JOHN BOLTON, President Bush's controversial Ambassador to the United Nations, is in danger of losing his job as opposition to his appointment increases in the Senate.

Mr Bush&'s nomination of Mr Bolton to the UN met such opposition on Capitol Hill last year that he was forced to install him by means of a recess appointment, when Congress was not in session.

That appointment in August last year limited Mr Bolton's tenure to the duration of the current Congress, which concludes on January 3, unless the Senate confirms him formally before then. The White House had hoped to get Mr Bolton confirmed this month, but Senate approval is looking increasingly unlikely.

Another failed nomination would be a significant blow to Mr Bush, who has remained determined to see his choice confirmed permanently to the post, and a humiliation for Mr Bolton.

Although a harsh critic of the UN before his appointment, he has worked hard at a more consensus-building approach since then.

Last week the Senate Foreign Relations Committee postponed a vote on Mr Bolton indefinitely after Lincoln Chafee, a moderate Republican in a tight mid-term Senate race, said that he still had doubts about the nomination.

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