Excellent column, but isn’t this victory of John Bolton’s opponents rather pyhrric? Such an Ambassador, by standing up to that pompous snake pit, in effect helped to alleviate U.S. disgust with it. Americans could think, ‘well, maybe something can be salvaged there. A man like Bolton is on the job. Maybe we shouldn’t dump them in the East River after all.’

But now, how much of the illusion will be left, especially if replacements, instead of standing up, just slither along with the others? Have the Democrats reckoned? Have they really benefitted their pets?