BOLTON!

Accompanied by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, President George W. Bush announces his nomination of John Bolton, left, as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Monday, Aug. 1, 2005, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. White House photo by Paul Morse
What a great way to start the week!

As soon as members of Congress were on their way out of Washington for their August recess, Bush appointed John Bolton to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the UN.

The Senate's seats weren't cold yet and Bush made the appointment.

I LOVE IT!
PRESIDENT BUSH: Nearly five months ago, I nominated John Bolton to be America's Ambassador to the United Nations. I chose John because of his vast experience in foreign policy, his integrity and his willingness to confront difficult problems head-on. I told the nation that John Bolton would provide clear American leadership for reform at the United Nations. I told them that he would insist upon results.

The United States Senate held thorough confirmation hearings, and a majority of United States senators agree that he is the right man for the job. Yet, because of partisan delaying tactics by a handful of senators, John was unfairly denied the up or down vote that he deserves.

As a result, America has now gone more than six months without a permanent ambassador to the United Nations. This post is too important to leave vacant any longer, especially during a war and a vital debate about U.N. reform. So today I've used my constitutional authority to appoint John Bolton to serve as America's Ambassador to the United Nations. John Bolton will be an important member of my State Department team, led by Condoleezza Rice.

I'm sending Ambassador Bolton to New York with my complete confidence. Ambassador Bolton believes passionately in the goals of the United Nations Charter, to advance peace and liberty and human rights. His mission is now to help the U.N. reform itself to renew its founding promises for the 21st century. He will speak for me on critical issues facing the international community. And he'll make it clear that America values the potential of the United Nations to be a source of hope and dignity and peace.

AMBASSADOR BOLTON: I'm profoundly honored, indeed, humbled by the confidence that you have shown by appointing me to serve as the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations. You have made your directions for U.S. policy at the United Nations clear, and I am prepared to work tirelessly to carry out the agenda and initiatives that you and Secretary Rice direct.

How did Kofi Annan and the UN react to Bolton's appointment?
From AFP:

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and diplomats said that they looked forward to working with John Bolton, the new US envoy appointed despite past anti-UN rhetoric, as the world body considers crucial reforms.

"We look forward to working with him," Annan told reporters. "We will welcome him at a time when we are in the midst of major reforms."

"I think it is the president's prerogative and he has decided to appoint him through this process to come and represent him. And from where I stand, we will work with him as a representative of the president and government," Annan told reporters.

"We will work with him as we worked with other American permanent representatives," he added.

The UN is ready to welcome and work with Bolton.

Case closed, right? Hardly.

Look at how Dem and RINO Senators are reacting to Bolton's recess appointment.

The impotent and powerless Democrats are seething with anger today, and completely mischaracterizing Bolton's appointment.
A sampling of statements, from AP:

"At a time when we need to reassert our diplomatic power in the world, President Bush has decided to send a seriously flawed and weakened candidate to the United Nations. It's an unnecessary result, and the latest abuse of power by the Bush White House. ... Bolton arrives at the United Nations with a cloud hanging over his head." — Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

The Senate MINORITY leader has gone off the deep end. Making a recess appointment is not an abuse of power. Clinton made 140 recess appointments. Kennedy and Eisenhower had their share as well.

Since George Washington, "presidents have made appointments during congressional recesses to fill positions in the executive and judicial branches. Under the Constitution, the president can make temporary appointments while the Senate is in recess, without Senate approval. The appointment lasts through the end of the following one-year session of Congress."

What is it that Reid doesn't understand? Does he have problems with the Constitution? Doesn't he know that this is no abuse of power?

I think Reid considers anything Bush does that the Dems don't agree with to be "abuse."
Read about other presidential recess appointments.

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"The abuse of power and the cloak of secrecy from the White House continues. ... It's a devious maneuver that evades the constitutional requirement of Senate consent and only further darkens the cloud over Mr. Bolton's credibility at the U.N." — Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.

Did Teddy have a problem when his brother made a recess appointment? Was that devious and an abuse of power?

When I think of "devious," I think of something more along the lines of leaving the scene of an accident, and delaying a report for more than nine hours, knowing a young woman was dead in a car submerged underwater.

In my opinion, someone who has that sort of behavior in his past has a dark cloud over his credibility. It goes beyond devious. It's demonic.
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"I am truly concerned that a recess appointment will only add to John Bolton's baggage and his lack of credibility with the United Nations. That said, the president has made this decision, and I will do everything in my power to support Mr. Bolton as he takes this new position." — Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio.

I wonder if he cried when he heard the news.
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"John Bolton has placed his faith in a unilateral, go-it-alone foreign policy that has stretched our military thin, and I believe his inability to be an effective and constructive ambassador could produce dire consequences for American foreign policy." - Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

Has Feinstein forgotten the dire consequences for American foreign policy that came while Carter was in office? Moreover, he nearly destroyed our military.

Clinton was also no fan of the military, cutting here, there, and everywhere.
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"Making this recess appointment is certainly the president's right, but it is not right for America. Appointing John Bolton to the United Nations sends a terrible message to our intelligence professionals. It is the wrong signal for our intelligence reform efforts." — Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md.

Do you get the feeling "wrong signal" was at the top of the list of Dem talking points on Bolton's appointment? ___

"John Bolton is the wrong person for the job and the decision to appoint him today will not serve American foreign policy well at all. ... His history of inflammatory statements about the U.N. will also make it difficult for him to effectively advance U.S. security interests in New York and bring about necessary reforms to that institution." — Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

Obama should have a sit-down with Annan. The UN Secretary General believes Bolton is capable of working with the UN. Obama should get on board.___

"The president has the right to make this recess appointment, but it's the wrong decision. It only diminishes John Bolton's validity and leverage to secure America's goals at the U.N. John Bolton has been rejected twice by the Senate to serve as our Ambassador to the United Nations. This is not the way to fill our most important diplomatic jobs." — Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.

The way to fill our most important diplomatic jobs is for Senators to carry out their duties responsibly, without resorting to slimy political games.

The Dems and RINOs were bent on handing Bush a defeat, so they filibustered his nominee. In the process, they diminished THEIR validity.
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"We filibustered the nomineee. We exercised our perogative under the law. He exercised his perogative under the law." - Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I.

At least Chafee calls a filibuster a filibuster.___

"He is exactly the wrong person to send to the United Nations at a time when we are trying to rebuild our credibility around the world. ... I now fear that we have lost an important opportunity to help re-establish the United States' global role as a moral and responsible leader." — Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.

I disagree. Bolton is exactly the right person to send to the UN.
Rockefeller is implying that, at present, the U.S. is not a moral and responsible world leader. What's he talking about? What needs to be re-established?

He has a much different opinion of the status of the United States' global role than I have. Rockefeller sounds like he has a very negative view of America's position in the world.

I think the U.S. is a moral and responsible leader.
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"It's sad that even while the president preaches democracy around the world, he bends the rules and circumvents the will of Congress in appointing our representative to the United Nations." — Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J.

Lautenberg is nuts. Totally nuts!

BUSH DIDN'T BEND ANY RULES.

BUSH DIDN'T ABUSE HIS POWER.

BUSH WASN'T DEVIOUS.

BOLTON IS NOT WEAKENED.

BOLTON DOES NOT LACK VALIDITY.

BOLTON WILL WORK TIRELESSLY TO CARRY OUT THE AGENDA AND INTIATIVES THAT PRESIDENT BUSH AND SECRETARY RICE DIRECT.