates. Lawrence Wilkerson, who was former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s chief of staff, said that Bolton would be “an abysmal ambassador.”

Bolton once remarked that it would not make a difference if you tore 10 floors off the United Nations. Such disrespect will prove a handicap when Bolton, if confirmed, meets with senior U.N. officials (who have offices on the top floor).

His nomination sends a bad message to the United Nations – Bolton’s confirmation as U.N. ambassador would send an even worse one.

Both Snowe and Collins have indicated that they are inclined to support Bolton on a floor vote, as he is after all the president’s nominee. Collins said, “Absent some new evidence or revelations” about the nominee, “I intend to support Mr. Bolton’s confirmation.” She added, “He would not have been my choice, but he is the president’s choice.”

How does she respond to news that Mr. Bolton misled her and other members of the Foreign Relations Committee regarding his attempts to have a CIA analyst sacked? What kind of new evidence is the senator waiting for? The Constitution did not intend for the Senate to rubber stamp the president’s choices no matter how abysmal. That’s what Republican Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio concluded when he said that Bolton “is the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be.” He has urged Sens. Snowe and Collins to join him in voting against Bolton for a simple reason: it’s the right thing to do.

The senators should do what is right for Maine. Antonia Ferrier, Snowe’s communications director, expressed a common sentiment among GOP moderates when she said, “The senator [Snowe] will try to support the president when she can,

but there are times when she has to do what is in the best interest of her state.”

I understand that there is a lot of arm twisting to compel our senators to vote for Bolton – despite his dismal record. However, I believe that Mainers want Sens. Snowe and Collins to vote based on evidence, not the dictates of the White House.

Sens. Snowe and Collins must choose if they will stand with the president’s ultra-conservative nominee or join Sen. Voinovich in standing on principle and rejecting Bolton’s radical views and behavior. Please call our senators and urge them to do what is right for Maine and our country by voting against John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations.

Lori Gramlich, MSW, of Portland, is a consultant and organizer for the Stop Bolton Coalition.