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October 22, 2007
John Bolton Book Cites Effort to Halt Powell's Iran Initiative
Bolton Book Cites Effort to Halt Powell's Iran Initiative
Book at Amazon
Washington Times article about the book
On the eve of the 2004 presidential elections, then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell secretly attempted to shift U.S. policy on Iran by telling key allies he wanted to offer "carrots" to the Islamic Republic to halt its nuclear ambitions, former U.N. ambassador John R. Bolton writes in his soon-to-be-published memoir.
Bolton, then undersecretary of state, says that he worked hard to thwart Powell's plans -- only to discover, to his dismay, that Powell's replacement, Condoleezza Rice, would pursue the same approach in President Bush's second term.
Bolton reveals many private conversations and internal debates as the administration struggled to deal with such issues as the North Korean and Iranian nuclear threats, the tragedy in Sudan's Darfur region, the Israeli-Hezbollah war and deteriorating relations with Russia.
Bolton's recounting of these episodes adds to the growing body of insider accounts about the inner workings of the Bush administration, though this is one of the first by a leading conservative figure.
It will likely cause angst at the State Department and in some foreign capitals, including London, because of Bolton's depiction of the diplomatic exchanges. In typically pugnacious style, Bolton lashes out at his opponents in the administration and overseas, repeatedly referring to European Union diplomats as "EUroids" and foes in State's East Asia and Pacific Affairs Bureau as "EAPeasers."
Bolton in particular criticizes Rice and one of her top aides, Undersecretary R. Nicholas Burns, for what he considers poor diplomacy. He recounts his anger -- and that of other administration conservatives -- at many of her decisions, especially her handling of North Korea, Iran and the Israeli war, arguing that Rice was too willing to make unnecessary concessions in pursuit of ineffectual achievements.
During a meeting on Hamas's participation in Palestinian elections at the United Nations, for instance, Bolton says he watched Rice make a series of "unforced errors" because she was too eager to be accommodating.
Bolton attributes Powell's 2004 gambit on Iran to what he caustically calls the "George C. Marshall Legacy Project," which he said involved "distancing Powell from Bush." Bolton, as the administration's chief arms control official, was critical of efforts by Britain, France and Germany (the "EU-3") to forge a deal with Iran.
He believed that Tehran used the talks only to build up its nuclear capability. The administration was also openly skeptical, so he says he was shocked to learn that Powell, at a Sept. 22, 2004, dinner with "Group of Eight" foreign ministers, agreed that Iran should be given a package of "carrots."
Bolton says he got a vague response from Powell when he asked about it, but he soon saw a European reporting cable on the meal and a Canadian letter that confirmed Powell's proposal. In what Bolton described as the most difficult three weeks of his tenure in the administration, he says he used every possible bureaucratic and diplomatic maneuver to kill Powell's plan.
"Powell had violated our long-standing Iran policy, colluded with the EU-3 against it and come out nearly endorsing [Sen. John F.] Kerry's position only weeks before our election," Bolton writes. "Along with others, I had foiled Powell's legacy gambit. I knew it, and he knew I knew it."
But then to Bolton's shock, Rice adopted the same approach when she became secretary. He says he began thinking of leaving the administration when Rice gave him the news over dinner in 2006. A depressed Bolton pointedly ordered carrot soup with the meal.
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Wild Thing's comment........
I have tremendous respect for John Bolton. I look forward to reading this book and I think this article about the book is also excellent. Bolton has always been a man of his word, a conservative and someone I always felt truly loves America.
As far as Powell is concerned I am no fan of his, he has said and done too many things I don't agree with and the same with Condi.
Posted by Wild Thing at October 22, 2007 12:55 AM
Comments
I cannot praise John Bolton enough. He was the one shining light in the weak, compromising Bush White House. His short tenure as UN Ambassador led to my hope that America would finally leave the UN.
There should be a prominent place in very high government for Mr Bolton, but more than likely he is already convienently forgotten. When Bolton left, that was all I needed to know about the Bush foreign policy and the State Dept mindset.
We are at war and our leadership searches for political compromises. Are there only a few "Conservatives" who learned from Ronald Reagan and Teddy Roosevelt? John Bolton believes that the United States should not back down from, accomodate or compromise with our enemies.
I can only hope/wish that there is a place in the near future for John Bolton in high office. Sec Defense or Sec of State would be a coup for American policy and a halt to all the ridiculous compromising since Reagan was in office.
Posted by: TomR at October 22, 2007 08:01 AM
Looks like an excellent book!
...in a song by the New Megadeth CD...the U.N. is UNdone!
Posted by: patrickdaniel at October 22, 2007 10:21 AM
This confirms what we knew all along doesn't it? It baffles the imagination as to which administration is the worst, this one and it's bungles or the original Carter one that started us down this path. Bolton is a good man with United States sovereignty as his guide whereas Condi and her predecessors have all been UN functionaries, willing to sell us and Israel out for UN goals. It's one thing for the Democrats to condemn people like Bolton but quite another for our RINO's to do the same when we are at a time in our history where we need people with a backbone.
"The UN is in the hands of Arab countries and third world or ex-communists countries. Their hands are tied. The UN has condemned Israel more than any other country in the world, including the regime of Castro, Idi Amin or Kaddahfi. By behaving this way, the UN leaves a door open by not openly condemning terrorist organizations. In addition, through UNRWA, the UN is directly tied to terror organizations such as Hamas, representing 65 percent of their apparatus in the so-called Palestinian refugee camps. As a support to Arab countries, the UN has maintained Palestinians in camps with the hope to "return" into Israel for more than 50 years, therefore making it impossible to settle those populations, which still live in deplorable conditions. Four-hundred million dollars are spent every year, mainly financed by U.S. taxes, to support 23,000 employees of UNRWA, many of whom belong to terrorist organizations (see Congressman Eric Cantor on this subject, and in my film "Hostages of Hatred")."
His article describes what has happened as the result of this policy.
http://counterterror.typepad.com/the_counterterrorism_blog/2005/07/interview_with_.html
Posted by: Jack at October 22, 2007 11:05 AM
Thanks jack for that link. The answers in that interview are terrifying, but obvious if you don't have your head in the sand.
Posted by: TomR at October 22, 2007 12:36 PM
What TomR said...100%
Posted by: BobF at October 22, 2007 07:37 PM
Jack, excellent link. Reading the first few paragraphs is scary. We all know about suicide bombers but to know what's in their minds is frightening and needs to be a wakeup call for all Americans.
This is some powerful stuff:
You are facing people whose only dream, only achievement is to fulfill what they believe to be their destiny, namely to be a shaheed (martyr) or the family of a shaheed. They don't see the innocent being killed, they only see the impure that they have to destroy.
Posted by: BobF at October 22, 2007 07:46 PM
Just boggles the mind, doesn't it? There it is plain as day for all to see (or who care to look) and they are still pussy footin' around because dear lord in heaven, we don't want to offend anyone. Well, I'll tell you one thing and that is those people's actions offend me. Too bad so many politicians and "dignitaries" are more offended by our troops and President Bush.
Posted by: yankeemom at October 22, 2007 08:39 PM
Tom, I agree so much, I truly would love for him to hold one of those offices.
Posted by: Wild Thing at October 22, 2007 11:23 PM
patrickdaniel, good one yes the UN sure is undone.
Posted by: Wild Thing at October 22, 2007 11:24 PM
Jack thank you so much for that link, I just read it, thank you. I sent it to myself in an email so I can save it. I am always afraid something written on the internet will disappear and I wanted to make sure I have it.
Posted by: Wild Thing at October 22, 2007 11:46 PM
Yankeemom, yes, it's that let's not offend anyone that will keep minds closed.
Posted by: Wild Thing at October 22, 2007 11:57 PM
read your reply..;)
Posted by: patrickdaniel at October 23, 2007 05:59 PM
