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Wednesday, Oct. 08, 2008

Former U.N. envoy Bolton talks issues at Mercer

Former U.N. ambassador John Bolton broke down geopolitical relations around the world during a visit to Macon on Tuesday evening and still got his audience home in time to watch the 9 p.m. presidential debate.

Bolton, President Bush's controversial choice in 2005 to represent America to the United Nations, brought his characteristic frankness - and his bushy mustache - to Mercer University to speak to members of the university's executive forum.

He said it's a question of "when and not whether" Iran develops a nuclear weapon. He said Israel may attack Iran to keep that from happening. And, if Israel does, it's likely to do so before Jan. 20, when a new president will take office, he said.

He called immigration "a net positive for this country," given India and China's much larger populations. But unfortunately America has lost the political will "to insist on Americanization" of immigrants, he said.

He downplayed the United State's ailing economy, comparing it to other countries where stock markets have lost much higher percentages of their value in the last year.

He said Russia has been "providing political cover for Iran and North Korea" from its position on the U.N. Security Council. He said China is giving the Khartoum regime cover in Darfur, which is why there aren't enough peacekeeper troops there to stop the genocide.

He said "the real story of Europe for the next several decades is quite likely it's decline in influence."

He said North Korea won't voluntarily give up its nuclear weapons program, and called it "a criminal state that will sell anything to anybody."

He called Iran "the central banker of international terrorism."

He said 99.44 percent - from the old Ivory soap jingle - of America's problems can be addressed through negotiation. But not 100 percent.

He called the baby boomer generation, of which he is a member, the most spoiled and self-centered in American history. He said "the best things that you can say about the baby boom generation" is that most of them are about to retire.

He said he once heard Bush call Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez "Fidel Castro without brains." That, Bolton said, is about right.

He said every country in the U.N. is there to advance its own agenda.

"And the only country that gets criticized for that is the United States," he said.

He called the coming presidential election one of the most important in a very long time, and made sure to end well before Tuesday night's presidential debate began.

To contact writer Travis Fain, call 744-4213.