as usual.
Bolton has a tin ear when it comes to listening to other countries.(The Nation)
There is a bio on Right Web. I emphasize what will go down in history as Bolton’s most disgusting act:
In July 2002, the Wall Street Journal reported that Bolton’s “most memorable moment came after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a halt to the recount, when Mr. Bolton strode into a Tallahassee library, where the count was still going on, and declared: `I’m with the Bush-Cheney team, and I’m here to stop the vote’.”
The bio forgot the part about Bolton taking a plane across the Atlantic in order to be on the ground in Florida to make that arrogant announcement.
After thanking Bolton for his services, Vice President-elect Cheney was asked what job Bolton would get in the new administration. “People ask what [job] John should get,” Cheney said, “My answer is, anything he wants.”
Yes Bush/Cheney owed him big-time. His tenure in the UN by Presidential appointment will only be for one year but since he is hyper-active and hell-bent he could achieve a great deal of destruction in that short time. Let’s hope cooler heads prevail and prevent his course.
Seeing him on Nightline, last night, I noticed that he is even uglier in video than in still photos, very fidgety and shifty-eyed. He evaded what I thought were sharp questions from Terry Moran and got in a plug for the invasion of Iran.
[I was unable to find a transcript/video of the interview on ABC’s website or search engine].
March 15, 2006, UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, on Wednesday compared the threat from Iran’s nuclear programs to the September 11 terror attacks on the United States.
“Just like September 11, only with nuclear weapons this time, that’s the threat. I think that is the threat,” Bolton told ABC News’ Nightline program.
Terry Moran in a comment after the interview was over told us about Bolton’s latest vote against the UN Human Rights Council:
Bolton = 4
Rest of the World = 170
Heck of a job, Johnny!
More on Bolton from The Nation:
The Bolton Archipelago
The three states that the United States led into the “nay” camp were Israel, Palau and the Marshall Islands, which are among the highest per capita recipients of US cash in the world, along with the Federated States of Micronesia, which even Bolton couldn’t bully enough.
Nor could one be sure that Venezuela, Belarus and Iran, the states that abstained, were necessarily part of the Administration’s dream team. [LOL]
[…]
Along with the “Responsibility to Protect” resolution adopted last year, the Human Rights Council is a step forward for the United Nations. But far from being rewarded by Congress, watch out for attacks on the world’s temerity for disagreeing with Ambassador Bolton.
UPDATE:
Warnings from Steve Clemons on Bolton Watch, February 28, 2006.
Amazing how the Post and NYTimes could get it so wrong…or maybe not so amazing.
(Talking Points Memo, ““Bolton’s Game Plan for Iran is “Re-Tread Iraq”)
claims that the US vote against the Human Rights Council was part of the propaganda campaign for the attack on Iran.
Now the US is campaigning to be on the council that it voted against which is on par with appointing Bolton as ambassador to the UN which he publicly denounced.
I shudder to think that people will sit back and say this is ‘deja vu’ all over again instead of taking action to stop the war machine. What exactly is being done to stop the Bush/Cheney attack on Iran? Is the accelerated attack on Iraq part of the warm up?
Hearst columnist Helen Thomas went on a tear at yesterday’s press briefing .
“Q Does the President know that he’s in violation of international law when he advocates preemptive war? The U.N. Charter, Geneva, Nuremberg. We violate international law when we advocate attacking a country that did not attack us.
“MR. McCLELLAN: Helen, I would just disagree with your assessment. First of all, preemption is a longstanding principle of American foreign —
“Q It’s not a long-standing principle with us. It’s your principle.
“MR. McCLELLAN: Have you asked your question?
“Q It’s a violation of international law.
“MR. McCLELLAN: First of all, let me back up, preemption is a longstanding principle of American foreign policy. It is also part —
“Q It’s never been.
“MR. McCLELLAN: It is also part of an inherent right to self-defense. But what we seek to do is to address issues diplomatically by working with our friends and allies, and working with regional partners. That’s what we’re doing when it comes to the threat posed by Iran pursuing nuclear weapons. That’s what we’re doing when it comes to resolving the nuclear issue with North Korea. So we seek diplomatic solutions to confront threats.
“And it’s important what September 11th taught us —
“Q The heavy emphasis of your paper today is war and preemptive war.
“MR. McCLELLAN: Can I finish responding to your question, because I think it’s important to answer your question. It’s a good question and it’s a fair question. But first of all, are we supposed to wait until a threat fully materializes and then respond? September 11th — …
“Q You had no threat from Iraq.
She has nothing to prove to anybody. She has reached the peak of her profession, technically she has a boss, but what can he or she do? Fire her? As if such a triviality would keep her out of the press room. Who is going to refuse to let her in?
So she has no up to move on anybody’s ladder, no incentive to go along or get along.
All that, plus her well-oiled bullshit filter and complete inability or interest in kissing anybody’s derriere make her Mr. McClellan and every politician’s worst nightmare.
I hope she lives to be 150 and never retires.