On September 6th Call your senators to oppose John Bolton’s nomination as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

On September 6, 2006, the whole country (ok, maybe not the WHOLE country) will pick up their phones to call their senators and voice their opposition to the renomination of U.N. Ambassador John Bolton. I am writing to urge you to join in this effort and make one last attempt to bend your senators’ ears before they gather to vote on this nomination.

If you don’t know who John Bolton is (or are a little fuzzy on his record before and during his time as U.N. Ambassador), he is our country’s primary representative at the United Nations. Unfortunately, his dysfunctional diplomacy is failing at the U.N. because he doesn’t believe in true international cooperation. During his time in office, Ambassador Bolton has managed to alienate even our closest allies with abrasive, uncompromising and “go-it-alone” behavior. Even before becoming ambassador, Mr. Bolton put the U.N. down at every opportunity, saying things like, “"The [U.N.] Secretariat building in New York has 38 stories. If you lost 10 stories today, it wouldn't make a bit of difference."

In short, John Bolton is the wrong man for the job. We need someone at the United Nations who can work with others, is respected, and wants to create positive change at the world body. To read more about John Bolton visit http://stopbolton.org.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is set to vote on Mr. Bolton’s nomination as early as September 7. If this vote passes, the entire U.S. Senate will get the chance to vote on whether or not John Bolton continues to represent us at the U.N. This means it is vitally important that each one of our senators hear that their constituents don’t want Mr. Bolton as their ambassador. And we’ve made this really simple to do!

All you have to do is pick up the phone, dial your senator’s foreign policy staffer, and read from the script below ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 6! (And if you’re feeling really ambitious, add your own language.) Your senators' foreign policy staffers are the best people to speak with or leave a message for, because they are generally the most informed on this topic and will most accurately relay your message. Click here to find contact information for your senators' foreign policy staffers.

Suggested Script for Call to Your Senator's Office
Visit http://www.globalsolutions.org/hill/fpstaff/bolton_call-in_day.html for contact information for your senator’s foreign policy staffer.

YOU: Hello, my name is (name) and I live in (hometown). I’m calling because I want Senator (senator's last name) to oppose John Bolton’s nomination as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Do you know what the senator's position is on this issue?

Your Senator's Foreign Policy Staffer: He/She will either state the senator’s position or volunteer to pass along your views.

YOU: Thanks. And please let the senator know I’ll be keeping track of his/her stance on this issue. (If you are put into the foreign policy staffer's voicemail, you can leave the following message:

YOU: Hello, my name is (name) and I live in (hometown). My phone number is (number). I’m calling because I want Senator (senator's last name) to oppose John Bolton’s nomination as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Please voice my concern to the senator and let him/her know I will be keeping track of his/her stance on this issue. Thank you.

[we received this alert from Witness for Peace, www.witnessforpeace.org