Sixteen Months

IN all honesty, it was amazing that John R. Bolton ever became U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in the first place. He was a committed conservative, a hawk, a skeptic of international organizations. (It might be better to call him a realist about them.) His personality was thought of as mercurial, even hot. Newspapers and magazines liked to refer to him as “Lightning Bolton.” But President Bush wanted him at the U.N., and he wanted him so much that he even gave him a recess appointment, when the Senate refused to confirm him—that is, when Democrats blocked a vote on his nomination. Understandably, Bush wanted someone at the U.N. who actually supported his foreign policy. Such partners and aides seem few on the ground.

And it was not the first time that Bush had turned to someone “controversial.” After he was sworn in, he nominated Otto Reich to be assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere. The Democrats on the Foreign Relations Committee blocked that nomination, so Bush gave Reich a recess appointment. After a year, he did not resubmit the nomination, however, the obstacles in the Senate remaining. Bush also welcomed Elliott Abrams, but bypassed the Senate altogether. Abrams has served on the National Security Council staff since the beginning of the administration.

About the Author

Jay Nordlinger

Jay Nordlinger was a senior editor of National Review and a book fellow at National Review Institute.

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IN all honesty, it was amazing that John R. Bolton ever became U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in the first place. He was a committed conservative, a hawk, a skeptic of international organizations. (It might be better to call him a realist about them.) His personality was thought of as mercurial, even hot. Newspapers and magazines liked to refer to him as “Lightning Bolton.” But President Bush wanted him at the U.N., and he wanted him so much that he even gave him a recess appointment, when the Senate refused to confirm him—that is, when Democrats blocked a vote on his nomination. Understandably, Bush wanted someone at the U.N. who actually supported his foreign policy. Such partners and aides seem few on the ground.

And it was not the first time that Bush had turned to someone “controversial.” After he was sworn in, he nominated Otto Reich to be assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere. The Democrats on the Foreign Relations Committee blocked that nomination, so Bush gave Reich a recess appointment. After a year, he did not resubmit the nomination, however, the obstacles in the Senate remaining. Bush also welcomed Elliott Abrams, but bypassed the Senate altogether. Abrams has served on the National Security Council staff since the beginning of the administration.