Griffs Notes 12/4/06

Let’s look at the short list of people likely to be having “John Bolton Bon Voyage Parties” this evening: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Iran), Kim Jong-Il (North Korea), Vladimir Putin (Russia), Hassan Nasrallah (Hezbollah), the Janjaweed Militia (Darfur), Harry Reid (Nevada), Joe Biden (Delaware), John Kerry (Massachusetts) and Lincoln Chafee (Rhode Island).

In fact, here’s part of Sen. Kerry’s statement on the resignation of UN Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton:

"Like Secretary Rumsfeld's departure, Ambassador Bolton's resignation offers a chance to turn the page at a critical period. With the Middle East on the verge of chaos and the nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea increasing, we need a United Nations ambassador who has the full support of Congress and can help rally the international community to tackle the serious threats we face.”

Perhaps the Democrats should have thought twice before claiming their next victim of the November elections. It seems to me that not only did John Bolton do a good job of stepping up to the plate – he also served our country well by being a hard-nosed bulldog in an international circus where America’s interests are not taken seriously.

I am no water carrier for ideologues and am familiar with the now-famous 1994 quote that “if 10 stories of the United Nations Secretariat Building came down no one would notice.” But the fact of the matter is that the only reason that quote is polarizing today is because TERRORISTS brought our buildings down in New York and Washington in 2001. So what we have – or I should say had – was a no-nonsense diplomat (an anomaly itself) who held the line when it came to nuclear proliferation or fostering terrorism on the part of countries that do not share the visions of a free and prosperous world.

I guess the old adage holds true sometimes in politics – No good deed goes unpunished.

Here’s some of what WH Press Secretary Tony Snow had to say about Bolton today at the briefing:

He's led successful diplomatic efforts in dealing with North Korea, in dealing with Iraq, in dealing with Lebanon, in dealing with Darfur, and has been a highly capable, competent and effective and sometimes very creative diplomat working with other countries, building large coalitions as well as coalitions within the U.N. Security Council… The American people are going to ask themselves: Wow, why didn't they confirm him?

I agree.

I can be reached for questions or comments at griffsnotes@foxnews.com.