North Star Writers Group


Dan Calabrese		Dan's Column Archive
August 10, 2005 How Could Bolton Mess Up This Place? When President Bush announced his recess appointment of John Bolton at U.N. ambassador - thumbing his nose at world opinion and eternal wisdom of Senate Democrats - we were warned that Bolton would trash the place. Senator George Voinovich, R-Ohio, even cried about it! Darned if they weren't right. Since Bolton got there, things have gotten so bad at Turtle Bay that it just makes you want to stick your head inside your shell. Consider: - Former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker issued an 847-page report detailing the corruption that characterized the UN's handling of the Iraqi Oil-for-Food program, including plenty of information about things Secretary General Kofi Annan knew, but did nothing about. - Procurement officer Alexander Yakovlev was arrested for soliciting bribes in exchange for bidding information. This led investigators to Vladimir Kuznetsov, the chairman of the UN's Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, who was also arrested for setting up an offshore company to handle his cut from Yakovlev's, er, efforts. - We found out the UN bankrolled the production of thousands of banners, bumper stickers, mugs and T-shirts bearing the slogan "Today Gaza and Tomorrow the West Bank and Jerusalem," which have been widely distributed to Palestinian Arabs in the Gaza Strip. Stuff like this just didn't happen before Bolton showed up. And to make matters worse, he's rude. When Annan recently announced his plan for reforming the place, Bolton had the nerve to speak at the announcement, even though top UN diplomats explained that Mr. Annan preferred he sit and clap. One of the diplomats, clearly taken aback, told the Wall Street Journal that Bolton said, "Damn right we're speaking." Talk about chutzpah! Only weeks after Bolton arrived, the entire UN headquarters building suddenly lost power, prompting an evacuation that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin might want to study. Coincidence? Well, which country's ambassador was once quoted as saying you could cut the top 10 floors off the building and no one would notice? Not Zimbabwe! During his confirmation hearings, Democrats said they were appalled because Bolton had expressed disdain for the institution he now was being asked to serve. A few people pointed out that Bolton was actually being asked to serve the United States at the UN, not the UN itself. Maybe he got the idea somewhere along the line - don't ask me where - that the UN has become an utterly corrupt and ineffectual body, and that this might be contrary to U.S. interests. Such a theory might lead him to suspect that top UN potentates are in bed with corrupt regimes, and turn the other way at internal corruption, as this is the path of least resistance and helps them preserve their own power. If Bolton is thinking like this, no wonder his arrival has been so upsetting. Voinovich was obviously right. The UN has been in an uproar since Bolton arrived, and this power outage is simply the last straw. Then again, maybe Annan and those who still support him are better off if they keep the lights off. © 2005 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission. Click here to talk to our writers and editors about this column and others in our discussion forum. To e-mail feedback about this column, click here. If you enjoy this writer's work, please contact your local newspapers editors and ask them to carry it. This is Column # DC1. Request permission to publish here.