Replace John Bolton
By Shirley Davis
Bangor Daily News
August 22, 2006

President Bush's re-nomination of John Bolton for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations does not advance our country's foreign policy goals. We're asking a lot of the U.N. We're asking it to help us confront North Korea and Iran, end genocide in Darfur, fight terrorism and defend human rights worldwide. The U.N. has just played a crucial role in the cease-fire in Lebanon.

It is essential that we be involved in the crucial process of helping the U.N. become more effective, efficient and strong. We also need an ambassador who can make this relationship work and advance peace, justice, and security in the world.

In a place like the U.N. you can only succeed if you can get other countries to go along. Throughout his one-year term, Bolton has put down the U.N. at every opportunity and dismissed the opinions of others, including key allies. Bolton doesn't listen to other ambassadors, so, they ask, why should they listen to him? Bolton is doing lasting damage to our critically important relationship with the U.N. as well as alliances with nations we need to work with to keep us safe.

We need to get back on track and find another ambassador, someone who can get results. Bolton has alienated the very people that the United States needs on our side. When Bolton's nomination comes to the Senate floor in September, I strongly urge Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins to vote against him. As a nation, we need a world uniter, not a world divider, representing our country at the U.N.

Shirley L. Davis
Orono

Shirley L. Davis is a member of Citizens for Global Solutions.

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