It looks like the Democrat's victory in Wednesday's US elections will claim another victim: US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton. He was appointed in 2005 as a recess appointment, but his bullying style hasn't made the US any friends there. Likewise, his insolence and contempt hasn't made any friends in the Senate, and as a result, his nomination is now effectively dead. So long, John - we won't miss you.
Can't be that long until the next recess can it?
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Humour aside, I've been pleasently surprised and pleased with Bolton's efforts in the UN. WIth the vitriol that spewed forth about him before he took the job I suspected something awful. But he's an intelligent guy cogently advancing the foreign policy of the President, who after all is responsible for foreign policy.
Seriously - isn't the main problem with Bolton, not Bolton but Bush?
bolton is a complete nutter.
ReplyDeletewould you like a list of relevant quotes?
I'd prefer slowly and thoroughly but immediately.
ReplyDeleteGraeme: recess appointments of the same person to the same post can't be repeated. It's possible there's some more picky procedural trick (appoint somebody else, have them resign, appoint Bolton), but that just looks desperate.
ReplyDeleteanon 5 - I didn't know that, I'm interested where that rule comes from (i.e. it's not in the Constitution); have you a source?
ReplyDeleteGraeme: I don't have an actual legal source, no, but it is mentioned fairly frequently in articles in the US media. My suspicion is that at some point the courts have ruled that otherwise it would be essentially removing the "advise and consent" power of the Senate.
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