The chorus of hosannas sure-to-come from Washington in reaction to John Bolton’s departure from the White House reminds me of the sighs of relief at Turtle Bay in December 2006. That’s when the mustachioed American decided to leave the United Nations and forgo an uphill Senate confirmation battle to extend his recess appointment as ambassador to the world body.
As now, the cheering then was misplaced. Just like Mr. Bolton’s approach to national security now, his handling of the United Nations in his 18 months here was based not on slogans and traditions but on recognition of stark realities. The UN, where diplomats and officials were aghast at the mere appearance of the disrupter in their midst, was better for Mr. Bolton’s presence.
In one of his first press conferences, shortly after arriving at Turtle Bay in August 2005, Mr. Bolton laid down the law: America will veto any one-sided Security Council resolution on Israel. Proposals for such resolutions frequently arose before his arrival and gave ulcers to American diplomats that were much less blunt and more, er, diplomatic than Mr. Bolton. After that, anti-Israel initiatives at the Council started to wane, at least during his tenure............To Read More....
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