John Bolton US Ambassador To The United Nations Resigns As Senate Refuses Confirmation

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Facing tough resistance against his confirmation in the Senate, Bush-appointed Ambassador to the UN John Bolton has decided to resign his post. Bolton, who was appointed to the position last year by Bush during a break in the Senate, needed to be confirmed by the Senate to keep the position.

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Bolton's appointment to the position in the UN was controversial to begin with. Bolton had already made public remarks against the UN in general - and his appointment to the position was being fought in the Senate. Bush was able to take advantage of a congressional break and appointed Bolton as US ambassador to the UN without getting confirmation. This was legally only a temporary appointment and Bolton required Senate confirmation to continue his role.

Now, with the power shift in the Senate, and the resentment left there after Bolton side-stepped their protest a year, no one believes John Bolton will be confirmed. As a result, John Bolton stepped down from his position in anticipation of being ousted from it.

President Bush told reporters "I'm not happy about it", talking about John Bolton's resignation. He blamed a handfull of senators for blocking Bolton's confirmation, and said that Bolton's leaving the UN would disrupt negotiations at a sensitive time. Bush told Bolton "You've been a stalwart defender of freedom and peace", and "You've been strong in your advocacy for human rights and human dignity. You've done everything that can be expected for an ambassador."

Analysts are calling Bolton's resignation just another in the line of top Bush administrators that are facing the heat at home. Donald Rumsfeld recently resigned as United States Secretary of Defense the day after the Democrats swept both the House and the Senate.