The UN and John Bolton -- Just Another Bush Mistake!
Can we just not get this right! The US is already ostracized by the world community and now is heavily paying the toll for "Cowboy Politics" and the "we'll do it ourselves" approach in Iraq both in soldiers' lives and in cash. Now we have to add fuel to the fire by legitimizing Bush's poor choice for UN Ambassador. This guy is too controversial. He is not perceived by the world community as a team player. He is even perceived by American politicians as brash, overly aggressive, and besides that he doesn't know how to play nice with others.
"Several Democrats said during the nomination hearing Thursday that their
views had not changed, citing reports that Bolton has alienated other
ambassadors and failed to make progress on U.N. reform efforts."
"Bolton, once described by colleagues as a bully who led witch hunts to
punish colleagues who disagreed with him, struck a conciliatory tone before the
committee.
"Bolton said he had established "good working relationships" with other
U.N. members and was making progress, telling the senators, "I have done my best
to work with others to advance our national interests."
In Bolton's own paraphrased words, I'm trying to play nice with other UN members. We do not need a person in the UN who has to work on rebuilding his personal image and personal relationships first. We need someone who is respected by the world community now!
Countries in the Middle East think that the US is on a colonialization drive and only interested in their oil reserves, we are already behind the eight ball. We need someone in the UN who portrays "real America." Someone whose personae illustrates, without a PR campaign, an attitude of caring about people and issues, someone who is not afraid to offer guidance that others will actually take notice of because of their impeccable character and history for fairness and wisdom on all issues. What we don't need is someone whose reputation is already damaged and has to try to convince others in the UN and Congress first that he is a "good guy" and should be be the UN American mouthpiece to the world.
Bush got Bolton into the UN surreptitiously months ago when Congress was out of session and now Congress is holding the actual hearings to decide if he should stay. Come on, this guy has got to go! There is so much at stake in the world that we need a consensus builder in the UN now.
We need a person who is respected for fairness and even handedness. We need a world-player who can reach out to the European community and try to mend the fences that have been trampled on. We need a strong individual who does not have a biased reputation for being a part of the President's inner circle and an already questionable reputation.
This is just another gaffe in the Bush foreign policy that is continuing to fuel feelings of discontent and resentment worldwide with America as a world leader. We have lost so much political clout in the last year that we really need a star, someone that both sides of the Washington political fence think is above reproach.
Read this article for more information on the Bolton approval process happening now.
