The U.S. Senate on Thursday put off a vote to confirm John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, yielding to Democrats’ demands that the Bush administration be asked to hand over more information on Bolton’s use of intelligence material.

The vote on Bolton was delayed. Do you remember why it was delayed up until this point? Oh, right, because the Bush administration witheld requested information from the Senate – including whether Bolton sought the names of U.S. officials whose communications were intercepted by U.S. intelligence, details on the private business activities of a Bolton assistant, Matthew Friedman, and the circumstances of a tough Bolton speech on Syria. Now the argument seems to be that although the materials contained information that John Bolton was allowed to see (along with his staff?), they were too secret for the Senate to see. I don’t get cable, but I understand that Senator Joe Biden had some strong things to say on that subject.

“The executive branch provided no compelling reason and cited no constitutionally based rationale for its failure to produce these documents,” was what the Democrat Report said the last time around. Guess what? The documents are still not forthcoming.

Why doesn’t the administration want the Senate to see these materials? Discuss among yourselves.