Bush nominates Bolton as U.N. ambassador
 |  Bolton speaks to the media Monday as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice looks on. |
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 John Bolton's nomination as U.N. ambassador is not without controversy.
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| JOHN R. BOLTON | AGE: 56; born November 20, 1948, in Baltimore, Maryland
EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree from Yale University, summa cum laude, 1970; law degree from Yale Law School, 1974
EXPERIENCE: Undersecretary of state for arms control and international security since May 11, 2001; assistant U.S. attorney general, 1985-1989; assistant administrator for program and policy coordination, U.S. Agency for International Development, 1982-1983; general counsel, U.S. Agency for International Development, 1981-1982; associate at the Washington office of Covington & Burling, 1974-81; partner in the law firm of Lerner, Reed, Bolton & McManus, 1993-99
FAMILY: Married to the former Gretchen Brainerd; one daughter.
Source: AP
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Monday nominated Undersecretary of State John Bolton to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
"The president and I have asked John to do this work because he knows how to get things done. He is a tough-minded diplomat," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said. "He has a strong record of success, and he has a proven track record of effective multilateralism.
"John Bolton is personally committed to the future success of the United Nations, and he will be a strong voice for reform at a time when the United Nations has begun to reform itself to help meet the challenging agenda before the international community."
Bolton drew fire from Democrats in 1994 when he said at a Federalist Society forum that "there is no such thing as the United Nations."
"If the U.N. secretary building in New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn't make a bit of difference," he said.
Several officials from U.N. Security Council member states expressed astonishment that Bush would name someone they believed had a known antipathy toward the United Nations, according to a Reuters report.
But one senior council envoy, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, also spoke of the value of Bolton's high standing in the administration. "It's like the Palestinians having to negotiate with [Israeli Prime Minister] Ariel Sharon. If you have a deal, you know you have a deal," he told Reuters.
Bolton, 56, acknowledged that he has been critical of the world body.
"As you know, I have, over the years, written critically about the U.N.," he said. "Indeed, one highlight of my professional career was the 1991 successful effort to repeal the General Assembly's 1975 resolution equating Zionism with racism, thus removing the greatest stain on the U.N.'s reputation."
But he said his record "demonstrates clear support for effective multilateral diplomacy" that he said requires "close cooperation and the time-honored tradition of frank communication" to achieve.
"The United Nations affords us the opportunity to move our policies forward together with unity and purpose," he said.
Bolton is also known for strong statements that have irked leaders in North Korea and China, The Associated Press reported.
Last month, for instance, in a strongly worded speech in Tokyo, Japan, Bolton lashed out at China before an international audience for not stopping its munitions companies from selling missile technology to Iran and other nations the United States considers rogue states, the AP reported.
North Korea was so incensed by his public denunciations of its nuclear weapons program that it refused to negotiate with him and he was removed from the U.S. delegation to the now-dormant talks, the AP said.
The Senate must confirm the nomination of Bolton, who has been undersecretary of state for arms control and international security since May 2001.
Before his State Department appointment, he was senior vice president of the American Enterprise Institute, a nonprofit public policy center.
Bolton has held other positions in the State and Justice departments as well as in the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Bolton holds bachelor's and law degrees from Yale University. He is a native of Baltimore, Maryland.
If confirmed, Bolton will replace John Danforth, who left the post in January after less than seven months on the job. In his resignation letter, Danforth cited a desire to spend more time with family and health concerns as his reasons for stepping down.
Anne Patterson, a career foreign service officer, has been acting U.S. ambassador to the United Nations since Danforth's departure.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
