Mar
25
Trump Replaces McMaster with Bolton
“I am pleased to announce that, effective 4/9/18, @AmbJohnBolton will be my new National Security Advisor. I am very thankful for the service of General H.R. McMaster who has done an outstanding job & will always remain my friend….” — Presidential tweet, 3/22/2018
So, McMaster is out and Bolton is in. Hmmm…
H.R. McMaster
First, a couple notes about H.R. McMaster. I haven’t really paid much attention to the anti-McMaster campaign by the likes of Alex Jones and Breitbart, the former being particularly distasteful to me. I have read that McMaster was more “moderate” than truly “conservative” and that he has constantly clashed with the President on foreign policy. While they have disagreed on things like the Iran Deal, Trump’s pro-Israel policies, etc., Jeff Dunetz at “The Lid” makes a fair case that McMaster was replaced as much or more due to his “rigid” and “verbose” style as for ideological differences. (Especially since his replacement is generally more “hawkish”.)
We all know that Trump likes to shake things up from time to time, and it was less than two weeks ago that he fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. According to Bloomberg, this is another step taken to “reshap[e] much of his national security team ahead of planned talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the coming weeks and as he faces a key decision in May on whether to maintain the Iran nuclear deal.”
My impression is that McMaster is both an honorable and competent individual, but that Trump decided he wanted a different personality in his inner circle — in short, a more “direct and bottom line” kind of guy. In addition to the tweet above, Trump said McMaster “has won many battles and his bravery and toughness are legendary. General McMaster’s leadership of the National Security Council staff has helped my administration accomplish great things.” Trump then mentioned several specific accomplishments that McMaster was instrumental in (e.g., re ISIS, N. Korea, et al.), concluding that his efforts “will ensure that America builds on its economic and military advantages.”
When I wrote about my White House ‘Dream Team’ picks back in April/May 2016, I suggested John Bolton for the office of Secretary of State and Frank Gaffney for National Security Advisor. Both are very smart and incredibly knowledgeable on security matters, having served in research & advisory capacities on relevant areas. Here’s what I said about Bolton:
“Bolton is or has been, among other things, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, foreign policy adviser to Mitt Romney, and is involved with several politically conservative think-tanks and policy institutes, including currently being a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He may be blunt and sometimes controversial, but he knows and understands the enemy, and he’s no pushover. I greatly respect him and always listen to what he has to say.”
Nothing has changed, and I am quite pleased with his new appointment.
Bolton and Trump
Bolton has been visiting the White House a lot, unofficially advising the President (and stopping by Jared Kushner’s office), and has made it known for some time that he would like to be National Security Advisor. He was originally considered for Secretary of State — turning down an actual offer of Deputy Secretary — and later for National Security Advisor when Michael Flynn left. I guess he finally got his wish.
In an interview with The Daily Signal last month, Bolton gave a few insights and opinions on the multi-pronged threats facing the U.S. right now.
“The bills [from Obama’s mistakes] are now coming due on the Trump administration’s watch on nuclear proliferation, the threat of North Korea, the failure of the Iran nuclear deal, the continuing threat of international terrorism, the strategic threats of Russia and China. There are a lot of them out there. They require different levels of attention and response.
The president basically is pursuing a Reaganite “peace through strength” foreign policy. A lot of people thought he might be outside the conservative mainstream; I don’t think that’s correct.
You can agree or disagree with this or that policy, but I think he understands, and that’s why he’s proposed a significant increase in the military budget, just for starters.”
On China, Bolton observes:
“China clearly has its own strategic plan. They think in long terms, they think comprehensively. We’re not so good at that in the United States. That’s one of the perils of democracy. We need a response. We have not had one for eight years under Obama, and I think you can see what the elements would be.
The president’s focused on the trade issue, China’s violations of its [World Trade Organization] commitments, its discrimination against foreign investment, its piracy of intellectual property from foreign investors and traders. But we need to move beyond the economic area; you need it across the board.”
In regards to North Korea:
“The entire North Korean involvement in the Olympics was a propaganda ploy [to] divert our attention from their continuing progress on their nuclear weapons and on their ballistic missiles….
We’re back on the nuclear issue and we’ve got some hard decisions to make. Options are running out. Time is running out before North Korea gets the capability to hit targets in the United States. So our options are very, very limited, unfortunately.”
I know my more libertarian-leaning friends are probably concerned about Bolton’s aforementioned hawkishness. I agree that too much could be dangerous, of course. (Understatement of the year?) But, I don’t view Bolton as a warmonger, and it isn’t as if he is against economic sanctions and other, diplomatic actions. Rather, he simply recognizes that shows of force are sometimes necessary to hold evil at bay and is not afraid to recommend military action to secure the safety of the U.S. and her allies.
The question on everyone’s mind is what Bolton will be like in his new role and how much he will influence policy. Regarding the first, we can only infer based on what he has said and done in the past, including the above interview. As pointed out in the Bloomberg article,
“Bolton brings a far more interventionist view into Trump’s inner circle. He is best known for his ardent support of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq [which Trump has been critical of]…. He has advocated for a harder line on Iran as well as North Korea.”
John Bolton
As per Dunetz,
“In a Wall Street Journal op-ed last month, Bolton outlined a legal case [for] attacking North Korea before it can develop a first strike against the U.S. capability. To be honest, despite the more dramatic language, his argument wasn’t far removed [from what the President has already said.]”
According to Bloomberg,
“Bolton’s supporters and those who have spent time with him say he is far less confrontational in private. While the decision to name him ambassador to the United Nations was seen as an affront to the institution — he had been a frequent critic of the world body — he generally got along with his fellow ambassadors during his 16 months on the job.”
Regarding the matter of Bolton’s influence on the President, I think it is apparent that Trump greatly respects Bolton, valuing his knowledge and his take on national security matters in particular. But, we also know that Trump is not easily snowed or dominated. He enjoys getting many opinions and input from multiple advisors and, like a good CEO, ultimately does what he thinks is best for the compan… er, the nation. (Or, at least, I choose to give him the benefit of the doubt that that is what drives him. MAGA! 🙂 )
In an interview with Fox News following his appointment, Bolton stated:
“I’ve never been shy about what my views are,… [but now] the important thing is what the President says and what advice I give him.”
Perhaps taking a cue from his new boss, he also tweeted,
“The United States currently faces a wide array of issues and I look forward to working with President Trump and his leadership team in addressing these complex challenges in an effort to make our country safer at home and stronger abroad.”
As always, I pray that the President gets and takes sound advice and that our leaders make wise decisions in the best interests of our nation and her allies.
