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 Critic of U.N. Named Envoy
 
 By Glenn Kessler  and Colum Lynch
 
  President Bush named Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton yesterday as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, a surprise choice that would send an outspoken critic of the world body's effectiveness to its inner councils.
 
 Bolton's government experience stretches through three Republican administrations, and his tough language and willingness to eschew diplomatic niceties have earned him both fans and critics overseas and in the bureaucracy. In Bush's first term, he proved to be highly effective at advancing his strong conservative views within the administration, even when he was at odds with then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and much of the State Department.
 
 The post requires Senate confirmation, and Democrats immediately signaled they would wage a spirited confirmation battle. Forty-three Democrats voted against his nomination as undersecretary for arms control four years ago; even some Republicans privately expressed dismay at Bolton's elevation yesterday.
 
 Some U.N. diplomats said they were surprised. European officials said they were puzzled at how the appointment meshed with the administration's recent efforts at consultative diplomacy.
 
 Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who announced the nomination, alluded to Bolton's reputation when she noted that "some of our best ambassadors" to the United Nations have been those with "the strongest voices," such as Jeane J. Kirkpatrick and Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
 
 Bolton would replace John C. Danforth, who resigned after barely six months as ambassador. An aide to Rice, calling the appointment a "Nixon goes to China" move, said the secretary recommended Bolton to Bush several weeks ago. Rice told reporters Bolton was selected "because he knows how to get things done."
 
 Bolton acknowledged yesterday that he has written critically of the United Nations, saying one highlight of his career was his role in the successful 1991 repeal of the General Assembly 1975 resolution equating Zionism with racism, "thus removing the greatest stain on the U.N.'s reputation."
 
 He said he has consistently stressed in his writings that "American leadership is critical to the success of the U.N., an effective U.N., one that is true to the original intent of its charter's framers."
 
 Bolton, 56,  served in the administration of George H.W. Bush, father of the current president, as assistant secretary of state for international organizations, and in the Reagan administration as an assistant attorney general. He keeps a mock grenade in his office, labeled "To John Bolton  --  World's Greatest Reaganite."
 
 Throughout the current administration's first term, Bolton was often at odds with the United Nations and related institutions.
 
 He spearheaded U.S. opposition to the International Criminal Court, declaring that the day he signed the letter withdrawing the U.S. signature on the treaty was "the happiest moment of my government service." He was the force behind Bush's Proliferation Security Initiative, a coalition designed to halt trade in nuclear materials that bypassed the United Nations. And he pressed the administration's unsuccessful campaign to deny a third term to Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
 
 On the eve of six-nation talks over North Korea's nuclear ambitions two years ago, Bolton traveled to Seoul and denounced North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in highly personal terms. He labeled Kim a "tyrannical dictator" who had made North Korea "a hellish nightmare"  --  which prompted the North Korean government to call him "human scum and bloodsucker."
 
 Bolton also frequently riled European allies with his uncompromising stands  --  and his disdain for their fledging efforts to secure an agreement with Iran to end its nuclear programs.
 
 Bolton often had tense relations with his nominal boss, Powell, though he was viewed by Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld as a loyal supporter of the president. Bolton played a key behind-the-scenes role in the 2000 Florida recount battle that secured Bush's victory. When Rice bypassed Bolton for deputy secretary of state  --  picking instead the pragmatic trade representative, Robert B. Zoellick  --  and signaled that a key aide from the National Security Council would take Bolton's arms-control portfolio, it appeared uncertain whether a sufficiently prominent spot could be found for him in the second term.
 
 Bolton was frequently mentioned as undersecretary of defense for policy, which would have kept him in the center of administration debates, frequently opposing State. In some ways, the U.N. post moves Bolton out of a direct policymaking role, though his allies predicted he would retain a prominent voice.
 
 Kirkpatrick, calling Bolton "one of the smartest people I've ever encountered in Washington," said much of his influence would depend on the personal relations Bolton has established in Washington. She noted that she was both a Cabinet member and member of the National Security Council, while Bush downgraded the position so the ambassador reports to the secretary of state.
 
 Asked if the United Nations had concerns about Bolton's history of sharply criticizing the world body, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the institution would welcome a tough reformer. "We do want to be held accountable," he said.
 
 Security Council members said they expect that Bolton would have to moderate his views on the United Nations. China's U.N. ambassador, Wang Guangya, said he was not concerned by Bolton's previous promotion of an independent Taiwan. "It's mainly the big boss that makes the agenda, not the small ones," he said.
 
 Wang, who once oversaw China's weapons-proliferation policies, said that Bolton "seemed reasonable" in negotiating sessions. "My feeling is that, of course, his chemistry is different, but I think we can we work together."
 
  Edward Luck, a U.N. expert at Columbia University, said that Bolton has been his favorite debating partner on U.N. matters. "He is very bright, capable and articulate," Luck said. "It just seems that this is an odd place for him to be deployed. He has little patience for the give-and-take of diplomacy." 
 
 Democrats acknowledge that Bolton is highly intelligent, but they have questioned his judgment. "My problem with you over the years is that you've been too competent," Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) told Bolton four years ago. "I would rather you be stupid and not very effective."
 
 Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) called the nomination "a disappointing choice and one that sends all the wrong signals."
 
 Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, did not issue a statement of support. "Don't read anything into that," spokesman Andy Fisher said, though he acknowledged that Lugar had urged Rice to submit nominees who would have "wide support" and help build a "consensus on foreign policy."
 
 Lynch reported from the United Nations.
 
   

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