John Bolton
John Bolton has spent his life undermining the work of the United Nations, and he has continued that work as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations since being appointed to the position by President Bush in a recess appointment in August 2005. John Bolton was not the right man for the job when he was first nominated and he is not the right man for the job now.
John Bolton has spent his life undermining the work of the United Nations, and he has continued that work as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations since being appointed to the position by President Bush in a recess appointment in August 2005. John Bolton was not the right man for the job when he was first nominated and he is not the right man for the job now.
Nomination
President Bush first nominated John Bolton to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in 2005, but the Senate twice refused to approve his nomination. Bush then temporarily appointed Bolton U.N. Ambassador in August 2005 while Congress was on vacation, permitting Bolton to stay in office until the end of 2006.
Bolton has a long record of creating discord within the government and was dishonest in his initial confirmation testimony. When appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on his nomination in April of 2005, he misled the committee about trying to fire State Department and CIA employees who disagreed with him and suggested that his disagreements were over procedure rather than substance.
Other committee witnesses pointed out additional problems that Bolton created as he spent four years provoking controversy rather than solving problems. Bolton was in charge of and failed to solve the nuclear problems with North Korea and Iran, and with the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program in the former Soviet Union.
Tenure
"If [the UN Secretariat building] lost 10 stories, it wouldn't make a bit of difference".
--John Bolton, 1994
Since being named ambassador, Bolton has managed to alienate many of our closest allies with abrasive, uncompromising, "go-it-alone" actions. The New York Times reported that "many diplomats say they see Mr. Bolton as a stand-in for the arrogance of the administration itself."
At a time when the United States should be repairing its alliances and cooperating with other countries to solve the Middle East Crisis, the nuclear aspirations of Iran and North Korea and other challenges, Bolton has managed drive even friendly countries away.
Despite declaring that United Nations reform and creating an effective Human Rights Council would be his top priorities, Bolton has failed to achieve these goals. He has been unable to organize the world community to stop genocide in Darfur or to persuade Iran and North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons plans or refrain from provocative missile tests.
In order for Bolton to continue his tenure as U.N. Ambassador, he must again face Congress. Bolton testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in July 2006 and a committee vote was scheduled for September 7, but the vote was called off at Senator Chafee's (R-RI) request. It is unclear whether another vote will be sought for the 109th Congressional session or future Congressional sessions.
John Bolton Report Card
| ISSUE | GRADE |
| Creating and joining an effective Human Rights Council | F |
| Security Council reform | F |
| Management reform | C |
| Budget reforms | F |
| UN Mandate Review | F |
| Stopping genocide in Darfur | D |
| Passing a strong resolution on North Korea | F |
| Passing a strong resolution on Iran | F |
| World Summit Outcome Document: | |
| Definition of Terrorism | F |
| Comprehensive Convention on Terrorism | F |
| Nuclear Disarmament and Nonproliferation | F |
Relevant Legislation
A Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote on John Bolton's nomination was scheduled for September 7, 2006, but was called off at Senator Chafee's (R-RI) request. The committee may or may not return to this issue during the 109th Congressional session or future Congressional sessions and the full Senate may or may not vote on the nomination before the end of 2006.
News
John Bolton: Forgotten, But Not Gone by John Isaacs
John Bolton's renomination as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations appears moribund as Congress finishes its final session before the November election. Having received his UN post from President George W. Bush against congressional will in August 2005, Bolton's appointment is set to expire in January 2007, causing Bush to renominate his man in July—an effort met with bipartisan resistance. » Read more
