Des Moines Register
01-03-07
Be bold: Choose Lee Hamilton as U.N. ambassador
By JAMES McCORMICK
IOWA VIEW
Given America's low esteem in the global community and the Bush
administration's anemic approval ratings, President Bush needs to make a bold
appointment to replace John Bolton as the U.S. ambassador to the United
Nations - one that signals a new foreign-policy direction for the country. Lee H.
Hamilton would be the right choice to restore America's credibility at home and
abroad.
Hamilton has a clear grasp of America's foreign policy and a long and
distinguished career in public service. He served in Congress for 34 years and
chaired the Europe and Middle East subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee for two decades. He would bring an extensive knowledge of, and
experience in, those two regions, which are at the fulcrum of America's foreign
policy today.
He also served on the House Intelligence Committee and more recently as vice
chair of the 9/11 Commission, giving him a clear understanding of the threats
facing the United States and how to protect its interests. Further, his recent role
as co-chair of the Iraq Study Group provides him with a unique understanding of
the need to forge a consensus to move forward in Iraq. That background would
enable him to proceed quickly to implement the diplomatic initiative the report set
out.
The appointment of Hamilton would require political courage for President Bush
and mark a sharp departure from past practice, weighted toward personal loyalty
and ideological conformity. Yet it would provide important benefits to the
president, the administration and the country. Such an appointment would serve
as a tangible signal that President Bush has heard the results of the Nov. 7
elections and that he is committed to a new direction for foreign policy. It would
go a long way to restore the administration's credibility with the newly elected
Democratic Congress. And it would show the public at large that he is willing to
move beyond partisanship to bipartisanship in conducting foreign policy.
Although a loyal Democrat - and a finalist for the vice presidency in 1992 Hamilton would likely answer the call of a Republican president, if asked.
Throughout his career in Congress and more recently in the Iraq Study Group
report, he has called for, and supported, a bipartisan approach to foreign policy.
Because Hamilton is held in such high regard on Capitol Hill, President Bush
would be able to get Senate confirmation quickly.
With his extensive understanding of European politics, our allies would embrace
the change from Bolton, who was disliked and dismissed for his staunch
ideological stances. Hamilton's policy moderation and his common-sense
approach to problem-solving would enhance American credibility in Europe - a
credibility largely in tatters among European leaders and their publics since the
run-up to the Iraq war in 2003.
The reaction would also be positive in the Middle East, where friends and
adversaries would welcome his thoughtful understanding of the complex
problems in the region and his even-handed approach to their resolution. As a
co-author of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group report, Hamilton would probably be
afforded some decision latitude by the parties in the region to tackle anew the
vexing problem in Iraq. The Bush administration and the United States would be
the beneficiaries of such efforts.
No single appointment will restore the international damage to America's foreign
policy that has occurred during the past three years, and no one individual can
solve the problem of Iraq. But the unique qualities that Lee Hamilton would bring
to this appointment would go a long way to beginning a more credible foreign
policy for the United States in the Middle East and elsewhere. The appointment,
too, would help restore a place of honor to the United Nations among the
instruments of American foreign policy.
JAMES M. MCCORMICK is professor and chair of political science at Iowa
State University. He was previously a congressional fellow for the American
Political Science Association, working in the office of Lee Hamilton.