Bolton to leave as U.S. ambassador to U.N.

[Jack]

Source

Facing opposition from key senators, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton will leave office in a matter of days, the White House announced on Monday. Spokeswoman Dana Perino said President George W. Bush had reluctantly accepted Bolton's decision to leave the U.N. post when the current session of the U.S. Congress ends, possibly at the end of the week. Bush had bypassed the Senate in August 2005 by appointing Bolton to the position when the lawmakers were in recess, avoiding the confirmation process and angering senators concerned that Bolton had a temper and intimidated intelligence analysts to support his hawkish views while at the State Department.

All that trouble and controversy for nothing.

[ByaKya]

Quote by: Isherwood Source All that trouble and controversy for nothing.

A victory for the planet

[samsara15]

Well, I'm glad he's gone. Bush likes to stick his fingers in the Dems eyes, just for the [ of taunting the oppostion.

[Jimmy the Pro]

hehe, another L for Bush

[jose]

ding dong the witch is dead!

[Apokalupsis]

And what was it that Bolton did exactly, that the lot of you oppose?

[ByaKya]

Project for the New American Century: Former board member

Strike One

American Enterprise Institute: Former senior vice president

Strike Two

"“Envoys say he has in fact endangered that effort by alienating traditional allies. They say he combatively asserts American leadership, contests procedures at the mannerly, rules-bound United Nations, and then shrugs off the organization when it does not follow his lead.” One unnamed UN ambassador “with close ties” to the administration, said, “My initial feeling was, let's see if we can work with [Bolton], and I have done some things to push for consensus on issues that were not easy for my country. But all he gives us in return is, ‘It doesn't matter, whatever you do is insufficient'.” Added the ambassador: “He's lost me as an ally now, and that's what many other ambassadors who consider themselves friends of the United States are saying.” "

Strike Three

Bolton's entrée into the administration of George W. Bush began with the Florida recount during the 2000 presidential elections. Working closely with his former boss James Baker, Bolton worked to block recount efforts. According to the Wall Street Journal (July 19, 2002), Bolton's “most memorable moment came after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a halt to the recount, when Mr. Bolton strode into a Tallahassee library, where the count was still going on, and declared: ‘I'm with the Bush-Cheney team, and I'm here to stop the count'.”

Strike Four

Displaying what the Wall Street Journal described as his “combative style,” Bolton told an international conference on bioweapons that a hotly disputed verification proposal was “Dead, dead, dead, and I don't want it coming back from the dead.”

Strike Five

Bolton warned that “The Europeans can be sure that America's days as a well-bred doormat for EU political and military protection are coming to an end.”

Strike Six

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed in 1997, Bolton articulated his dismissive view of international treaties. “Treaties are law only for U.S. domestic purposes,” he wrote, “In their international operation, treaties are simply political obligations.” In other words, international treaties signed by the United States should not be considered as a body of law that the United States should respect in its international engagement but rather just political considerations that can be ignored at will.

Strike Seven

What? hes out already? Is that enough "exactly" for you ?

Theres more, enjoy

Right Web | Profile | John Bolton

[Apokalupsis]

Quote by: ByaKya Project for the New American Century: Former board member Strike One American Enterprise Institute: Former senior vice president

And?

Strike Two "“Envoys say he has in fact endangered that effort by alienating traditional allies. They say he combatively asserts American leadership, contests procedures at the mannerly, rules-bound United Nations, and then shrugs off the organization when it does not follow his lead.” One unnamed UN ambassador “with close ties” to the administration, said, “My initial feeling was, let's see if we can work with [Bolton], and I have done some things to push for consensus on issues that were not easy for my country. But all he gives us in return is, ‘It doesn't matter, whatever you do is insufficient'.” Added the ambassador: “He's lost me as an ally now, and that's what many other ambassadors who consider themselves friends of the United States are saying.” "

Source and context please.

Strike Three Bolton's entrée into the administration of George W. Bush began with the Florida recount during the 2000 presidential elections. Working closely with his former boss James Baker, Bolton worked to block recount efforts. According to the Wall Street Journal (July 19, 2002), Bolton's “most memorable moment came after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a halt to the recount, when Mr. Bolton strode into a Tallahassee library, where the count was still going on, and declared: ‘I'm with the Bush-Cheney team, and I'm here to stop the count'.”

What does this have to with his service as UN Ambassador?

Strike Four Displaying what the Wall Street Journal described as his “combative style,” Bolton told an international conference on bioweapons that a hotly disputed verification proposal was “Dead, dead, dead, and I don't want it coming back from the dead.”

And? Go on...

Strike Five Bolton warned that “The Europeans can be sure that America's days as a well-bred doormat for EU political and military protection are coming to an end.”

This is a good thing not a bad thing. The US supplies the vast amount of resources to the UN. This includes its soldiers. Reform is a good thing.

Strike Six In a Wall Street Journal op-ed in 1997, Bolton articulated his dismissive view of international treaties. “Treaties are law only for U.S. domestic purposes,” he wrote, “In their international operation, treaties are simply political obligations.” In other words, international treaties signed by the United States should not be considered as a body of law that the United States should respect in its international engagement but rather just political considerations that can be ignored at will.

What was the context in which the statement was written? Or is this just a talking point without background?

Strike Seven What? hes out already? Is that enough "exactly" for you ?

A reason not to like him, is because he is no longer serving? What?

[RickSp]

To be fair Bolton did a better job than I expected. He didn't burn down the UN building nor start World War III.

It will be good to have him gone, nevertheless. Now to be rid of the scoundrels who installed him in the first place.

[bishop]

i initially opposed bolton's nomination on the grounds of his past, but i thought he did an acceptable job at the u.n... in particular, i think the fact that he didn't overreact to north korea's nuclear tests was the best decision anyone could've made. that's part of his pompous style, of course, but in this case it did seem to diffuse a potential crisis.

personally, i'd actually support his nomination at this point in the game. the president's been effectively neutered - if a new person is brought to be our ambassador, i wonder if any other world diplomats will pay any attention to that person. such a scenario is not in our national interests. plus, i don't think bolton's done a bad job, given the circumstances.

a list of the accomplishments can be found here (and i'll list out a couple):

Wake up America: Bloggers go to Bat for Bolton

he created a new partnership with interpol to strengthen sanctions against al qaeda.

he was the leading player in pushing the security council to take action against the genocide in darfur.

stepped up focus on iran's nuclear weapons program. (while i'm not sure of the proper course of action, i do think it's something we should be wary of.)

worked in liberia's interests by removing sanctions and mandating that charles taylor would be arrested should he return to liberia.

won support of russia and china in a resolution against north korea - which inevitably forced the north back to the 6-party talks.