John Bolton

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Categories: George W. Bush associates | United Nations people

John Bolton was the second Bush administration's appointed but nhever conformned by the Senate Ambassador to the United Nations. A neo-conservative critic of the international body before his appointment, Bolton is seen as un-diplomatic. The Senate did not confirm Bolton when he was first nominated, so he received a recess appointment that was good until the end of the 109th Congress. He was re-nominated in July 2006, but failed to win confirmation yet again, after another round of difficult hearings, focusing on his use of NSA wiretaps to spy on his opponents within the administration.

Bolton eventually resigned his UN post and retreated to the American Enterprise Institute.

On January 3, 2006, Bolton asserts that the permanent UN Security Council members, the U.S., Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom, should be members of the new Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council. Source: Bradley Brooks. "Bolton Wants 'Perm-5' on U.N. Rights Panel." Associated Press. January 3, 2006.

FBI Intimidation

While Bolton was the Assistant Attorney General, he approved a plan for the FBI to "interview" people who might provide negative testimony against the nomination of William Rehnquist for Chief Justice of the United States. (Source: Rehnquist Files Reveal Bolton Shenanigan - TPMmuckraker, Jan. 4, 2007)

Bolton Quotes

• "There may be good and sufficient reasons to abide by the provisions of a treaty, amd in most cases one would expect to do so because of the mutuality of benefits that treaties provide, but not because the U.S. is "legally" obligated to do so."
• Are Israeli lives are worth more than Lebanese lives? This quote was in Bolton's prepared text for his second confirmation hearings, but it was deleted at the last minute: "I think it would be a mistake to ascribe moral equivalence to civilians who die as the direct result of malicious terrorist acts....It's simply not the same thing to say that it's the same act to deliberately target innocent civilians, to desire their deaths, to fire rockets and use explosive devices or kidnapping versus the sad and highly unfortunate consequences of self-defense." "Lebanon civilian deaths morally not same as terror victims--Bolton." Agence France Presse. 7-17-06.
• "I think NATO should go global. There is no reason why Japan and Australia shouldn't join." NATO could also make room for Israel. "Why not?" he said. "It's a European country, fundamentally. Turkey is a European country and it is further east." Source: Source: Sarah Baxter. "Sanctions Won't Stop Iran Getting N-arms: Bolton." The Australian. January 15, 2007.

External Links

• The Bolton Battle 2.0 - Steven C. Clemons is the definitive source on John Bolton.
• Disgraceful Nominations Cari Lynn Hennessy in The Cavalier Daily. April 15, 2005.