Bolton Unfit For UN Post

Bolton Unfit For UN Post

Senate conservatives are again forcing a vote on John Bolton, President Bush’s problematic nominee for the U.N. The administration’s refusal to hand over vital documents pertaining to Bolton, including information about allegations that he manipulated intelligence on Syria and used national security intelligence to spy on Americans, makes you wonder what top White House officials are trying to hide. Given what we already know about him, the case against Bolton is clear.

• Bolton’s record of diplomatic ineptitude is an impediment to our security. John Bolton was kicked out of the six-party talks with North Korea for calling North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Il, a "tyrannical dictator." Publicly calling names and getting kicked out of negotiations—regardless of how warranted the description may be—does not protect the American people from a nuclear-armed North Korea. Similarly, in November 2003, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw complained to then-Secretary of State Colin Powell that Bolton was obstructing allied agreement on how best to address Iran's nuclear ambitions. Bolton also nearly botched the Bush administration's lone success at Libya to give up its nuclear weapons program, Libya. Senior British officials successfully convinced the White House to remove Bolton from the negotiating team because he was blocking progress.
  
  
• Bolton illegally fired an international weapons inspector. Bolton's unlawful orchestration of the firing of Jose Bustani, head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, shows just how far he will go to fix intelligence around policy. Bustani was seen as one of the "foremost obstacles to war," because he wanted to send an inspector to Baghdad to help diffuse the possibility of war. Bolton decided that Bustani was a threat to the White House line and had Bustani fired through political and financial pressures. A United Nations tribunal subsequently rebuked Bolton's maneuvering.
  
  
• Opposition to Bolton crosses the political and ideological divide. Some of the individuals who have provided the strongest case for why Bolton should not be confirmed are firm supporters of President Bush and also former colleagues of Bolton. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has emerged as a behind-the-scenes force against John Bolton's nomination. And one of the most eye-opening insights into John Bolton came from Carl Ford Jr., a staunch conservative. As former intelligence chief at the State Department, Ford worked directly with Bolton and in congressional testimony described Bolton as "a 'bully' who abused his authority and power, intimidated intelligence analysts, and damaged the integrity of the [Department of State]," according to the Washington Post.