[Forgive me, I seem to be descending into very lowbrow humor recently. It will undoubtedly pass. (gas.) (hohoho.)]

John Bolton, Bush's nominee to represent the US at the UN, is a beacon of light, a healer of rifts, a unifier of nations. [pause.] No, really, I mean it! [audience laughs.] You'll all pay for this! [audience mock gasps, laughs harder.] Oh, well, I tried... [polite applause.]

First from Democracy Now! a quote from John Bolton at the Global Structures Convocation. It was held February 3, 1994, in New York.

JOHN BOLTON: The point that I want to leave with you in this very brief presentation is where I started is: there is no United Nations. There is an international community that occasionally can be led by the only real power left in the world, and that's the United States, when it suits our interest, and when we can get others to go along, and I think it would be a real mistake to count on the United Nations as if it’s some disembodied entity out there that can function on its own. When the United States leads, the United Nations will follow. When it suits our interest to do so, we will lead. When it does not suit our interest to do so, we will not, and I think that is the most important thing to carry away tonight.

I view Bolton as just latest in a long tradition of US appointees to the UN who reflect the attitude above. Most were not as, well, undiplomatic and explicit about it. The US government doesn't like obstacles to its movement or commerce. It doesn't like to be accountable to other nations. In the same way that a commercial corporation is not a moral entity but exists basically to generate profit for shareholders, the US government is overdriven by protectionism and denial of rights of counties standing in the way.

Mickey Z has some commentary on Bolton in his post Is Bolton UN-important? (Today I seem to like jokes at Bolton's expense.)

This is PBU15 in association with the Progressive Blogger Union.