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April 22, 2005

Obligatory Seriousness on the Bolton Nomination

To the extent that the UN is what it is, a troubled organization beset by scandal and in dire need of reform, I'm not convinced that the US should get bent out of shape over the nomination of its Ambassador to the UN. Bolton clearly doesn't have the support of enough people to get in without a struggle, the question is whether or not this is a fight worth fighting. I think I'm going to take a pass on this one.

I haven't bothered to investigate Bolton, and I'm not sure that the outcome of this battle is so very significant. In fact, it reminds me exactly of the one over Wolfowitz' appointment to the World Bank, inasmuch as it simply offers the enemies of Bush yet another pin to stick into their voodoo fetishes. If and when he gets in, what he does will disappear under the radar of the Blogosphere and the MSM, just like it has for the past big nominations, Porter Goss, Bernard Kerik / Michael Chertoff and Alberto Gonzales.

I cannot imagine exactly how much leverage the US might have over reform efforts at the UN given that Annan isn't likely to be pushed around. We're not going to strong-arm China, and while Condi has been giving Putin a nice verbal slapping recently, I just don't see any of that as useful ammo for UN reform. It begs the bigger question of what the UN should do in the future. That's a debate for another time. For the moment, I think Republicans are just walking head down into yet another burning building.

Posted by mbowen at April 22, 2005 12:29 PM

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Comments

Hi, recently came across your blog and sense some affinity...

All you say is true yet:

it was good advice to have people bite their tongues regarding Wolfowitz; there is perhaps the likelihood that like Robert MacNamara his time at the World Bank would be penance for previous misdeeds, Vietnam and Iraq respectively... Wolfowitz appears to be someone who might be chastened when in the brief moment before he falls to sleep at night.

Bolton is another matter entirely, there is no evidence (as there is in the more reflective Rumsfield - and I never thought I'd ever write those last 3 words) or any sense of the complexity of the world, there is only certainty... Thus, even if it is ultimately futile, I suggest he must be resisted and vigourously at that. A point has to me made.

I give you
1. On The Importance Of Biting Satire


2. Strange Bedfellows And The Journalistic Impulse


and for light relief these proverbial zingers...

reaching out and making contact...

Posted by: Koranteng [TypeKey Profile Page] at April 22, 2005 03:29 PM