The Arsonist

[LiviaOlivia]

The Arsonist

..In his first six months at the UN, John Bolton has offended allies, blocked crucial negotiations, undermined the Secretary of State -- and harmed U.S. interests. We expected bad; we didn't expect this bad.

American Prospect Online
By Mark Leon Goldberg
Web Exclusive: 12.14.05

~snip~

Bolton has consistently portrayed himself as a man on a mission: to save the UN from itself. But for all his reformist rhetoric, he continues with his wrecking-ball ways, knocking down America's alliances while our diplomatic adversaries only stand more firmly.

Bolton's tenure at the United Nations will last at least until his recess appointment concludes in January 2007, and until then we can expect to see more of the same. On November 14, Bolton treated the Jesse Helms Center at Wingate University, 35 miles east of Charlotte, North Carolina, to a lecture on UN reform. The venue could not have been more appropriate: During his long and destructive reign as the Republican leader of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Helms was the Senate's chief UN antagonist-in-residence (a title that now belongs to Minnesota’s Norm Coleman). Helms was a key booster of Bolton early in his career: Bolton began his public service as Helms' aide, and the two share a warm -- some might say eternal -- relationship. During Bolton's 2001 confirmation hearing as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, Helms famously referred to him as "the kind of man with whom I would want to stand at Armageddon."

As the featured "Jesse Helms Lecture Series" speaker, it was Bolton's turn to return the favor. He launched into a point-by-point critique of the United Nations that took one of Helms' most famous invectives against the world body -- that it is full of "crybabies whine about not receiving enough of American taxpayers' money" -- one giant rhetorical step further. "Being practical, Americans say that we either need to fix the institution or we'll turn to some other mechanism to solve international problems," Bolton told the audience. Two days later, he clarified his remarks for the Financial Times. "The UN is simply one of many competitors in the global marketplace for problem solutions and problem solvers," he told reporter Mark Turner. "If it is not good at solving problems, Americans will look to some other institution; some other organization; some other framework."

As if in a nod toward diplomacy, he added that he hoped that those who want a stronger UN would "see the logic of our argument." But his remarks to another British reporter just one week prior were probably more to the point. After listening to a tirade from Bolton against inefficiency, corruption, and supposed anti-Americanism at the UN during a private dinner, a Sunday Telegraph reporter in the audience asked him what he enjoyed most about the UN, to which Bolton replied, "It's a target-rich environment."


http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=10734

[LiviaOlivia]

1. From the Guardian

Steve Bell says it best about Bolton:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/0,7371,1570441,00.html

[flordehinojos]

2. what a wonderful complement to the above posted article.

;-)