YYYYYYYESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!

Bush will name John Bolton as our new U.N. Ambassador! Not exactly a chastened administration in ideological retreat. From the perspective of the North Korean regime, which famously called Bolton “human scum,” you couldn’t do any worse than this guy:

Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton, a controversial Bush administration figure whose strong statements on North Korea’s nuclear program irked the leaders in Pyongyang, is President Bush’s choice to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, a government official said Monday.

Bolton promises to be the most ideologically straightforward and hawkish ambassador since Jeanne Kirkpatrick, and his appointment may signal that the administration is ready to make a major public issue of human rights in North Korea.

UPDATE: BBC expects a stormy confirmation process. They’re probably in as much shock as the Rodong Sinmun crowd.