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Politics

Bolton steps down as U.N. ambassador

President Bush heads off a fight but says he isn't happy.

By WASHINGTON POST
Published December 5, 2006

WASHINGTON - President Bush surrendered to congressional foes Monday in his fight to install John Bolton as permanent ambassador to the United Nations, a harbinger of how the political world has changed since Democrats captured both houses of Congress.

Bush circumvented Senate opposition last year to send Bolton to the United Nations on a recess appointment and administration lawyers in recent weeks had developed options to keep him there even after that appointment expires this month. But officials said Bolton and the White House decided against provoking an early confrontation with Democrats as they take over Congress next month.

As Bolton's resignation was announced, the White House deliberated on a new nominee, with attention focusing on Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq. The White House also has a crop of Republican lawmakers who lost re-election to pick from. A number of senior ambassadors from around the world have also expressed interest, but administration officials said Bolton's successor will be a political nominee.

Bolton became the second high-profile member of Bush's foreign policy team after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to announce his departure in the wake of the Nov. 7 elections. Bush appeared aggravated at having to abandon Bolton, whose bare-knuckled diplomacy and skepticism of multilateralism made him a favorite of conservatives and a lightning rod for many in the Washington and international establishment.

"I'm not happy about it," Bush said. "I think he deserved to be confirmed. And the reason why I think he deserved to be confirmed is because I know he did a fabulous job for the country."

Bolton recast the role of ambassador to the United Nations, a post traditionally filled by prominent Americans who helped explain the organization to Washington. Instead, Bolton relished the role of the U.N.'s chief critic, downplaying its achievements and regaling congressional committees with its failings.

Still, his encyclopedic knowledge of the United Nations and tough negotiating style earned him grudging admiration from peers on the Security Council, who credited him with helping pass resolutions demanding North Korea and Iran restrain their nuclear programs and ending the war between Israel and Hezbollah. Bolton also convinced the Security Council for the first time to add Burma to its permanent agenda, a long-sought goal of human rights activists.

Some U.N. officials privately blamed Bolton for sabotaging the U.N. reform initiative by stirring differences between poor and rich countries. "He sometimes makes it very difficult to build bridges because he is a very honest and blunt person," said South Africa's ambassador, Dumisani Shadrack Kumalo, chairman of a coalition of developed nations. He said it sometimes appears "Ambassador Bolton wants to prove nothing works at the United Nations."

[Last modified December 5, 2006, 01:36:02]