Headline from Bizarro World: New U.N. ambassador hates the U.N.

Once again Dubya lets the fox into the henhouse.

President Bush has chosen Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton, a longtime critic of the United Nations and a hard-liner on arms control, to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, according to government officials.


Here are some of Bolton's statements critical of the U.N.

* "There's no such thing as the United Nations."
* "If the U.N. secretary building in New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn't make a bit of difference."
* "Moreover, many Republicans in Congress - and perhaps a majority - not only do not care about losing the General Assembly vote but actually see it as a 'make my day' outcome. Indeed, once the vote is lost, and the adverse consequences predicted by the U.N.'s supporters begin to occur, this will simply provide further evidence to many why nothing more should be paid to the U.N. system."

This is the type of appointment Dubya is known for. Here is another glaring example of his more dubious appointments:

Gale Norton: Interior Secretary - Norton is a protégé of James Watt, President Reagan's controversial Interior secretary from 1981 to 1983. She worked for Watt while he was president of the Mountain States Legal Foundation, a conservative organization that strongly supports "takings" legislation and logging and mining on the nation's public lands. She also served in the Reagan administration, first in the Agriculture Department and then in the Interior Department where she helped advocate for the Reagan administration's position on oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. As Colorado Attorney General, Norton was instrumental in creating the state's "self audit" program, which gives businesses immunity from litigation and fines if they voluntarily report and correct violations of environmental laws. 'Abraham and Norton's nominations are terrible news for the majority of Americans who rank protecting the nation's air, water and national resources among their top priorities,' said LCV President Deb Callahan.

Much like Dubya himself, his appointments are wrong for the job they are being thrust into.