George Allen said it all when asked on “Hardball” why Republicans would schedule a vote when three Republican senators were out of town: “I don’t have an answer to that.” My understanding is that some Republicans senators including McCain were pushing to put off the vote until the very last minute yesterday, hoping a deal would be cut on the documents. But the White House was adamant on holding the vote, perhaps to set the stage for a recess appointment and/or to portray Democrats as obstructionists. The White House now has to make a decision whether to cut a deal on the documents, do a recess appointment, or dump the nomination. I’d favor a deal on the documents. Since Negroponte has already talked to Roberts about what names are or (in this case) aren’t in them, I’m not sure there is a huge principle at stake here. But there is obviously a danger of escalating Democratic demands. At first, it was a handful of names they wanted to have checked, it’s currently 36, and–emboldened by yesterday–it might soon rise to 136. Also, the White House might be trying to set a precedent in advance of a fight over a Supreme Court nominee who has executive branch experience. But this whole spectacle is distressing. As far as I can tell, Bolton has been hurt by dirty-dealing on the part of Democrats and treachery (Voinovich) and incompetence on his own side.