Our recess appointted Ambassador to the United Nations is coming up for another hearing in the Senate to keep his seat and gain his full appointment to the organization with such moral authority, as the U.N.

Nile Gardiner and Brett D. Schaefer write about it at the Heritage Foundation’s website:
Confirm John Bolton as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

Few political figures in recent history have so polarized opinion in Congress as John Bolton, the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Faced with Senate gridlock, Bolton was sent by President George W. Bush as a recess appointment to the United Nations last August. With Bolton’s recess appointment expiring when the new Congress convenes in January 2007, the President recently announced that he would again submit Bolton for confirmation. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee plans to vote on Bolton’s nomination in August, with a full vote of the Senate expected in September. The Senate thus has a rare political opportunity: a chance to rectify a major mistake. This time, the Senate should confirm John Bolton.

Hattip: G.O.P. Vixen: We [heart] John Bolton

Over the past year, Bolton has proven a forceful advocate of American interests, a powerful voice for UN reform, and a staunch defender of the cause of human rights. He has worked closely with Congress, testifying no less than six times before House and Senate committees. Bolton has been an outspoken critic of corruption, mismanagement, waste, and inefficiency at a world body that receives well over $3 billion a year from U.S. taxpayers. He has shaken up an institution that has for decades been resistant to change and cast a revealing light on an elite UN establishment that has long thrived amidst a culture of complacency and secrecy.

Personally, I was impressed at what Bolton did with so little. It was generally assumed that because he was a recess appointment, he would be in a weak and crippled position amoung his fellow ambassadors at the U.N.; this has certainly not been the case.

During his time at the UN, John Bolton has been a hugely valuable asset to U.S. foreign policy and has proven his critics wrong. Bolton may not be the most popular man at the United Nations, but he is greatly respected and viewed by both friend and foe as a formidable advocate for U.S. interests. U.S. participation at the United Nations is not about winning popularity contests or engaging in feel-good back-slapping exercises. It is about steadfast leadership and the advancement of clear principles and ideals. It is in the U.S. national interest to have a United Nations that is free of corruption, fraud, and mismanagement. And it is in the national interest to have a world body that actually stands for human rights, that rejects terrorism, and that advances rather than hinders international security.

Bolton has not been afraid to speak his mind and upset the status quo. Nor has he been unwilling to call a dictator a dictator, expose the rampant hypocrisy of the UN’s human rights apparatus, or condemn the actions of dangerous rogue regimes. Effective diplomacy requires forceful leadership and the willingness to back up tough words with action. As former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher observed in a letter of support for John Bolton, “A capacity for straight talking rather than peddling half-truths is a strength and not a disadvantage in diplomacy. In the case of a great power like America, it is essential that people know where you stand and assume you know what you say.” The Senate should rise above partisanship and seize this opportunity to protect American interests at the UN by confirming John Bolton.

Also Talking:

Hot-Air: A Jolt of Bolton
Michelle-Malkin

Oh, by the way, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee consists of the following (They are currenly blathering on CSpan)

1. Richard G. Lugar :: Rep :: Indiana :: Chairman
2. Joseph R. Biden :: Dem :: Delaware :: Ranking Democrat
3. Chuck Hagel :: Rep :: Nebraska
4. Paul S. Sarbanes :: Dem :: Maryland
5. Lincoln Chafee :: Rep :: Rhode Island
6. Christopher J. Dodd :: Dem :: Connecticut
7. George Allen :: Rep :: Virginia
8. The haughty french-looking Massachusetts Democrat who by-the-way also served in Vietnam
9. Norm Coleman :: Rep :: Minnesota
10. Russell D. Feingold :: Dem :: Wisconsin
11. George V. Voinovich :: Rep :: Ohio
12. Barbara Boxer :: Dem :: California
13. Lamar Alexander :: Rep :: Tennessee
14. Bill Nelson :: Dem :: Florida
15. John E. Sununu :: Rep :: New Hampshire
16. Barack Obama :: Dem :: Illinois
17. Lisa Murkowski :: Rep :: Alaska
18. Mel Martinez :: Rep :: Florida