Not without irony, John Bolton, who in 1994 said that if 10 floors of the UN's 38-storey headquarters were lobbed off it wouldn't make any difference, has finally been appointed as US ambassador to the sprawling bureaucratically top-heavy mammoth, writes James Sturcke.
When his appointment was announced yesterday, he promised "to work tirelessly" on the agenda set by the US president, George Bush, (so presumably he's demanded an office between floor 1-28).
But will Ambassador Bolton (the words themselves provoke a wry smile) be able to adapt to world of diplomacy and compromise of the UN?
In 2000, the neo-con who has spent the past four years fighting the spread of weapons of mass destruction remarked that the security council needed only one permanent member, the US, "because that's the real reflection of the distribution of power in the world". So what will be his take on the UN's planned reforms, which include increasing the number of permanent security council members from the current five?
It's a fair bet he won't be immediately popular and, as the Washington Post (registration required) notes "the contentious figure who has made many enemies, a bureaucratic power player who has played for keeps won't be many people's first choice".
The New York Times (registration required) looks on the bright side, noting that as long as Mr Bolton is in New York he won't be wreaking diplomatic havoc anywhere else.
There's been plenty of comment about how Mr Bush exploited a loophole in American law to appoint Mr Bolton while the Sentate was in recess. Toonhippie notes the legislation was drawn up in an era when the fastest form of transport was a galloping horse and bringing politicians back to Washington took days or weeks.
Leftish bloggers are furious about the appointment. Charles J. Brown reckons the Democrats went down gallantly, losing the Bolton battle but winning the war.
The Economist points out that the failings that Democrats see in Mr Bolton are viewed by conservatives as strength. To them he is strong-willed, assertive and relentless in pursuit of America's interests.
So, it's round one to the Bush and Bolton camp. The next fight will be over the president's choice of John Roberts to fill a vacancy in the supreme court. Running Scared has some tips about how Democrats should plan their strategy for that one.
