The soon-to-end tenure of John Bolton as United States ambassador to the United Nations was emblematic of the relationship between the Bush administration and the majority of American Jews.

Bolton, like Bush, showed a remarkable capacity for empathizing with Israel, and defending its interests in the face of the scorn of its enemies and the frequent indifference of America’s allies. He maintained a tradition of American UN ambassadors by standing up to an onslaught of one-sided Security Council resolutions, and many Jews cheered his frank criticism of a world body badly in need of reform.

But there are limits to such criticism, and in crossing those boundaries Bolton also showed why he and the administration could never fully capture the hearts and minds of most Jews. Remember that it was Bolton who said, “There is no such thing as the United Nations.” Instead, he said, “There is an international community that occasionally can be led by the only real power left in the world, and that is the United States when it suits our interest and we can get others to go along.”

Such hubris and disdain for diplomacy and coalition-building were as much the hallmarks of Bolton’s tenure as was his support for Israel. Bashing the UN might feel good, but it does nothing to change the reality that in an era of globalization in which both opportunities and threats know no borders, the world’s only superpower must learn to play nice with its neighbors or end up losing its influence. Nor did it make Bolton an effective advocate for reform.

The recent election demonstrated that just as Americans yearn for a new direction in Iraq, they are seeking an improvement in America’s relationship with the rest of the world. We hope the president puts forth a successor to Bolton who understands how deeply flawed the UN is when it comes to Israel and who will continue to act in its defense, while also recognzing the worth of building coalitions, seeking consensus, and demonstrating respect for process. Those are not contradictory goals, and achieving the latter might only ease the former. And who knows — were the next ambassdor capable of winning back America’s standing at the UN, then perhaps strong words about overhauling the world body could be matched by successful deeds.