Bloomberg's Finest Hour
Mayor Bloomberg got it precisely right yesterday in his comments on the decision of the American ambassador at the United Nations, John Bolton, to resign in the face of a new Democratic Senate that made his confirmation highly unlikely. Mr. Bloomberg called the opposition to Mr. Bolton "an outrage," "a disgrace," and "a cheap political stunt." Said the mayor, "I think countries like America and Israel will suffer because they won't have John Bolton there."
It's moments like this that New Yorkers feel fortunate Mr. Bloomberg is our mayor, even if it means we are going to have to endure soggy, trans-fat-free French fries. This is about more than Mr. Bolton's future; it is about Mr. Bloomberg's. One of the questions that is going to be raised in respect of Mr. Bloomberg if he decides to get into the presidential race concerns his foreign policy. From our perspective, he starts out from strength. His experience overseeing a police department that has marshaled unprecedented resources to defend the city from the terrorist threat, and his involvement in rebuilding the city from the attacks of September 11, 2001, contribute to an understanding of the war we are in. His experience as the head of a company that does lots of business overseas gives him knowledge of the global economy. And his experience with the Olympic movement in connection with New York's unsuccessful bid for the 2012 games helped diminish any illusions he may have had about international cooperation.
Senator McCain and Governor Romney, two Republican candidates, both issued statements of support for Mr. Bolton, while Democrats such as Senator Schumer and Senator Clinton ducked our inquiries on the topic. If Mr. Bloomberg does seek and win the presidency, his statements on Mr. Bolton offer an insight into how he would approach the Senate's role in appointments. He suggested it was unreasonable of the Senate not to let "the executives in our government have the advisers that they need to do their job."
His comments also offer insight into another aspect of his political personality, one that we also find attractive. That is his independence. You'd expect Messrs. Romney and McCain to back Mr. Bolton; they are Republican, pro-Israel, national security hawks. You'd expect Democrats to duck or to deride Mr. Bolton, as Senators Biden and Kerry did; they are trying to win a primary in a party with an influential faction of anti-war activists. Mr. Bloomberg, partly because of his personal wealth, and partly because of the political road he has chosen for himself, is not beholden to interest groups.
It frees him to judge the issues on the merits and call them as he sees them. Mr. McCain and Mayor Giuliani have displayed similar independent streaks on certain issues, and among the Democrats, even the hot property of the moment, Senator Obama, has touted the need for pragmatism. Such appeals have a way of coming to the fore in election seasons; President Bush came to office vowing to change the tone in Washington and has found himself mired in some of the bitterest partisan divisiveness in memory. With Mr. Bloomberg one gets the sense that this sort of independence isn't election-season posturing but the mayor's genuine character. There is an intelligent directness not often seen in public life, a quality that Mr. Bloomberg shares with Mr. Bolton. It is refreshing, and the country would be better off with more, not less of it.
