Looks like Bolton’s appointment was announced by Bush while I was writing my previous post. Not much more to say, except to point to the New York Times and Washington Post report. WaPo again emphasizes Bolton’s plan to stay in DC to keep up his intriguing:
Two months ago, while his confirmation was in trouble, Bolton began efforts to double the office space reserved within the State Department for the ambassador to the United Nations, according to three senior department officials who were involved in handling the request.
Previous ambassadors have kept a small staff in Washington in a modest suite. Bolton told several colleagues he needed more space and a larger staff in Washington because, if confirmed, he intended to spend more time here than his predecessors did. “Bolton isn’t going to sit in New York while policy gets made in Washington,” the administration source said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the source lacked authorization to discuss this on the record.
Hats off to the activists, bloggers, senators, and everyone else who helped block Bolton’s passage in the Senate, sending a signal to the White House that its omnipotence remains thwarted. This was a bi-partisan effort; make no mistake about that. It hints at what a strong center can accomplish in Washington, it will also forever change how the White House calculates its public posturing during the rest of Bush’s
term.
During this process, the entire tone and tenor of Washington politics has changed, as the US Senate stood up for itself in the face Bush’s disrespect for the separation of powers. In the face of hyperbole and disinformation, an opposition steadily built a case that only grew stronger with each passing day. Now, a humiliated Bolton has a long way to go to prove to the rest of America that he deserves the trust he’s been given.
Bolton’s confirmation was constantly sold as an inevitable fait accompli given President Bush’s enormous post-election mandate. Instead, the process worked; Americans got to know John Bolton during the confirmation process, and they didn’t like what they saw.
— Stygius
