Sometime back, Suzanne Nossel wrote that a recess appointment for John Bolton would effectively neuter him and she cites history as evidence. Here are some of her conclusions:
A recess appointment would position Bolton poorly for ... critical political dimensions of the UN job. He would have a hard time working effectively with a Foreign Relations Committee and a Congress that don’t support him for the job. Bolton’s opponents in Congress would find ways of working around him, turning to UN personnel and other U.S. officials to get information and put their views across.
Knowing that his appointment would short term and lacking strong support, Bolton’s colleagues at the UN and in overseas missions wouldn’t rely on him in the way they normally would an ambassador. They would question his ability to deliver on promises and try to circumvent him by working directly with the U.S. State Department.
Another problem Bolton would face is that the politics would tend to revolve around him, rather than his agenda. Bolton’s every move would be viewed through the lens of how it might position him for another try at confirmation once his recess slot expired in 2007. His supporters would judge whether he’d maintained the stalwart defiance that made him famous, and his detractors would apply the opposite criteria. In such a no-win situation, both Bolton and the U.S. agenda would lose.
And he may have a Special Prosecutor breathing down his neck.
I wouldn't call this a cold file yet, would you?
