Political Rapture and the Anti-Ambassador

The juxtaposition lasted only a few minutes on the NYT’s front page, but what a juxtaposition it was.

There, on the left side, a headline on George Bush’s demand for the confirmation of pugnacious John Bolton; and there, on the right side, complete with photo, Condi Rice pugnaciously plying her trade in Eastern Europe – whence she’ll be lucky to escape before the Russians fillet her for implying the U.S. wants regime change for one of Vladimir’s allies, Belarus.

Condi and George deserve John. I’ve held that position since Bolton became an endangered specimen of neo-convolutionism, and the reasons become altogether more compelling as the nomination scuffle grows longer.

For starters, if Senate Democrats and a few Republicans believe John Bolton’s nomination should be blocked because he’s unfit, then those selfsame senators should demand the resignation of virtually all of Bush’s cabinet -- for that assemblage is without a doubt the greatest collection of the wholly unfit since France’s royal Louis XVI assembled his top advisors to smooth things out with the very disgruntled unroyals.

Are senatorial conscientious objectors claiming that Bolton is worse than Condi, who as national security advisor screwed up so badly that she won the State prize? Worse than Stranglovian Rummi and former sidekick Wolfie? Worse than a treasury secretary who’s nothing but an ideology peddler? An interior secretary who rapes the interior? An attorney general who writes love notes to W., not detached briefs? Need I go on?

All these misfits were confirmed by an immoderate Senate inclined to allow an immoderate president his own team. Now essentially the same Senate thinks maybe slapping a smiley face on the team is a good idea.

I have respect for the handful of Republican senators who belatedly discovered a conscience and are risking consequent retribution. But it’s a tad late for correctives. To properly reorder Bush’s words yesterday, he’s miffed that “sometimes the people’s business gets in the way of doing politics” -- and it would have been nice had Senate Republicans begun exercising that rare option long, long ago.

True, the world does not deserve Bolton’s appointment to the world’s supreme deliberative body, no matter how hapless that body may be from time to time, even all too frequently.

But Bush deserves the appointment, because we put him where he is. He da’ man who begs to bring ‘em on, and he da’ country’s reelected man with the right to choose his players in all their hyper-chauvinistic nationalism. That’s what America voted for.

So it follows that America, too, deserves the disgrace of Ambassador John Bolton.

Let’s remember that Bush didn’t just recently show up drunk behind the presidential wheel. He’s been careening down the road of chaos since Day One, rarely troubling to walk a straight line for the electorate’s ease of mind. It hasn’t taken a global positioning satellite to track his behavior, his intentions, his addled direction.

And we went along with them. Our collective, habitual inattention to what’s important; our penchant for cheap political distractions; our casual, pre-election acceptance of repeatedly shameless White House deeds – all of it made us deserving of Bush & Co.

Perhaps the country needs to hit rock bottom before it can shake off its political stupor and begin the long crawl back to national sobriety. Seeing John Bolton as ambassador is merely part of the sobering process.

Unfortunately, as of this writing the White House is issuing slick words of support for Bolton -- which in Washington generally means issuing last rites, just before the high political priest drives a dagger into the perp’s heart.

And that’s a pity. We really needed yet another insulting slap in the face. We need a lot of them before 2006 and 2008.

Comments

[Phil Shofner]

Your comments about the appalling people now sitting in positions of power were concise, accurate and not liable, unfortunately, to be proven wrong any time soon. God help us all.

[Marj Swanson]

I agree with everything except that we all deserve the humiliation of having such a bunch of incompetent nitwits running the country beginning with W himself. Many of us have been yelling our heads off for years and not many would listen. I don't think it can get bad enough that the radical right wing hate mongering neo christians will every admit anything is wrong.

[Marj Swanson]

I agree with everything except that we all deserve the humiliation of having such a bunch of incompetent nitwits running the country beginning with W himself. Many of us have been yelling our heads off for years and not many would listen. I don't think it can get bad enough that the radical right wing hate mongering neo christians will every admit anything is wrong.

[EtJ]

EXCELLENT IDEA: "the resignation of virtually all of Bush’s cabinet." May I recommend starting with bush himself.

[wtmoore]

why is this still even an issue? if ANY of the morons that WILL wind up voting to confirm bolton were confronted w/ him as a job applicant to work in their chain of command, they'd kick his neo-con ass to the curb faster than rove can leak state secrets. i can almost hear rove and dubyah yukkin' it up w/ gannon over this one. they DESPISE the UN....have no respect whatsoever for it's memebers or the effort they put forth in furthering world unity....and damned sure have no interest in furthering their agenda. they would eliminate the UN if they could. nominating bolton to be the UN ambassador is like sending a pedophile to interface w/ a daycare center. it's just another neo-con bad joke....