John R. Bolton

[Zygote]

here is the latest story on the issue.

I don't know a ton about this guy, but know what most senators have had to say from both sides and have read a few of the reports. From what i can gather, he will apparently be a positive force in the U.N. which is, by no doubt, in need of serious reform.

They had an interesting discussion on crossfire about this and I heavily agree with how Steve King of Iowa articulates his points. I, also, somewhat agree with Begala that the intelligence does raise a bit more skepticism, but overall i still think he is a good nomination. What are your guys thoughts?

From crossfire transcript :

BEGALA: Congressman, Senator Voinovich, a Republican -- maybe denigrated occasionally by Mr. Novak -- not when he votes for tax cuts, but just now --

NOVAK: He usually votes against them.

BEGALA: -- not when he opposes Mr. Bolton, but the plain fact is, he is a Republican, and a very loyal one of over three decades in public service. He said today in the hearing that he'd examined Mr. Bolton's record, that he looked carefully at all of the information that had been brought to the committee, and even talked to people at the U.S. State Department who work for President Bush and used to work for Mr. Bolton, and here's the conclusion he drew off. Let me play you a piece of videotape from Mr. Voinovich today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. GEORGE VOINOVICH (R), OHIO: It is my opinion that John Bolton is the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BEGALA: Those are pretty strong words, Congressman. You care to respond to them?

KING: I would care to. And first of all, you can establish someone there who is a diplomat, who has the best diplomatic credentials, someone who is a Milquetoast. And someone -- diplomats, by their very definition, are to be trained to get along with people, never rub people the wrong way, never allow any animus to be created in any negotiations, always smooth, smooth sailing. Well, smooth, smooth sailing in the United Nations has gotten us a $64 billion oil- for-food program, of which Saddam Hussein has scooped off 10.1 billion. We're seeing this pop up now with members of the legislature, with either France and Germany and people that were close to Jacques Chirac being people that were collecting money from the oil-for-food program. That's one of the things.

We have a United Nations that has morphed into a Third World- class NB (ph) debate society, where some of the people in this country that are apologists for that believe that because its people that sit there that are dictators are representing a country that they actually represent their people. It takes someone who's got strong leadership and strong language.

BEGALA: Well, let's take a look at how he has led. I find it interesting that the Republican position is now that in fact we need a thug and bully, somebody who kisses up and kicks down, unlike, as Congressman Schiff said, say, John Danforth, a man of great dignity and integrity and a Republican senator before went to the U.N. But some of his former colleagues, Mr. Bolton's colleagues in the Bush administration are accusing him not just of being a thug and a bully, which is pretty common in Washington among jerks like that, but instead of manipulating intelligence. Now this is a serious allegation.

Robert Hutchings was the director of President Bush's National Intelligence Council. Here's what Mr. Hutchings says of Mr. Bolton: Bolton, quote, "took isolated facts and made much more of them to build a case than I thought the intelligence warranted. It was a sort of cherry-picking of little factoids and little isolated bits that were drawn out to present the starkest possible case."

That's a fancy way of saying he misleads us on intelligence. Why would we want someone who misleads us on intelligence to lead America at the U.N.?

KING: It might well be that Mr. Bolton had his own opinion and challenged the intelligence.

BEGALA: But not his own facts.

KING: And he used those facts to challenge it. And if doesn't accept the intelligence premises delivered to him, that means to me that he's an independent thinker. I think we have to give him that. BEGALA: But so are people who believe in a flat Earth. But shouldn't we have an agreed-upon set of intelligence that then we act on? You're not allowed to make up your own intelligence.

KING: I hope we don't have.

BEGALA: Really?

KING: I hope we have an independent analysis of intelligence so that we don't end up with all of us following in the same path like we did with WMD in Iraq.

BEGALA: But he's rejecting -- he was the one who went with the path on WMD.

SCHIFF: I think this exactly the problem, and that is that we want people that are representing the country that will accurately represent what the intelligence they are receiving is so that the Congress is not misled, so the country is not misled. We already lost significant credibility over the WMD issue in Iraq. We obviously haven't found the WMD. Our intelligence was seriously flawed. Is this the best, bob? Is this the best that President Bush can nominate? Is he the best choice? I like Tom Friedman's suggestion. Why not have the president nominate his father? That would be an outstanding choice.

NOVAK: Paul was all for him until he found out that the party line was against him.

BEGALA: No. I was for him.

NOVAK: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

BEGALA: I was for him. Let me defend myself. I was for him until I learned he manipulated intelligence. I thought being a bully was not --

NOVAK: You were for him until you learned the party line was to be against him.

BEGALA: No, I set the party line, Mr. Novak.. I was for him until I learned he manipulated intelligence.

SCHIFF: In the universe of conservatives in Washington, of which there are a great many, is this really the best we can do?

NOVAK: He's the best. He is really -- he is one of the best men in Washington, believe me.

SCHIFF: He may be at one extreme, but the best is not the right side of the pole.

[gergery]

CHANGE YOUR FECKIN EVALUATION OF HIM RIGHT NOW!!!
YOU WRITE ABOUT HIM WHAT I TELL YOU TO WRITE ABOUT HIM, YOU RETARD!

Yeah, he'll make a grrrrrreat UN ambassador.

[ACPlayer]

Bolton is a strong voice for reform,

Said Scott McClellan.

Are we hiring a transformation consultant or a diplomat who's job it is to negotiate with others diploments in ensuring that our interests are being met?

Perhaps McKinsey would be a better choice if the objective is to reform the UN.

[Cyrus]

[ QUOTE ]
From crossfire transcript: ...

[/ QUOTE ]

My Summary :


KING : 1. All diplomats are pussies. 2. The United Nations is a third class debate society. 3. Therefore, Bolton is the best man to serve in the United Nations.

...I find naivete of such magnitude unfailingly charming. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[Zeno]

BEGALA:

[ QUOTE ]
I find it interesting that the Republican position is now that in fact we need a thug and bully,......

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly. Well Put.

This nano-brain Bolton is just the character we need. He should dress exactly like Fidel Castro right down to the goofy hat, wear a side arm and a sword, carry a bullwhip, and smoke Cuban cigars in the General Assembly, and give all his speeches in High-German, delivered with gusto and aplomb. When he is speaking he should replace the goofy 'Castro' hat with a German Field Marshal’s helmet.

Le Misanthrope