MORE BOLTON PROBLEMS SURFACE

As the Senate Foreign Relations Vote on John Bolton approaches, new allegations regarding his past conduct have surfaced. This new information only furthers the point that John Bolton should not represent anyone, at anywhere, at anytime, especially when it comes to representing the United States in the United Nations.

Courtesy of The Washington Note, evidence that "John Bolton was actually voted down by senior partners of Bolton's law firm, Covington and Burling, where he worked before serving in the Department of Justice, because of concerns over his abusive behavior. An individual who would only speak anonymously shared the content of the super-secret partner's meeting with me yesterday.

In addition, after Bolton left the first Bush administration in 1993, he served on the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom and engaged in not only abusive behavior inside that government agency but also worked hard to have two people with whom he disagreed fired. The victims -- who now work at other institutions in Washington -- are reticent about making public claims because of Bolton's continued ability to cause negative consequences for them and their fear that he will seek retribution."

Somehow I do not think that the playground bully approach that Bolton seems to have used for years would ever really be effective in the United Nations. Furthermore, this "bully" policy will do nothing but weaken our ties with the international community.

Fortunately, more Republicans are beginning to speak out against Bolton. Colin Powell's Chief of Staff, Lawrence Wilkerson, gave an interview to the New York Times in which he said ""Under Secretary Bolton was never the formidable power that people are insinuating he was in terms of foreign policy, or blocking the policies that Secretary Powell wished to pursue," Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as Mr. Powell's chief of staff, said in a telephone interview.

"But do I think John Bolton would make a good ambassador to the United Nations? Absolutely not," Mr. Wilkerson said. "He is incapable of listening to people and taking into account their views. He would be an abysmal ambassador."

Lets hope that those who get to vote on Bolton's confirmation do some real research and realize that Bolton would be nothing but a cancer in the United Nations.

Ryan Oddey
Ryan@TAFMess.com