The exchange Monday between President Bush and Ambassador to the United Nations John R. Bolton put an end to an unhappy chapter in U.S. multilateral diplomacy in New York.

The Senate, which has to provide its advice and consent to such appointments, rejected Mr. Bolton the first time. Mr. Bush named him anyway, in a so-called "recess appointment," while Congress was not in session. Fortunately, those are valid only until the end of the Congress during which they are made. In this case, Mr. Bolton's appointment was about to end Dec. 31 and could be extended only through irregular means.

Mr. Bush could not get Mr. Bolton through the Republican-controlled Senate; the foreign relations committee refused to send his nomination to the floor for a vote. The president's chances of getting him through the new Democrat-controlled Senate next year were zero. Thus, the end of the tenure of the not-beloved Mr. Bolton.

There is an argument that says an administration with a hard-edged, conservative set of foreign policies is most appropriately represented at the United Nations by a hard-edged, conservative ambassador. It should never be the case, however, that the personality of an ambassador makes it harder for a country to achieve its aims -- at the United Nations or anywhere else.

Mr. Bolton clearly possessed not only conservative principles that governed his behavior, but also what many considered an abrasive, unpleasant personality that made the path of progress for the United States at the United Nations more difficult rather than easier. Starting with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, a relatively gentle soul, no one at the international body seemed to appreciate Mr. Bolton's approach. It is extremely unlikely that anyone at the United Nations ever did anything for the United States because they liked John Bolton.

Mr. Bush's complaints about obstructive senators blocking Mr. Bolton's renomination don't help either, if one wishes to see a productive relationship between his Republican White House and a Democrat-controlled Senate and House starting in January. Many Americans are tired indeed of such petulance and ill-chosen words in the face of opposition, whether it be with respect to the policy the president continues to pursue in Iraq, or in his defense of an indefensible ambassador to the United Nations.

Adieu, Mr. Bolton. We don't expect the country will miss you. Let's hope Mr. Bush does better next time in naming someone to the post.