For Mr. Bolton, the problem is revealed in another story published last weekend by The Associated Press. To make the case for war, the Bush administration would claim that Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. But Jose Bustani, who in 2002 was running the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, wanted to get inspectors into Iraq. As we now realize, inspections would have undercut the case for war. Mr. Bolton, the undersecretary of state for arms control, led a successful attempt by the U.S. and Britain to have Mr. Bustani fired, blaming his "mismanagement." Mr. Bolton's deputy at the time confirms his role.

It was already known that in 2002, Mr. Bolton tried to manufacture evidence that Cuba had a biological weapons program. Now, it seems that Mr. Bolton was happy to head off a mission that might have upset the White House's plans for war. The "Downing Street Memo" — named for the British prime minister's residence — reveals how duplicitously President Bush acted before invading Iraq. The smear of Mr. Bustani shows how unqualified John Bolton is for the U.N.