Bolton: An Unforgivable Choice as UN Ambassador

[KiwiCoromandel]

Bolton: An Unforgivable Choice as UN Ambassador

Thursday, 10 March 2005, 11:17 am

Column: Council on Hemispheric Affairs

John Bolton: An Unforgivable Choice as UN Ambassador

• The appointment of John Bolton to be U.S. ambassador to the UN surely must be an April Fool’s antic by the White House.

• The Bush administration stoops to a new low by nominating possibly the least appropriate figure in U.S. public life to fill a post that should excel at building bridges and not tearing them down.

Pathetically enough, the chair that Adlai Stevenson once sat in is now scheduled to be filled by John Bolton, which must be considered a cruel piece of humor on the part of the White House. While the Bush administration ostensibly has set out on a campaign to reform the United Nations, astonishingly enough, it just has nominated Bolton to be the U.S. ambassador to the international body. Akin to calling in the clowns, those familiar with his record believe that there is no one in U.S. public life today more ill-suited for that position than Bolton. His nomination reflects nothing less than an affront to the American people, the diplomatic community and people of goodwill everywhere. It is not a matter that he is too conservative; rather, it reflects the concern generated by his stint as Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security in the first Bush administration where he was demonstrably its most extremist member........

Read more.........

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0503/S00185.htm

[method77]

I think that the US should be kicked out of the UN and pay the price. They can enter again after that psycho Bush leaves and takes all his hawks with him.

Sorry to all US citizens but your goverment has made your country into the laughing stock of the earth

[Shawn]

The U.S. hosts and provides hefty funds for the U.N. I'm not saying they have a right to run it, but I think the U.N. HQ should relocate before attempting anything as extreme as you suggest.

[Redneck4sure]

I think that the US should be kicked out of the UN

I couldn't agree more. I want the U.S. out of the U.N. and the U.N. out of the U.S. :)

[Ken]

I believe the UN is as ineffective at solving problems and crisis as the U.S. (and we all know how well the current U.S. admin solves problems. Hell, they create them daily).

The UN has no muscle, no meat.

It's a joke. A big bag of air.

What will kicking the U.S. out of the UN do method? What's the point?

Edited March 11, 2005 by Ken

[Ken]

And by the way, Bolton is the biggest joke I've ever seen.

Why they would appoint a man that doesn't believe in the UN to the UN is obviously a figurative "mooning" of the UN.

George is shaking his small penis at the UN and saying "Fuck you!".

[slum_goddess]

I think that the US should be kicked out of the UN and pay the price. They can enter again after that psycho Bush leaves and takes all his hawks with him.

Sorry to all US citizens but your goverment has made your country into the laughing stock of the earth

that's ok...over here, i hear that a lot. ideally, they'll/we'll make a LOT of threats and noise about leaving and then some shit will hit the fan which will force bush to go begging them (on another charm offensive) but his arrogance will fuck it up like he fucked it up a few weeks ago. sorry to most amerikan citizens; it's not y'all, it's the fucks in office that're doing US in, in the eyes of the world.

[slum_goddess]

Let's face it, the UN thwarts our American resolve, our intestinal fortitude, our rugged individualism, our pioneering spirit, our truly American ingenuity. The UN rains on our parade! Heck, the UN is another liberal institution we can do without. How dare they try to tell US when we can or cannot go to WAR. They do not have our best interest in mind when they try impede our natural progress. We are the only ones who know what we want and how best to get it. WE WIIL NOT ASK PERMISSION! ONWARD!

from a comment here.

[Kooperman]

We Won This Battle: They Threw in the Towel Today -- But The War on Bolton is Left to Fight

From The Washington Note website:

I just received a phone call from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I was informed that the Committee will definitively not hold hearings on John Bolton's nomination next week and that they will occur some time in April.

I confirmed with my source in the State Department that the effort to fast-track Bolton has been successfully derailed -- thanks to your efforts and to the good sense and reason of Senator Lugar who does want to play honorably and fairly when it comes to these hearings.

It was important to make these calls today. While the State Department was pushing from one side on Lugar's staff, there was no resistance from the other. Many of you provided the resistance to make sure that this was not ram-rodded through.

And just to be clear, the Dem staff needed this too. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is pretty collegial -- so for Biden to take exception to a decision by Senator Lugar would require some reason. If there had been no civil society alert in this case and Lugar had made the announement on Bolton, Biden would have had little to give Lugar by way of excuses for delay.

So, today's effort was extremely useful on many fronts.

This is one small victory. Much more to do now.

But at least we have some time to prepare our case on the many, many better options Republicans have for Ambassador to the United Nations than John Bolton.

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/

[Wolfie]

That was too much of bone-headed move for even the Bushies to get away with. ;)

[KiwiCoromandel]

Ex-diplomats oppose nomination

John Bolton, nominated to be the US ambassador to the UN

Mar 30, 2005

Fifty-nine former US diplomats sent a letter on Wednesday to the chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, strongly opposing the nomination of John Bolton to be the next US ambassador to the United Nations.

"We write you to express our concern over the nomination of John R Bolton to be permanent representative of the United States at the United Nations. We urge you to reject that nomination," the former envoys wrote in their letter to Senator Richard Lugar, whose committee is to hold an April 6 hearing on his Bolton's nomination.

While noting that Bolton "has the professional background needed for this position," the signers expressed the view that "his past activities and statements indicate conclusively that he is the wrong man for this position".

Read more.......

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_world_story_sk...6%3fformat=html

[slum_goddess]

i forgot all about the moronic bolton thing, thinking about the moronic wolfowitz thing (there's one other total incompetent up for something but i'm forgetting or else my denial's kicking in bigtime).

[KiwiCoromandel]

White House scrambles to salvage nomination of Bolton as envoy to UN

WASHINGTON - The White House yesterday rounded angrily on Congressional Democrats, as it scrambled to salvage the increasingly threatened nomination of John Bolton to be the US envoy to the United Nations.

more here.......

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10121664

[Kooperman]

It would certainly be a shame if the White House lost the services of a career mediocrity such as Bolton. They have such an impressive string of mediocrities already in place that a competent appointee would stick out like a sore thumb.