Center for Security Policy Urges Bolton Recess Appointment

Many moons ago I promoted the idea that perhaps Bush should go ahead and make John Bolton a recess appointment and just skip all the Senate rangling. Today the Center for Security Policy, run by Frank Gaffney, a weekly guest on the Hewitt show, urged the same thing and for a very good reason:

The Center for Security Policy today released an open letter to President Bush commending him for his nomination of John R. Bolton to become the next U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations – and urging a recess appointment be made to ensure Mr. Bolton is in place before the U.N. tries in September to impose international taxes on American citizens.

The letter states, in part:

In our judgment the Nation can ill-afford further delay of action on the Bolton nomination. As you know, the United Nations has a very full agenda this Fall. Given the momentous nature of that agenda – and the danger that some of its items may pose for American interests and sovereignty – we urge you to ensure that you are represented in New York at the earliest possible time by a man who enjoys your confidence and trust, and ours.


Of particular concern is the prospect that the upcoming high-level plenary meeting of the U.N. General Assembly from September 14-16 will be used to implement various ideas for international taxes. As you know, such proposals are not new. In fact, these initiatives have long been seen as a means of underwriting world government, or at least diminishing this country’s ability to influence the United Nations by dint of its granting (or withholding) of large sums in annual dues.

What is new, however, is that some believe the United States now must agree to the imposition of one form or another of global taxation ... We are sure that you share our unalterable opposition to the imposition of international taxes on American citizens and entities by unelected, unaccountable international bureaucrats.

As things stand now, however, our only hope of avoiding such ominously precedential "solidarity contributions” – whether they be imposed on airline tickets, currency transactions, international commerce or the internet – is for your view to be faithfully, articulately and effectively represented at the U.N.

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr., President of the Center for Security Policy, which circulated the open letter, said upon its release: "The Bush Administration is on notice: Millions of Americans represented by the forty-one signatories of this letter will not support the imposition of ‘globotaxes’ on them and their countrymen. It is time to draw a firm line against what the U.N. euphemistically calls ‘innovative funding mechanisms’ and John Bolton is the man to do it on the East River.”

Given that there's a pending Supreme Court nomination, I doubt that Bush will pull the trigger on this one and risk creating even more chaos in the Senate than is already there. It would be fun to see, though.