John Bolton speaks after being installed as the permanent Ambassador to UN for the US by President George W. Bush in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. (Xinhua/Reuters photo)

US President George W. Bush sidestepped the Senate and installed embattled nominee John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations yesterday, ending a five-month impasse with Democrats who accused Bolton of abusing subordinates and twisting intelligence to fit his conservative ideology.

"This post is too important to leave vacant any longer, especially during a war and a vital debate about UN reform," Bush said.

Bush put Bolton on the job in a recess appointment an avenue available to the president when the Congress is in recess. Under the US Constitution, a recess appointment during the lawmakers' August break would last until the next session of Congress.

Bolton joined Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the announcement ceremony and said he was honoured and humbled by the president's appointment.

Bush had refused to give up on Bolton even though the Senate had voted twice to sustain a filibuster against his nominee. Democrats and some Republicans had raised questions about Bolton's fitness for the job, particularly in view of his harsh criticism of the United Nations.

As Bush concluded speaking, Senator John Cornyn praised the president for using his authority "to end the obstruction against John Bolton."

But Senator Edward M. Kennedy sharply criticized the move.

"The abuse of power and the cloak of secrecy from the White House continues," Kennedy said.

"It's bad enough that the administration stonewalled the Senate by refusing to disclose documents highly relevant to the Bolton nomination. It's even worse for the administration to abuse the recess appointment power by making the appointment while Congress is in this five-week recess. It's a devious maneuver that evades the constitutional requirement of Senate consent and only further darkens the cloud over Mr. Bolton's credibility at the UN."

Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, a senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said, "The president has done a real disservice to our nation by appointing an individual who lacks to the credibility to further US interests at the United Nations. I will be monitoring his performance closely to ensure that he does not abuse his authority as he has in the past."

Source: China Daily