Some of America's most outstanding citizens, Republican and Democrat, have served as ambassador to the United Nations: Eleanor Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson, Henry Cabot Lodge, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, George H.W. Bush, Madeleine Albright and John Danforth, among others. John Bolton isn't fit to breathe the same air. And it's important to understand why.
The Senate should reject President Bush's nomination of Bolton as U.N. ambassador – and not just because he's a schoolyard bully. Over a dozen government officials who worked with Bolton have testified to his abusive treatment of staff. Because of Bolton's frequent, out-of-control bursts of temper, even Colin Powell, his former boss at the State Department, refuses to endorse him. And you must question the judgment, if not the sanity, of any boss who chases a female subordinate through the halls of a Moscow hotel, shouting and throwing ashtrays at her. No doubt, Bolton is not a nice guy. But that alone doesn't disqualify him.
The Senate should reject Bolton – and not just because he sexed up intelligence reports. He released phony reports of attempts by Iraq, Syria and Cuba to acquire dangerous weapons, while insisting that the CIA fire any analyst who didn't go along. Yet Bolton is simply the latest Iraq war propagandist to be rewarded by President Bush. Think Condi Rice, George Tenet and Paul Wolfowitz.
The Senate should reject Bolton – and not just because he's no diplomat. According to British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, U.S.-British negotiations over Iran's nuclear program succeeded only after he pressured Powell to remove Bolton from the team. Straw also bounced Bolton from the delegation negotiating with Libya. And in July 2003, sent to Seoul to lead talks with North Korea, Bolton began by calling Kim Jong Il a "tyrannical dictator." An embarrassed State Department was forced to recall Bolton and replace him with a rational human being.
The Senate should reject Bolton – and not just because he lied to the Foreign Relations Committee. Before skeptical committee members, Bolton bragged that Thomas Hubbard, U.S. ambassador to South Korea, had praised his Korea speech. Hubbard later told the truth. In fact, he strongly opposed Bolton's inflammatory remarks and asked him to tone them down, which Bolton refused.
Those are all strong arguments – and all good reasons for questioning Bolton's qualifications for any job, except maybe professional wrestler. But they're beside the point. The one and only reason the Senate should reject John Bolton for this particular job, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, is: He's a sworn enemy of the United Nations! He says it's useless. He argues you could lop off the top 10 stories of the U.N. building (frightening imagery for a nation still reeling from Sept. 11) and not notice the difference. Bolton's not out to reform the U.N., he's out to destroy it.
Which is exactly why Bush wants him. Unlike his father, George W. Bush has shown nothing but disdain for the United Nations. He's pulled the United States out of most international treaties. He's refused to participate in the International Criminal Court. He personally ridiculed U.N. inspectors, who were later proven correct about Iraq's lack of WMD. And he defied the United Nations by marching unilaterally into Iraq.
Of course, every president has the right to name his own team. And Bush has every right to nominate the obnoxious misfit Bolton to the United Nations. But the Senate has a higher duty – not to rubber-stamp a president's bias, but to do what's right for the country. Clearly, with respect for the United States at an all-time low, and with so many problems, starting with terrorism, demanding international cooperation, the nation needs someone in New York who will work with the United Nations, not against it.
President Bush should know better. After all, just weeks ago, he told reporters in Rome how much he admired Pope John Paul II. Did he ever listen to a word the pope said? Many times, the late, great pope praised the United Nations as the proper forum for problem-solving and chided Bush for not working through it.
In honor of Pope John Paul II, the president should dump John Bolton – and replace him with someone who believes in the United Nations and is a proven diplomat. It's the only way for Bush to prove that his praise for the late pope was, in fact, sincere – and not mere lip service.