SOURCE: John Bolton CLOSE to being named Secretary of State!

[SirLinksALot]

SOURCE: THE RIGHT SCOOP

URL: http://therightscoop.com/source-john-bolton-close-named-secretary-state/


It’s being reported now that John Bolton is close to being named as Secretary of State in the new Trump administration:

Source says John Bolton is close to being named Secretary of State, Corker still a remote possibility, Gingrich is out

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) November 14, 2016

Plugged-in GOP source: Between Rudy Giuliani and Bolton for Sec/State.

— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) November 14, 2016

I really hope this is true and Bolton gets this role. I can’t think of anyone more thoughtful about State and Foreign affairs than Bolton. I have no doubt that he will do an epic job including a thorough cleaning up of the State Department, which is badly needed!

[Norm Lenhart]

That would be a very good thing.

[SirLinksALot]

ALSO HERE FROM RED STATE:

http://www.redstate.com/streiff/2016/11/14/rumor.-john-bolton-named-secretary-state/

Bolton would be an inspired choice both in terms of the temperament needed to turn around a fat, flailing and failing State Department that is more interested in being liked by the right people than in pursuing the nation’s interests and in the message it sends.

State is a byzantine organization with its own personnel regulations and it has traditionally operated as though it was the sole adult in the room and the president, especially when the president was a Republican, was an unruly child. Bolton has caused the Iranians and North Koreans to complain about him in the past and the Democrats filibustered his appointment as UN ambassador. His nomination would be a sign that Trump is serious about foreign policy and that he’s not afraid to make enemies of the right people.

[Just_Victor]

Bolton would be an awesome choice for SoS.

[Norm Lenhart]

Bolton would be an awesome choice for SoS.

If Trump makes him SOS, he's serious about Foreign policy.

[EC]

Love this idea. Bolton is a rare "perfect fit" for the post.

[bolobaby]

I would accept this as one of Trump's first good, conservative moves.

[ABX]

It would be a good move, but I think supporters won't be happy. I took a browse at archived articles at FR and for a few recent years, they started painting him as an establishment enemy too.

[r9etb]

That would be a very good thing.

I'd think so if Bolton hadn't essentially become a bomb-throwing pundit since his days in the UN.  His confirmation will be a circus.

National Review makes a good case for him here: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/442150/john-bolton-secretary-state.

Nevertheless, what we need for Secretary of State is a man who can cushion Trump's sharp edges, and can reassure allies and negotiating partners who are worried about what Trump will do.  (Sorry, ladies, but mainly for reasons of perceptions, this time around it needs to be a man.) 

Bolton's not that guy.  Rightly or wrongly, Bolton's record of brash public statements will paint him as an extension of Trump, rather than the necessary strong and calm face of US foreign policy.

I think a guy like Corker would probably be a better choice.

[mirraflake]

I can't stand Bolton. All he wants to do is bomb everyone and start wars. Dialogue is not in his vocabulary.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Bolton's not that guy.  Rightly or wrongly, Bolton's record of brash public statements will paint him as an extension of Trump, rather than the necessary strong and calm face of US foreign policy.

On the flip side, Bolton is brash enough that he's likely to gain Trump's trust.  I'd worry that someone more "calming" might irritate Trump to the point where he starts playing a more active role.

Anyway, I think Bolton will be pretty calming to our friends.  He'll upset a lot of our enemies, but they could use a little of that.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

I can't stand Bolton. All he wants to do is bomb everyone and start wars. Dialogue is not in his vocabulary.

Well, you have to start negotiating from somewhere.....

[Sanguine]

I'd think so if Bolton hadn't essentially become a bomb-throwing pundit since his days in the UN.  His confirmation will be a circus.

National Review makes a good case for him here: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/442150/john-bolton-secretary-state.

Nevertheless, what we need for Secretary of State is a man who can cushion Trump's sharp edges, and can reassure allies and negotiating partners who are worried about what Trump will do.  (Sorry, ladies, but mainly for reasons of perceptions, this time around it needs to be a man.) 

Bolton's not that guy.  Rightly or wrongly, Bolton's record of brash public statements will paint him as an extension of Trump, rather than the necessary strong and calm face of US foreign policy.

I think a guy like Corker would probably be a better choice.

(Verbal)bomb-throwing at the UN?  I'd say they were lucky that's all he did.  Worse than useless bunch of petty dictators, bureaucrats and other assorted ne'er-do-wells. 

[Norm Lenhart]

I'd think so if Bolton hadn't essentially become a bomb-throwing pundit since his days in the UN.  His confirmation will be a circus.

National Review makes a good case for him here: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/442150/john-bolton-secretary-state.

Nevertheless, what we need for Secretary of State is a man who can cushion Trump's sharp edges, and can reassure allies and negotiating partners who are worried about what Trump will do.  (Sorry, ladies, but mainly for reasons of perceptions, this time around it needs to be a man.) 

Bolton's not that guy.  Rightly or wrongly, Bolton's record of brash public statements will paint him as an extension of Trump, rather than the necessary strong and calm face of US foreign policy.

I think a guy like Corker would probably be a better choice.

Our allies need stability from us more than anything. They never liked Bolton at the UN. But they respected him and knew that he wasn't the weather vane type.

[andy58-in-nh]

Going from John Kerry to John Bolton would be the equivalent of trading in a Ford Pinto for a Ferrari. He's a foreign policy realist with a deep knowledge of people, places and ideas, and not an alt-right isolationist nor a liberal globalist.

[r9etb]

On the flip side, Bolton is brash enough that he's likely to gain Trump's trust.  I'd worry that someone more "calming" might irritate Trump to the point where he starts playing a more active role.

Trump will probably do that anyway, much as Obama has done to both Clinton and Kerry.

Anyway, I think Bolton will be pretty calming to our friends.  He'll upset a lot of our enemies, but they could use a little of that.

Not if Trump behaves as he usually does.  If Bolton is seen as an extension of Trump, and Trump is being an idiot, then it hurts our relations with our friends, and helps our enemies.  The Obama/Kerry dynamic is a particularly good example of this, albeit for different reasons.

[beandog]

I can't stand Bolton. All he wants to do is bomb everyone and start wars. Dialogue is not in his vocabulary.

I love Bolton.  I'm good with "dialogue" not being in his vocabulary.

[Wingnut]

It would be a good move, but I think supporters won't be happy. I took a browse at archived articles at FR and for a few recent years, they started painting him as an establishment enemy too.

All the more reason to like him for the position!.

Win Win.

[r9etb]

(Verbal)bomb-throwing at the UN?  I'd say they were lucky that's all he did.  Worse than useless bunch of petty dictators, bureaucrats and other assorted ne'er-do-wells.

I was talking about his life as a pundit.  He's a very smart guy with good ideas, but his public persona has become that of a pundit, as opposed to a diplomat.  The concern would be that he'll behave as he writes -- and that makes him look too much like Trump.

[Sanguine]

I was talking about his life as a pundit.  He's a very smart guy with good ideas, but his public persona has become that of a pundit, as opposed to a diplomat.  The concern would be that he'll behave as he writes -- and that makes him look too much like Trump.

Bolton is smart and thoughtful....

[Cripplecreek]

It would be a good move, but I think supporters won't be happy. I took a browse at archived articles at FR and for a few recent years, they started painting him as an establishment enemy too.

That's the problem with hero worship, the latest political Justin Beiber can never live up to the hype and the fans turn on them.

If I recall correctly, Bolton turned out to be one of those guys who never saw a war we shouldn't get in the middle of.

[ABX]

Well, you have to start negotiating from somewhere.....

Remember the old 'if you have them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow'?

[r9etb]

Bolton is smart and thoughtful....

... and as a pundit has a tendency toward unduly strong language.  Not what a nation's chief diplomat ought to be known for.

For Bolton to be confirmed, and then effective in office, he'd need to be seen as a calm and strong presence as a counter to Trump's standard behavior. 

He's smart and strong, and has been an effective diplomat in the past, but his more recent writings and appearances don't support the "calm" part.  We can be sure that this tendency will loom large in his confirmation process; and the Dems only need to lure a couple of "concerned" Republicans into the "NO" column to make him a no-go.

[Sanguine]

... and as a pundit has a tendency toward unduly strong language.  Not what a nation's chief diplomat ought to be known for.

For Bolton to be confirmed, and then effective in office, he'd need to be seen as a calm and strong presence as a counter to Trump's standard behavior. 

He's smart and strong, and has been an effective diplomat in the past, but his more recent writings and appearances don't support the "calm" part.  We can be sure that this tendency will loom large in his confirmation process; and the Dems only need to lure a couple of "concerned" Republicans into the "NO" column to make him a no-go.

Good Lord, we don't want anyone who speaks firmly and clearly!

[r9etb]

Good Lord, we don't want anyone who speaks firmly and clearly!

We need somebody who can explain "what Trump really meant to say" in a way that doesn't cause wars.  Based on the way he writes, Bolton's not that guy.