Word has it that President Bush will nominate Zalmay Khalilzad to be Bolton’s replacement as the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, perhaps as soon as tomorrow.

Khalilzad is a Sunni Muslim, currently serving as ambassador to Iraq:

A consummate dealmaker, Khalilzad played an active role trying to push the Iraqi government toward political reconciliation. Khalilzad’s efforts [alienated] some in the Shia-dominated Iraqi government who complained that Khalilzad was biased in favor of Iraq’s Sunnis.

Wizbang thinks that Khalilzad will be “a great advocate for America’s interests at the UN.”

Matt at Blogs for Bush says that the president “should leave the post vacant after the Democrats shamefully obstructed John Bolton.”

I disagree, believing that if we are going to pay for the UN, we should at least be there to try and control things.

But both miss the elephant in the room. Does anyone believe that Khalilzad will be the tiger we need to protect Israel from the billion surrounding Muslims that threaten its very existence, at the international body that has repeatedly shown itself to be anti-Semitic?

This would never have gone through a Republican Congress. The Democrats will not want to be seen obstructing a Muslim’s appointment to this role so I predict he will be confirmed.

Israel is screwed.