Bolton -- My theory

[JDPriestly]

My theory on the appointment of Bolton as UN ambassador: C. Rice is cleaning house. Bolton is obnoxious, difficult and has a serious admirer in a very high place -- Dick Cheney. Bolton wants Rice's job and is idiot enough to think he could handle it. Rice is autocratic and doesn't want a pretender/back-biter/critic/troublemaker watching her every move. So she suggested "promoting" Bolton to the UN desk. After all, as she pointed out in announcing his transfer, in spite of all of his criticism of the UN, he liked the place so much that he volunteered to work on UN issues on his own dime at one point in his career. Rice thinks she is a smart cookie on this one, but Bolton is bound to cause her and the American people embarrassment, pain and worse.

If Bolton gets too obnoxious, our former allies and enemies will find common ground to hate and organize against him. It's possible that some alliances unfavorable to the U.S. could form or be strengthened in opposition to Bolton. Alliances and bonds that never would have been formed may come into being. Maybe this appointment will help Condoleeza solidify her power base, but it will not be good for U.S. foreign policy.

[displacedtexan]

1. You're assuming intelligent decisions from folks who've just nominated...

A CAR SALESMAN to be our new Ambassador to the Court Of St. James!

[JDPriestly]

3. Rice is intelligent enough

The problem is she is power-hungry and unscrupulous. That is why I propose my theory. It is just the kind of thing she would do. She has utter contempt for the United Nations, so she sends this annoying fool there and gets him out of her office.

Of course, she may be making a big mistake because he now has a great opportunity to profile himself as King Kong at the United Nations. The far right wing is going to love watching him snub his nose at the United Nations. He's going to be their hero. Condoleeza may regret this.

[punpirate]

2. Bolton is all those things...

... so it seems that if the object were to clean house, getting rid of him entirely would have been the simplest course of action, Cheney or no Cheney. If Cheney wanted him around, he could have put Bolton in his office somewhere.

I really think this is a strategic move--part of a Bush plan to run roughshod over the UN Security Council, much in the same way that the installation of Elliot Abrams as a senior advisor on Mideast affairs was intended to do to the Arab League.

This, to my mind, part and parcel of how the Bushies view diplomacy--that it's the forward guard of projecting force, rather than a means to avoid force.

Cheers.

[radfringe]

4. putting on my :tinfoilhat:

bush*'s recent "tour" of Europe was reported as fence mending, and know that Bolton is hostile towards the UN.

so why would a fence mender send in a fence buster?

It's looking like Syria will be next, and probably Iran too -- and unless some big event changes things -- invading Syria/Iran is not going to sit well with the UN or with most Americans.

Prior to invading Iraq -- bush* promised to work with the UN -- this was all hot air -- diplomatic efforts were half-hearted at best and mostly for "show"

here comes the :tinfoilhat: The same is being set up for Syria/Iran -- Bolton being sent there -- to make half-hearted empty attempts at negotiation so bush* can say "we tried diplomacy - didn't work - time for military intervention"

[Vickers]

5. I thought this was gonna be about that Bolton-is-Captain-Kangaroo rumor

:shrug:

I'm just saying.