year term as the top U.S. diplomat. The White House meanwhile continued to push for Bolton, a harsh U.N. critic who President George W. Bush has said is just the man to press for reforms in the world body. Vice President Dick Cheney urged members of the Republican National Lawyers Association to lobby for the nomination. "I've looked at all of the charges that have been made. I don't think any of them stand up to scrutiny. And if being occasionally tough and aggressive and abrasive were a problem, a lot of members of the United States Senate wouldn't qualify," Cheney told the lawyers' group. "They're all friends of mine," ---SP 2329 Local Time 2029 GMT