John Bolton’s decision to resign as America’s envoy to the UN was a wise move. He averted a distracting and divisive fight at a time when both Congress and the Bush administration have better things to do. He has also provided Bush with an opportunity to show the kind of bipartisan leadership he talks about so frequently and exercises so seldom.

We opposed Bolton’s nomination in the first place, arguing that at the very minimum, an ambassador to the United Nations should be someone who believed the organisation deserved to exist. Bolton has always been hostile to the UN, and to the whole spirit of consensus-seeking diplomacy it embodies.

The UN doesn’t need any further proof of how little Bush thinks of it. And the Bush administration doesn’t need to insult the world at a time when it is becoming increasingly clear how much help the US needs to stabilise Afghanistan, extricate itself from Iraq, and curb the nuclear appetites of North Korea and Iran.

Bolton’s withdrawal gives the president a chance to improve his relationship with both the UN and Congress. There are plenty of experienced, internationalist Republicans who could get near-unanimous support in the Senate and send a signal to the world that Bush understands that the United States is not the only nation on the planet whose opinion matters.