Comments on: John Bolton steps down http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/ Korea... in Blog Format Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:26:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: globalvillageidiot http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58180 globalvillageidiot Wed, 06 Dec 2006 11:54:23 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58180 Protecting one's country, fighting corruption, and reforming imperfect institutions - international or domestic - are perfectly good objectives. However, can anybody tell me how these objectives were being accomplished, or would have continued being accomplished, by John Bolton's remarkable talent for consistently alienating friends and foes alike? I'm not thrilled with UN world poverty initiatives either and they obviously aren't working too well in a lot of Africa, but did John Bolton really demonstrate the diplomatic/personality skills to constructively address those kinds of problems? Is America safer as a result of Bolton contributing to the erosion of America's reputation internationally? I think not. Protecting one’s country, fighting corruption, and reforming imperfect institutions - international or domestic - are perfectly good objectives. However, can anybody tell me how these objectives were being accomplished, or would have continued being accomplished, by John Bolton’s remarkable talent for consistently alienating friends and foes alike?

I’m not thrilled with UN world poverty initiatives either and they obviously aren’t working too well in a lot of Africa, but did John Bolton really demonstrate the diplomatic/personality skills to constructively address those kinds of problems? Is America safer as a result of Bolton contributing to the erosion of America’s reputation internationally? I think not.

]]> By: Wedge http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58175 Wedge Wed, 06 Dec 2006 10:14:28 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58175 One example of the UN's hypocrisy: I was just reading in the AWSJ today that our buds at the UN are now saying that only older, less-effective types of genetically modified crops get the UN seal of approval (some collection of windbags called "Codex" came up with this crap), but that new types that actually might make a dent in world hunger or otherwise lift the world's poor farmers out of the doldrums are not kosher. I guess the only UN-approved way to "end world poverty" is by taking money from poor people in rich countries and giving it to rich people in poor countries. One example of the UN’s hypocrisy:

I was just reading in the AWSJ today that our buds at the UN are now saying that only older, less-effective types of genetically modified crops get the UN seal of approval (some collection of windbags called “Codex” came up with this crap), but that new types that actually might make a dent in world hunger or otherwise lift the world’s poor farmers out of the doldrums are not kosher.

I guess the only UN-approved way to “end world poverty” is by taking money from poor people in rich countries and giving it to rich people in poor countries.

]]> By: Wedge http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58174 Wedge Wed, 06 Dec 2006 10:04:25 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58174 <blockquote>I think the pissing away of a great degree of good will and sympathy that was shown for America after September 11 is nothing short of a tragedy in itself. Bolton played his part. </blockquote> If this is the cost of doing what's necessary to protect your country from outside threats, or trying to reform a bloated, ineffective and corrupt world body, then it's a cost worth bearing.

I think the pissing away of a great degree of good will and sympathy that was shown for America after September 11 is nothing short of a tragedy in itself. Bolton played his part.

If this is the cost of doing what’s necessary to protect your country from outside threats, or trying to reform a bloated, ineffective and corrupt world body, then it’s a cost worth bearing.

]]> By: ziffel http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58169 ziffel Wed, 06 Dec 2006 08:21:09 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58169 Bolton may have had laudable goals regarding reforming the UN, but the bottom line is that he was a singularly poor choice to accomplish them, which is in large part while he failed in this task. He came to the job with too much baggage - and not merely some soundbites about lopping off 10 floors of the UN. He's got a pattern of obstinate, vindictively self-righteous behavior, among other things, that alienated even Republicans like Lincoln Chafee. The US needs, indeed the UN needs, a straight-talking US ambassador to the UN who isn't afraid to shake things up. But there are others more capable of doing the job more successfully than Bolton. From the get go, his appointment, much like his personality itself, reaked of belligerance. A bit like appointing Mel Gibson as ambassador to Israel, because, well, I'm the president, I can, and fuck 'em if they can't take a joke. Bolton may have had laudable goals regarding reforming the UN, but the bottom line is that he was a singularly poor choice to accomplish them, which is in large part while he failed in this task.

He came to the job with too much baggage - and not merely some soundbites about lopping off 10 floors of the UN. He’s got a pattern of obstinate, vindictively self-righteous behavior, among other things, that alienated even Republicans like Lincoln Chafee.

The US needs, indeed the UN needs, a straight-talking US ambassador to the UN who isn’t afraid to shake things up. But there are others more capable of doing the job more successfully than Bolton.

From the get go, his appointment, much like his personality itself, reaked of belligerance.

A bit like appointing Mel Gibson as ambassador to Israel, because, well, I’m the president, I can, and fuck ‘em if they can’t take a joke.

]]> By: globalvillageidiot http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58155 globalvillageidiot Wed, 06 Dec 2006 05:27:27 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58155 Re: Comment 15. A lot of people didn't have a problem with continuing upbeat comments regarding fellow Americans when the fellow American in question was Cindy Sheehan. Not to say that yankabroad fits the description, but I'd rather see wackier leftist characters living in relative obscurity back in the States than them hanging out with the usual gang of crazies and haters outside the US Embassy in Seoul or the base in Pyeongtaek. Re: John Bolton. America is a great country, but John Bolton achieved little other than contribute to the worsening of the country's international image. Sure, the UN needs reform, but I'm not convinced that alienating the rest of the world - allies included - is the right way to do it, especially considering the interesting times we're living in. I think the pissing away of a great degree of good will and sympathy that was shown for America after September 11 is nothing short of a tragedy in itself. Bolton played his part. Re: Comment 15. A lot of people didn’t have a problem with continuing upbeat comments regarding fellow Americans when the fellow American in question was Cindy Sheehan. Not to say that yankabroad fits the description, but I’d rather see wackier leftist characters living in relative obscurity back in the States than them hanging out with the usual gang of crazies and haters outside the US Embassy in Seoul or the base in Pyeongtaek.

Re: John Bolton. America is a great country, but John Bolton achieved little other than contribute to the worsening of the country’s international image. Sure, the UN needs reform, but I’m not convinced that alienating the rest of the world - allies included - is the right way to do it, especially considering the interesting times we’re living in.

I think the pissing away of a great degree of good will and sympathy that was shown for America after September 11 is nothing short of a tragedy in itself. Bolton played his part.

]]> By: mcnut http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58113 mcnut Tue, 05 Dec 2006 23:10:57 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58113 yank abroad is a dip shit who used to have his own leftist blog yeah it crapped out...no one read it yank abroad is a dip shit who used to have his own leftist blog

yeah it crapped out…no one read it

]]> By: Michael Sheehan http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58095 Michael Sheehan Tue, 05 Dec 2006 16:02:32 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58095 Re: Comment 13 Glad to read your continuing upbeat comments regarding your fellow Americans. Re: Comment 14 Good ... stay in Korea ... your country needs you to stay there. Re: Comment 13

Glad to read your continuing upbeat comments regarding your fellow Americans.

Re: Comment 14

Good … stay in Korea … your country needs you to stay there.

]]> By: yankabroad http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58092 yankabroad Tue, 05 Dec 2006 15:45:16 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58092 You need to get your flags straightned out, Koehler. I'm in the Republic of Korea. You need to get your flags straightned out, Koehler. I’m in the Republic of Korea.

]]> By: yankabroad http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58091 yankabroad Tue, 05 Dec 2006 15:42:57 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58091 Bolton is a true shithead, in the best shithead tradition of the Bush White House. Hallelujah. Bolton is a true shithead, in the best shithead tradition of the Bush White House.

Hallelujah.

]]> By: Paul H. http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58087 Paul H. Tue, 05 Dec 2006 15:30:44 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2006/12/05/john-bolton-steps-down/#comment-58087 Here's an expressionof regret over his departure from that collection of republican neocons known as the Chicago Triburne editorital board. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0612050237dec05,0,7682410.story?coll=chi-newsopinion-hed Here’s an expressionof regret over his departure from that collection of republican neocons known as the Chicago Triburne editorital board.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/.....pinion-hed

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