The selection of John Bolton as National Security Advisor fits a dangerous pattern: Trump, who pledged as a candidate to curtail America’s involvement in foreign wars, is surrounding himself with hardliners eager to take us into potentially catastrophic conflicts.
Bolton—who still believes the Iraq war was "worth it"—has never met a potential war he did not champion. He been a consistent supporter of military action against North Korea, most recently laying out the case in an op-ed earlier this year: wsj.com/articles/the-l…
When it comes to Iran, Bolton has consistently favored war over diplomacy, arguing we should bomb Iran. Now that Trump will be required to decide the fate of the Iran deal in a few short weeks, Bolton will argue for the same recipe he’s always embraced: nytimes.com/2015/03/26/opi…
There couldn't be a more dangerous time for Bolton to come into office. The administration faces decision points on Iran and North Korea in the coming weeks that could spell the difference between war and peace. And we know on which side Bolton will be coming down.
Bolton does appear to have one soft spot, however. In a newly surfaced video from 2013, Bolton hailed a “new era of freedom” in Vladimir Putin’s Russia: rawstory.com/2018/03/watch-…
Trump has surrounded himself with extremists—including Pompeo, his Secretary of State nominee—who will play to his worst instincts. Whether this is an effort to distract from the Russia probe or Trump’s genuine inclinations coming to the surface, the stakes could not be higher.
