Thanks for the comment and the post. We share the same ultimate goal here. I am remain unconvinced, however, that the brouhaha surrounding Bolton furthers those goals. I think it makes it easier for the global community and domestic political actors, to take Bolton and the President seriously on UN reform and I think it unnecessarily further poisons the well in terms of domestic politcs.

Given the relative insignificance of the position in question, I don’t see the need to be confrontational over it in this manner.

However, it is moot at this point, to be sure.

S

It’s fairly clear to me that Bolton is opposed for no particular reason except that he’s Bush’s guy and is a stern critic of the UN. I favor him because it’s refreshing to see someone who’s a stern critic of the UN be sent there.

It is likely Bolton will disappoint me, but only because he’s likely to be nowhere near nasty enough to the pit of snakes and vipers that makes up that body. But then, honestly, if Bush sent up a guy who showed up half-naked with warpaint on his face, a bone in his nose, and a spear in his hand, screaming obscenities and calling down the wrath of God on the UN, I’d probably be delighted.

Diplomacy isn’t about nice. It’s about being nice when nice is called for, and angry when angry is called for, and flexible when flexible is called for, and rigid when rigid is called for.

We’ve had enough pansies who treat the UN like something sacred. In Bolton it appears we have someone who will step on toes and cause howls of rage. GOOD, I HOPE SO.

I haven’t written much about the appointment of John Bolton to the UN, mostly because I don’t care much about the UN. It’s a vile organization run mostly by criminal thugs, tyrants, and theocrats after all. Nevertheless, Steven T…

I totally agree with you. When the news of the recess appointment broke, I said Pres. Bush made a mistakes. This ‘victory’ could end up being a costly one. I expect the Dems to exact revenge somewhere.

Yes how many of us gave a hoot about Bolton before this confirmation battle started?

First, have you read my rather stringent defenses of the “nuclear option”? Just search the term and read–I spilled quite a number of electrons on that one. It is rather difficult to characterize my position as “cave, cave, cave”.

Second, the reason Bolton is damaged is partially because he is damage-able. Watch Roberts (or think back to Pryor and the other 5 Appeals Court nominees that were approved–were they damaged once on the bench? No. And neither will Roberts be despite partisan attacks.

Third, I hope you remember all of this the next time a Democrat is in office.

Fourth, the structure of the Senate is such that there will be situations in which a minority can block.

Fifth, why in the world does this nomination have you so worked up?

You think Bolton is not the right pick in the first place? Okay, fine, the time to bitch about him was when he was appointed. But to say now that he is “damaged goods” when ANY candidate put forward would be in the same place as Bolton at this point is disingenuous.

You’re blaming the supporters of Bush’s as being partisan, when the fact is that we got here in the first place because of partisan sniping from democrats. Your solution is cave, cave, and cave some more until all 100 senators agree with the pick? No thanks. That’s not how the Constitution is set up.

The real solution would be to push for a full vote in the senate and then convince REPUBLICANS to vote against him and why. That is how this thing is supposed to work: lobby your senator. Make some ads. Start a anti-bolton blog and convince 51 senators to vote against him. Instead your solution is for the President to hang his nominee out to dry when things get difficult. Good leaders don’t do this to their people. Plus that would just give ammunition to the minority in the senate to keep doing this instead of sending his picks to the full senate.

Poor Steven seems to be taking some heat for his stand on the Bolton nomination/recess appointment. See here and here.
For the record, I agree with almost everything Steven says in these posts, except for the fact that I don’t think Bolton is …