In Perspective: Bolton

Sunday, 25 March 2007

John Bolton gets owned

BBC Newsnight's all-mighty Jeremy Paxman interviews neocon former US ambassador to the UN and Bush-buddy John Bolton; and crushes Bolton's false notions about Iraq (watch Bolton turn red).

BBC News, including Newsnight, has been focusing on Iraq this past week ("Iraq Week") four years after the US-led invasion. Bolton led the charge for that invasion.

Bolton is known for his endless anti-UN rhetoric and thinks the US should only act in its exclusive interest. He also criticized any sort of diplomatic deal with North Korea, even though there has been success, and seems to hate any sort of non-militant diplomacy (he does know the US is not the only power in the world, right?).

Bolton's excuse for Iraq failure: blame it on the Iraqis. Paxman doesn't let him slip away with that kind of argument, but in the end Bolton stays firm and looks like an idiot — the idiot, frankly, he is.

Journalists need to break through stonewalling politicians and get the real news, its their job and the BBC seems to do it well. If only American TV news was this good...

Note: I uploaded this video.

Tuesday, 5 December 2006

Bolton leaves as UN ambassador; Gates to come as secretary of defense

Departure
Thank goodness now-former United States ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, resigned from his position. His track record [as a diplomat only by title] at the UN fares no better than his work before the highest position in American diplomatic service. He was never even confirmed by Congress — as is the requirement — but President Bush put Bolton up to the post anyway.

Arrival
Robert Gates, favored as the next US secretary of defense, responded, when asked whether he thought the American war in Iraq was going well, “No, sir”.

BBC News:

US Defence Secretary nominee Robert Gates has told a Senate committee that the US is not winning the war in Iraq.

Maybe this man, who worked with the more realistic and down-to-earth (but still not great), George H.W. Bush (41st president), will knock some sense into this administration’s thinking on defense and foreign policy. Wishful thinking considering almost anyone with common sense in this White House has been shut out. This hits on the central question featured on the cover of Newsweek this week: "Will he [Bush] listen?". (Although that article relates to the Iraq Study Group, whose full report is set to come out tomorrow, the question stands.) Gates will probably replace Donald Rumsfeld, whom I can safely say I don’t admire. Just as a final note, Gates was voted for 24 to null in a Senate Armed Services Committee vote earlier today.

On the bright side for those in the West Wing, at least one out of two of the recent nominations (Bolton's was stalled) looks like it's going to be a green light.