John R. Bolton, now undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, has been selected by the Bush Administration as the new US ambassador to the UN.
Bolton is well-known for his vocal criticism of the UN, and this nomination has raised some eyebrows around the world from people who had begun to think that Bush was finally understanding their qualms about his administration.
Bolton at one time had called North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il a "tyrannical dictator," to which Pyongyang responded that Bolton was "human scum" and said it wouldn't deal with him.
While I would never suggest that the US or any country kowtow to the mercurial moods of our neighbors to the north, it's important for diplomats to know when to be diplomatic. The Bush Administration doesn't always get that, it seems, and we are paying for it dearly as the world worries what we'll do next.
Sometimes you have to call a dictator dictator.
ReplyDelete"Human scum". We need more like him in South Korea.
Bushiko,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Mother Mary of Catholicism embraces us all -- including that lovable rascal Kim Jung Il.
Bolten, however, is a bad man... white too! He just doesn't understand other cultures.
He follows the " You are either for us or against us" style of diplomacy. Not a very inclusive kind of guy... don't you think?
He shamelessly plagiarized that "for us/against us" sound bite from Jesus of the Bible.
Jesus was suspiciously anti-inclusive.
You and I know Jesus and Bolten are out-dated and irrelevant white guys.
Kushibo, my soul prays with you: May the Virgin Mary bring us world unity, tolerance, and peace... and an end to attitudes of separativeness... and bring us a brown Pope.