Bolton stepping down

December 4, 2006 8:01 AM

Bolton to step down from U.N.
posted by Navelgazer (53 comments total)

Golly.
posted by JekPorkins at 8:03 AM on December 4, 2006

Well that was a rather pointless episode. I hope they learn from it.

Doubtful I know.
posted by Artw at 8:03 AM on December 4, 2006

And the collective intelligence of the UN will significantly increase.
posted by nofundy at 8:05 AM on December 4, 2006

thanks for sharing this cutting-edge point of view!
posted by clyde at 8:06 AM on December 4, 2006

That was a pretty short trip to the UN. I wonder if Bush will appoint someone even dumber and more reviled. Here's hoping.
posted by chunking express at 8:06 AM on December 4, 2006

Governing ≠ wrecking with claw-hammer. This, they will never learn.
posted by Devils Rancher at 8:08 AM on December 4, 2006

""They chose to obstruct his confirmation, even though he enjoys majority support in the Senate, and even though their tactics will disrupt our diplomatic work at a sensitive and important time," Bush said. "This stubborn obstructionism ill serves our country, and discourages men and women of talent from serving their nation."

*head asplodes for the 9 millionth time*
posted by maryh at 8:08 AM on December 4, 2006

And the status quo at the UN (corruption, scandal, inaction, ect.) prevails. Yay!
posted by Oat at 8:10 AM on December 4, 2006

Yeah, "ect."
posted by interrobang at 8:12 AM on December 4, 2006 [1 favorite]

You couldn't have included anything other than a news link? Come on.

The world according to Bolton:

Nor is Bolton enamored of using military force to defend human rights. He has derided the "right of humanitarian intervention" as "even more malleable than most principles of international law," adding that it sets a dangerous precedent that authoritarian regimes can manipulate to their own ends. At his confirmation hearing, Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Russell Feingold probed Bolton on his commitment to preventing genocide. What more could have been done in Rwanda, Feingold wanted to know. "We don't know if it was logistically possible to do anything different," Bolton responded, ignoring substantial evidence that an international show of force could have curtailed the killing. The answer left Feingold agape. "Your answer is amazingly passive," he fumed.

In Bolton's worldview, passivity in the face of genocide is not a vice. He wants to change the world to keep the United States physically secure, not to pursue utopias.

Who is John Bolton?:

...on the eve of talks with North Korea about their nuclear weapons, Bolton took a novel approach to public diplomacy and publicly called King Jong Il a "tyrannical dictator" and an "evil regime." The State Department was forced to send a replacement representative after North Korea responded by calling Bolton "human scum" and stating their objection to negotiating with him.[xiii] Bolton's resistance to carrots and multi-lateralism helped stall approaches to North Korea for months.

You know, something like that. A bit of effort.
posted by mediareport at 8:14 AM on December 4, 2006

As though Bolton was going to be the U.N.'s savior!? Bolton was the American representative to the U.N., not its ombudsman. All this stuff about U.N. corruption and inaction is a bit rich coming from D.C. given how stupendously they've f***ed up in Iraq and how much money has not only been wasted but is missing/unaccounted for (approx. $9 bn). If anything, it should be the poor countries that contribute to the U.N., who have far less means to, who should be bitter at the U.N.'s bureaucratic inertia--not a country that has the power to veto with impunity any resolution that comes before the Security Council and has exercised that power with abandon.
posted by Azaadistani at 8:20 AM on December 4, 2006

Fair enough, mediareport. I should have included more (and thanks for the quotes and links!) but I guess I was just in a hurry to get it posted. Next time I'll do better, I swear.
posted by Navelgazer at 8:29 AM on December 4, 2006

You don't send a representative from an administration that is mired in corruption, scandal and dismissive to fix problems. Bolton was never about fixing problems, hell he isn't even about representing the United States, he was about delivering the message from Bush et al. And given that the message from Bush is falling flat, well it is appropriate that he should leave now. Even money that the next candidate will be from Bush Sr's team.
posted by edgeways at 8:34 AM on December 4, 2006

I've never believed he was an actual person. He and Harriet Miers and the like are just djinns summoned by the Bush administration, semisolid phantasms meant as placeholders in positions normally occupied by flesh-and-blood humans. These non-entities are inherently disposable goetic shades that eventually expire and collapse once the scrutiny or the strain of manifesting becomes too great. There's a huge mythological precedent for this.

Surely this possibility has been explored?
posted by hermitosis at 8:35 AM on December 4, 2006 [14 favorites]

Better to step down rather than get fired.

Now he can go back to making bad 70's pron.
posted by fenriq at 8:38 AM on December 4, 2006

Bolton's manner of departure is what folks in some political circles refer to as "having got quit." It comes as no surprise, really. This is a man whose confirmation was impossible even in a Republican-majority Senate.

Granted, the UN--in particular, its cumbersome process-driven hierarchy of decision-making--is in dire need of repair. But Bolton was never the right man to make that happen. He's too inflexible, too divisive and far too driven by ideological convictions to achieve anything in a system that runs (and rightfully so) on compromise and persuasion.

That's a lesson, among many, for the Bush administration, should it be interested in listening.
posted by runningdogofcapitalism at 8:42 AM on December 4, 2006

This is my surprised face.
posted by StrasbourgSecaucus at 8:44 AM on December 4, 2006

Fark put it best:
quitting "to spend more time with his mustache".
posted by meehawl at 8:45 AM on December 4, 2006

"President Bush, in a statement, said he was "deeply disappointed that a handful of United States senators prevented Ambassador Bolton from receiving the up or down vote he deserved in the Senate."

I can't believe he's still using the 'up or down vote' line. Maybe I'm missing some deep strategy here, but it would certainly appear that he and the other Republicans are going to regret reminding people of this phrase, come January.
posted by Malor at 8:49 AM on December 4, 2006

I guess I was just in a hurry to get it posted

Why?
posted by mediareport at 8:52 AM on December 4, 2006

So he didn't kill anyone with his mustache when he was there. Huh. I remember he had a problem with his temper and this gigantic, walrus-tusk mustache. I always thought it would end in blood and tears.
posted by moonbiter at 8:55 AM on December 4, 2006

And the status quo at the UN (corruption, scandal, inaction, ect.) prevails. Yay!

So? Bolton's job wasn't to fix the UN, it was to peruse our interests there. He failed miserably.
posted by delmoi at 8:59 AM on December 4, 2006

Sad day for Pamela Oshry. First rumsfeild, now bolton. Will all her heros crumble? Let's hope so.

Heck of a Job, Bolty! _{/stolen from fark}
posted by delmoi at 9:02 AM on December 4, 2006

Good riddance to a bad staffing choice.
posted by FormlessOne at 9:04 AM on December 4, 2006

"President Bush, in a statement, said he was "deeply disappointed that a handful of United States senators prevented Ambassador Bolton from receiving the up or down vote he deserved in the Senate."

It's pretty bad when you can't get your own rubber-stamp majority congress to even let your nominee out of committee.
posted by octothorpe at 9:08 AM on December 4, 2006

"Human scum" heh heh

"It's pretty bad..." heh heh.

I, for one, nah, forget it.
posted by ewkpates at 9:10 AM on December 4, 2006

A friend at the UN in New York reported a few weeks back that Bolton was generally, nay universally, regarded there as little more than a colossal ass.
posted by Hogshead at 9:20 AM on December 4, 2006

One thread with a single CNN link and two quotes from Fark... darn, we're getting good at this aren't we?

And, as for Bolton, first Rummy, now the 'stach, I just hope that the bush-boy is next....followed closely by his Dick.
posted by HuronBob at 9:20 AM on December 4, 2006

But at least he's getting a few last licks in.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 9:23 AM on December 4, 2006

I thought newsfilter posts were being deleted these days. And especially unimportant newsfilter: Bolton was useless, will be immediately forgotten, and other than his kiddy-molestor mustache is eminently ignorable.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:31 AM on December 4, 2006

I'm deeply disappointed that a handful of United States senators prevented Ambassador Bolton from receiving the up or down vote he deserved in the Senate.

I'm deeply disappointed that the Foreign Relations Committee prevented Ambassador Bolton from receiving the public spanking he deserved in the Senate.

I'm deeply disappointed that the recess appointment that got him the job in the first place prevented Ambassador Bolton from receiving the up or down vote he deserved in the senate.
posted by ook at 9:48 AM on December 4, 2006

Hogshead wrote:

A friend at the UN in New York reported a few weeks back that Bolton was generally, nay universally, regarded there as little more than a colossal ass.

That's been the majority opinion on Bolton since he entered public life. I fear the people who chose Bolton for the UN were not political wonks but the Defense Contractors that fund the Republican party. I don't think the old adage: "Follow the money" has ever been wrong. I doubt you'll find a defense contractor worldwide that hasn't doubled their stock value since the Iraq invasion began and they stand to make billions more now (thanks in part to Bolton) that North Korea has been upgraded to a significant nuclear threat.

Bush doesn't work for the American people - he works for American corporations - all Republicans (and most Democrats) do. This war has been incredibly successful for many many corporations interested in raping the American treasury and mortgaging the future of our Democratic Republic.
posted by any major dude at 9:53 AM on December 4, 2006 [2 favorites]

I will miss his pluck.
posted by Astro Zombie at 10:12 AM on December 4, 2006

Plucking things out of his ass?
posted by namespan at 10:28 AM on December 4, 2006

From the article:

"I think Ambassador Bolton did the job he was expected to do," Annan said Monday morning when asked about Bolton's resignation. "He came at a time when we had lots of tough issues from reform to issues on Iran and North Korea. I think as a representative of the U.S, givenment, he pressed ahead with the instructions he had been given and tried to work as effectively as he could."

That is one sweet sweet shot at the instructions he was given all the while completely avoiding praising Bolton. Now this is foreign politicking done beautifully. Mr. Anan is more politically savvy then all of the white house executive combined.
posted by Bovine Love at 10:47 AM on December 4, 2006

> And the collective intelligence of the UN will significantly increase.

Not significantly, until they replace Kofi Annan with, oh, Elmer Fudd.
posted by jfuller at 10:48 AM on December 4, 2006

"Ambassador Bolton led the successful negotiations that resulted in unanimous Security Council resolutions regarding North Korea's military and nuclear activities. He built consensus among our allies on the need for Iran to suspend the enrichment and reprocessing of uranium," Bush added.

Bolton failed miserably with North Korea and Iran. N. Korea exploded a nuclear weapon and Iran has effectively outplayed and out maneuvered the white house with their uranium enrichment program, with the power they wield in Iraq and with the stature they have in the Middle East. They have become the power broker this country is going to have to deal with, one way or another (diplomatically or militarility and no need to guess which one of those options the Bush admiN prefers and was probably paving the road for with Bolton in the UN). Seriously, I don't know who the hell he thinks is going to believe this crap, it's like he doesn't realize the gig is up... the haze has lifted, no one is buying this shit anymore.

"I think Ambassador Bolton did the job he was expected to do," Annan said Monday morning when asked about Bolton's resignation. "He came at a time when we had lots of tough issues from reform to issues on Iran and North Korea. I think as a representative of the U.S, givenment, he pressed ahead with the instructions he had been given and tried to work as effectively as he could."


Wow. Now, that my friends, is Diplomacy. That statement is so taut you could bounce a chevy off of it.
posted by Skygazer at 11:01 AM on December 4, 2006

Crap! Got beat to it. Bovine Love and I are psychic super twins.
posted by Skygazer at 11:03 AM on December 4, 2006

Boy, I'll bet this guy's glad he's leaving.
posted by SteveInMaine at 11:12 AM on December 4, 2006

"If the U.N. Secretariat building in New York lost 10 stories, it would not make a bit of difference."

UN Building 1, Bolton 0

quitting 'to spend more time with his mustache'.
Maybe they can replace him with pro-cockfighting activist Wilford Brimley. "It's the right wing thing to do."
posted by kirkaracha at 11:45 AM on December 4, 2006

From Kid Charlemagne's link:

Less than two weeks before the White House announced his resignation, Ambassador John Bolton's U.N. mission blocked an effort to celebrate the end of slavery in our hemisphere.

How do these people sleep at night?
posted by EarBucket at 12:00 PM on December 4, 2006

with, oh, Elmer Fudd

well, at least Elmer's white, right?
posted by matteo at 12:34 PM on December 4, 2006

The palindrome of Bolton would be Notlob.
posted by neuron at 12:40 PM on December 4, 2006

kookoo kachoo 23 skidoo
posted by rob511 at 2:14 PM on December 4, 2006

What about the mustaches? Won't someone please think of the mustaches?
posted by chairface at 2:39 PM on December 4, 2006

as a representative of the U.S, givenment,

to whom much is given, much is required?
posted by lord_wolf at 2:58 PM on December 4, 2006

Thank god, now the U.S. can get into favour with the U.N. aga-
Oh wait, Iraq.
posted by tehloki at 3:39 PM on December 4, 2006

How are we supposed to live without him?
posted by Eideteker at 4:30 PM on December 4, 2006

Bush is probably polishing Bolton's "medal of freedom" right now.
posted by drezdn at 4:58 PM on December 4, 2006

Fortunately, they've already got a replacement ready, featuring all of Bolton's key attributes.
posted by Greg Nog at 5:04 PM on December 4, 2006

I for one am glad he is stepping down. His style of smooth, adult contemporary, white-friendly covers of R&B standards have sent the wrong message during these times of diplomatic crisis. It's time for the President to appoint some real leadership to the position.
posted by Pollomacho at 5:22 PM on December 4, 2006

EarBucket : How do these people sleep at night?

On huge piles of war-profiteered cash.

Which I'm told is even better for your back than a Tempur-Pedic.
posted by quin at 4:37 PM on December 5, 2006

AP today: Relations between Bolton and Annan have long been strained. On the subject, the U.S. ambassador was asked whether there was "more of a healing process" as both he and the secretary-general prepare to exit the U.N.

"Nope, nobody sang 'Kumbaya,'" Bolton replied.

When told at an evening reception about Bolton's comment, Annan laughed and asked: "But does he know how to sing it?"

Ha ha. Ouch! Annan lays him out for the count!

They would make a good odd couple. You know Bolton the gruff lovable moustach-ed slob and Annan the elegant nimble diss-machine.

Too funny.
posted by Skygazer at 2:01 PM on December 7, 2006