Give Me That Damn Prize

This is so funny, it has to be true...

John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, is one of two Americans who have been nominated for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize.

Last year, Democrats and a few Republicans refused to confirm Bolton to the U.N. post, forcing President Bush to resort to a recess appointment.

Bolton and Kenneth R. Timmerman were formally nominated by Sweden's former deputy prime minister Per Ahlmark, for playing a major role in exposing Iran's secret plans to develop nuclear weapons.

They documented Iran's secret nuclear buildup and revealed Iran's "repeated lying" and false reports to the International Atomic Energy Agency, a press release said.

Bolton formerly served as U.S. undersecretary for arms control and international security, and he authored the Proliferation Security Initiative, an international effort to block WMD shipments. The effort eventually unmasked the secret nuclear network directed by Pakistan nuclear scientist A. Q. Khan.

Timmerman, an independent researcher, has written extensively on Iran's nuclear activities for more than 20 years. His report for the Simon Wiesenthal Center in 1992 first detailed Iran's ties to A.Q. Khan. His most recent book, "Countdown to Crisis: The Coming Nuclear Showdown with Iran," was published last year.

In June 2005, Senate Republicans fell six votes in their second effort to end a Democrat filibuster of Bolton's nomination to serve as U.N. ambassador.

Bolton's supporters complained that Bolton was the target of a Democrat smear campaign. A number of Democrats and some Republicans complained about Bolton's brusque dealings with co-workers and underlings.

Perhaps Bolton scared someone into nominating him. Then again, he may not want a prize that's recently been awarded to wretched scum like Yasser Arafat and naive boobs like Jimmy Carter. Unlike either of those two individuals, Bolton appears to be doing his job effectively.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate, which failed to confirm Bolton due a Democrat filibuster, looks foolish. Well, at least we can count on some things in this crazy world.