John Bolton — President Bush’s nominee to serve as ambassador to the United Nations — came under intense questioning Monday during the opening day of his Senate confirmation hearings. Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee grilled Bolton on his highly critical comments on the UN and his treatment of intelligence officials in the State Department. “Some have said that sending you to New York would be like sending Nixon to China, I’m concerned it would be more like sending a bull into a china shop,” said Senator Joseph Biden. Bolton vowed he would form a close partnership with the UN. All of the Democrats on the committee are expected to vote against Bolton. If any Republican joins the Democrats, Bolton’s confirmation would be blocked. On Monday Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island said he was inclined to vote for Bolton. Chafee is widely viewed as the most moderate Republican on the committee. Activists from the group Codepink briefly interrupted the hearing by holding up banners reading “NO Bolton, YES UN!”