Now to the battle over President Bush’s nominees. The Washington Post is reporting that In 2003, John Bolton, Bush’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, ordered a young official working closely with then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell removed from duties in the State Department’s nonproliferation bureau in what U.S. officials described as a third attempt by Bolton to purge career officials he perceived as impeding his policy goals. The officials told The Post that Rexon Ryu, an expert on nonproliferation issues in the Middle East, was transferred to another bureau after he failed to produce a document requested by Bolton’s chief of staff. Bolton reportedly accused Ryu of concealing the information and of insubordination. One of the officials recalled Bolton saying that he had a file on Ryu and did not want him to work on issues he was involved in. Ryu’s former boss said that Ryu was a brilliant and dedicated civil servant, and that the allegations were found to be baseless. Democrats blocked a vote on Bolton this week, pushing it to next week. They are hoping that new information may persuade Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee to vote against the nomination. Republicans have a 10 to 8 majority on the committee.