Another Departure From The USS Trepid

This morning's announcement that the President had accepted the resignation of United Nations Ambassador John Bolton (effective when his recess appointment ends)was a bit of a stunner. Most Bolton watchers anticipated some kind of end around by the White House once the Senate made it clear that the renomination of Mr. Bolton was dead in the water, something like an appointment with a different title (Assistant to the Ambassador) that would not require confirmation with no replacement to the actual ambassadorship being nominated, or a recess appointment with Mr. Bolton's pay covered by a private fund put together for just this purpose.

Here's what CNN had up on their web site shortly after the announcement:

Unable to win Senate confirmation, U.N. Ambassador John Bolton will step down when his temporary appointment expires within weeks, the White House said Monday.

...As late as last month, Bush, through his top aides, said he would not relent in his defense of Bolton, despite unwavering opposition from Democrats who view Bolton as too combative for international diplomacy. [Emphasis added]

That sure sounds an awfully lot like the President's vote of confidence for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld before the election, doesn't it? If so, Vice-President Cheney might want to start packing.

Snark aside (if only for the moment), my favorite source for all things Bolton, Scott T. Paul at Bolton Watch at TPM Cafe has some early ruminations on the resignation:

As far back as two weeks ago, I had heard from a source inside the U.S. Mission that Bolton would not accept the "acting" appointment that has been discussed on this site. I didn't post that info because, in all honesty, I didn't find it credible given how hard he pushed for his initial recess appointment and his recent lobbying on conservative talk shows. Then, on Friday evening, I learned that two independent sources in the U.S. Mission said that Bolton was ready to leave, write a book, and hit the speaking circuit to blast the Bush Administration for abandoning ultra-conservative foreign policy principles. One can safely assume that this is what Bolton now plans to do.

OK, that certainly seems plausible, especially with the departure of Donald Rumsfeld and the apparent rise in influence of James Baker and his homeboys. That still doesn't explain the quick acceptance of the resignation by Bush, nor the timing. While I don't have the sources that Scott Paul has, I do have some ungrounded speculations (as do most bloggers, I'm certain).

Is it possible that Bush and his new handlers are trying to seriously consider some way out of the Iraq Mess which would require U.N. assistance, or at least the assistance of its members? Was Mr. Bolton the bone that was tossed for that help? Or was Steven Hadley actually signaling a real New Way Forward, contrary to the doubts I expressed earlier today?

Regardless of the answer, Mr. Bolton's departure has to make many folks at the U.N. happy, or at least happier.

This just might turn out to be an even more interesting week than I expected.