Bolton's Gifts

One of the greatest mistakes of the 109th Congress is its failure to approve the nomination of John Bolton to be America's ambassador to the United Nations. At a time when the world needs the United Nations to be a credible arena for debate and a force for stability, his departure is a major step backward for the organization.

The American people's confidence in the United Nations is at an all-time low. Ambassador Bolton was precisely the kind of person who was capable of restoring credibility at the United Nations and, by implication, restoring the American people's confidence in the world body. His departure was a tremendous loss for anyone — especially his critics — who wants the United Nations to be a constructive player in world affairs.

Over the past two years, the Senate subcommittee on federal financial management that I headed has made numerous requests for information to the United Nations. The organization rarely accommodated our requests on behalf of American taxpayers. However, while the United Nations typically refused to provide my subcommittee with reports, audits, budgets, and documentation for U.N. oversight hearings, Mr. Bolton quickly obtained documents and worked with my oversight staff to find real answers.

Mr. Bolton was constantly pushing for transparency and accountability at the world body whether he was speaking directly with U.N. management, negotiating on the U.N. budget, delivering speeches, or speaking to reporters. If he wasn't talking about holding state sponsors of terror accountable, he was talking about holding the United Nations accountable. Consider a few of Mr. Bolton's victories for reform and accountability at the United Nations:

* In December 2005, the United Nations tried to adopt its $3.79 billion biennial budget while refusing to respond to the international outcry for reforms in the wake of the oil-for-food scandal — one of history's largest financial scandals in which not a single U.N. official responsible has been held accountable. Mr. Bolton led the coalition of countries that forced a $950 million temporary cap on expenditures, representing six months worth of funding. This cap forced the United Nations to, at the very least, consider reforms that it had completely ignored up to that point.

* In June 2006, when the budget cap was reached, the United Nations forced the vote to release the rest of the budget despite continuing to ignore the need for reform. Mr. Bolton took the courageous step to break the status quo and remove American support of the budget. Japan, the second largest contributor to the United Nations behind America, took the same step. Japan's action, which was inspired by Mr. Bolton's leadership, was significant because the budget at the world body is always done by consensus. Reform was so important to Mr. Bolton that he broke protocol in protest against the organization's refusal to apply basic standards of accountability and transparency to its operating practices.

* After this step was taken, Mr. Bolton continued to force a kicking and screaming U.N. bureaucracy to make modest first-steps toward reform by establishing an ethics office and by updating its computer systems in order to improve inadequate accounting practices.

Mr. Bolton's departure means that further reforms at the United Nations, which he almost singlehandedly forced, probably will not go through. His departure also signals a lack of commitment among U.S. senators to ensure that the United Nations spends U.S. taxpayer dollars wisely. What the United Nations needs is more John Boltons, not less.

Dr. Coburn is a U.S. senator of Oklahoma.