Silence surrounds the awkward introduction
UNITED NATIONS, August 2 – John Bolton reported to the U.N. headquarters today, presenting his credentials to the Secretary-General Kofi Annan. After being denied appointment by the Senate for over five months now Bush has finally pushed through and appointed Bolton by abusing a constitutional article that by-passes the Congress.
Colleagues at the U.N. have reacted as expected, stressing that the way he was appointed will not affect his credibility. Also they have assured the public that his prior comments are just that and should be left in the past, only his performance in the future will count. The U.N. has rough times ahead as they are looking to reform their system and adapt to the rapid changes that have occurred since worldwide terror has struck. Many believe Bolton will be judged on his performance during these negotiations seeing the U.S. is the top contributor to the U.N.
Bolton’s comments in the past were bold and straight to the point. In speeches he has claimed the U.N. would not function differently if the top 10 floors of the headquarters would vanish, including the Secretary-General’s office. He has offended North Korea by stating that they’re led by a “tyrannical dictator” while he also said he’s convinced that Iran is looking to put nuclear weapons to use. On another note he has also stated that there is no such thing as the United Nations, just “an international community that occasionally can be led by the only real power left in the world, and that is the United States.” Only the future can tell how successful, or disastrous, this decision of Bush will be.
