Ironically, former UN ambassador John Bolton's actual conduct as America's most reluctant envoy to Turtle Bay provides a precedent for President-Elect Barack H. Obama to make the post a Cabinet-level job - no matter how much the Mustachioed One rants about "two secretaries in the same department."

Mr Bolton tried to keep an office in Washington while posted to Turtle Bay, to hold onto a seat at the policy-making table. This was both because of his boredom and frustration with the UN, and his barely-concealed contempt for most of his State Department colleagues.

Why shouldn't the next, Bizarro World envoy to Turtle Bay have a better chance to compete for the President's attention? Even if I'm not completely sold on R2P, someone with experience of being at State during the Rwanda crisis, and in the future with both Cabinet access and a voice in the UN might have a very powerful influence on Darfur policy, or so says John Boonstra. Thanks, Mr. Bolton!

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