14 November 2006

Dear Shrub, Bolton = BAD

Unforunately for all of humanity, President Bush is insistent upon keeping John Bolton as ambassador to the UN. Even though the nominate seems dead under both the current Republican Senate and the forthcoming Democratic Senate, Bush just keeps pushing.

John Bolton was sent to the UN to do a full court press (look at me and my sports terms) for a big hairy overhaul of the UN system. Reform down to the last man, and what not.

The other "little" countries of the planet, probably scared out of their brains by the prospects for being bombed/invaded for Weapons of Mass Status Quo, actually went along with the game. Reform proposals were made. Panels were created. Reports were issued. Compromises were worked. People like Jan Eliasson went to bat. Kofi Annan went all out, doing things he probably wanted to do years ago.

If you stop the record there, it looks like Bolton was pretty damn successful.

However, with all these new proposals in front of him (and very few of his own, I might add), John Bolton squashed the substance out of each and every one. His efforts were so hostile, that the 2005 opening General Assembly summit almost didn't have a document to approve, because he was busy running his red pen of death through it. When it came time to review the UN's 12,000 mandated tasks, Bolton decided that everything but stuff dealing with Israel could be considered, and thus killed the whole process, as every other country (except Israel) insisted that the whole agenda be examined, streamlined, etc. Bolton even nearly killed the new Human Rights Council, which while not much better than its predecessor, could have been better had Bolton not been so obstinate.

So yeah, I hope the Senate drops his nomination right off the top of the Capitol and into the Potomac, where it belongs.

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