A s expected, U.S. President George W. Bush used a recess appointment to name Mr. John Bolton his ambassador to the United Nations. The move is a result of the bitter, partisan divisions that dog politics in Washington D.C, and a sign of Mr. Bush's determination to send Mr. Bolton to the U.N. While his supporters say the appointment is good for U.S. relations with the U.N., the decision is yet another blow to U.S. international credibility. Mr. Bolton could reinvigorate the U.N., but there is nothing in his record to suggest he is prepared for the give and take that is essential to successful diplomacy.

News of Mr. Bolton's nomination was greeted with dismay by internationalists and friends of the U.N. He is famous for noting that the U.N. would not suffer if the U.N. Building lost 10 floors and has argued that the United States has little or no use for international law or multilateralism in general. During his tenure as assistant secretary of state for arms control and nonproliferation in the first four years of Mr. Bush's presidency, he was best known for his skepticism about arms control, his pugnacious approach to diplomacy -- in one speech in Seoul he referred to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il more than 40 times, each time negatively -- and his preference for muscular solutions to thorny international problems.

His image problems were compounded during congressional hearings on his nomination. Those sessions revealed that Mr. Bolton was a "kiss up, kick down" manager, according to another State Department official who crossed paths -- and words -- with him. Reports that Mr. Bolton's testimony was incomplete and sometimes wrong did not endear him to the senators who had to consent to his nomination.