Posted by
cehwiedel on Monday, October 23, 2006 6:38:51 PM
Before the Senate adjourned for the Fall campaign season, it was to have considered the nomination of John R. Bolton as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Mr. Bolton is already serving in that capacity through a recess appointment by President Bush because of a prior delay by the Senate in considering his appointment.
The Senate failed again to bring Mr. Bolton's nomination to a floor vote.
Here is Senator Feinstein's response to my inquiry on her position on confirming John R. Bolton as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations:
I remain opposed to John Bolton's nomination. I believe
that his recess appointment demonstrated the stubbornness of an
Administration that seems more concerned with conservative
political posturing than with providing the nation with the best
possible representation at the UN.
Ambassador Bolton's performance since becoming U.S.
Ambassador to the United Nations has done little to address my
serious concerns about his appointment. At a time when the
Administration claims to be reaching out to friends and allies, I
believe it is a mistake to send an ambassador to the UN who has
consistently shown disdain for multilateral diplomacy.
Senator Feinstein should rethink her insistence on limiting American foreign policy actions to only those that will receive multilateral cooperation. That places American interests at the whim of foreign powers, hamstrings foreign policy, and takes no notice of conflicting foreign interests. Further, it disallows judging foreign policy on its merits rather than on whether other countries support the policy. Some things need doing whether anybody else agrees or not.
Senator Feinstein should read Mark Steyn's new book,
America Alone. You should, too.
For more information on the members of the California delegation to the United States Senate, visit the
California Senators Squidoo Lens.
[You are invited to visit
www.cehwiedel.com, where I write on many topics other than the members of the California delegation to the United States Senate.]