Well, Donald Trump did say he, alone, could fix it.
He requires no trial. Send him to The Hague and trial will be crimes against humanity. Putin should go as well.
1
Trump made the right decision for the wrong reason. Bolton was a disaster as a hawkish advisor; who needs a drunken copilot?! After the Iraq debacle, how did this man keep his job? I hope he disappears for good.
Maybe the cabinet positions should be Constitutionally mandated.
We now have draft-dodging and insulter of our military's Generals, Bone Spurs in Chief, as BOTH Commander in Chief AND National Security Advisor?? What could possibly go wrong? (sarcastic)
The men and women of our military, and their families, deserve much, much better than this situation.
"In not quite three years in the White House, Mr. Trump has cycled through more senior foreign policy and national security advisers than any other president ...."
Let's tell Mr. Trump that his firing of three national security advisors in less than 3 years is truly historical; an "achievement" that no other president in the the US history could manage. May be then he would count that as a "win" and leave us alone for a day or two.
So Bolton was a "stabilizing" influence?! It is difficult to believe that the Trump Administration could be less stable than it has been.
If I lived in Seoul Korea I would sleep better knowing Bolton is gone. The man's beliefs could have resulted in the city laying in ashes. We would probably be in a war with Iran by now if the President had listened to his advice and constant beating of the drums. If anyone thinks a war with Iran would be easy they are naïve. There is a big difference between the Iranian army and the uncommitted Iraq army. A war with Iran would be long and costly in lives. Does anyone remember that young boys were used as mine sweepers by the Iranians in the Iran-Iraq war. They were sent into mine fields to meet certain deaths. There were no shortage of volunteers many being encouraged by their mothers, The use of nuclear weapons would be considered.
There is mourning in Israel today. There biggest asset in the US is gone.
1
Our self-proclaimed stable genius of a president is now free to do whatever he wants with national security. Bolton was the worst choice imaginable, with zero credibility. Trump has a true talent for picking the worst people he can find, for his cabinet. Send in the clowns.
19
@ Mike C. — In a weird and twisted way, we were lucky as things could have been a lot worse. Thanks to Trump’s indecisiveness, Bolton was unable to advance his agenda probably saving the world, and us, a lot of lasting grief.
Trump conducting his own foreign policy calls to mind the old saying, he who represents himself in court has an idiot for a client.
5
SCARY!
2
Trump has always been his own adviser. He does not take advice from others. He rejects the scientific community in his reaction to climate warnings and environmental predation. He does not want Intelligence Reports each day. He regards himself as the great genius with the perfect mind who need listen only to himself . Mainly he avidly pursues his own pecuniary gain in the guise of serving the public and attempts to keep the profits rolling in. He is desperately anxious to hold on to the presidency, which serves his brand well and assures the flow of emoluments and fame.
The only reason he tolerates "advisers" is not to get "advice" but to have someone to blame when plans go awry. He is like the mob boss who holds on to his consigliere not to listen to them but in order to keep his hands clean when murder and mayhem are planned. The boss's hands are never soaked in blood---he is never to blame and impossible to prosecute and convict.
But when an adviser makes it obvious that only the Boss is behind the actions and was advised against it---then the Boss can no longer blame the adviser---then the adviser must go. Out! The Boss is never to blame. "What , me??" So---good-bye Bolton!
16
Trump has taken our formerly great nation and made it into one giant Ponzi scheme. He has no plans, he flits from one crazy idea to another. He promised his followers that they could be like him, rich, famous. influential. What he has delivered to most Americans is nothing but heartburn. He sits atop his pyramid, along with Javanka and a few other who are already obscenely rich. And like all Ponzi schemes, it will completely collapse, leaving the " investors" financially bankrupt. Trump has always been morally bankrupt.
1
I have said it many times and say it again. The Constitutional prohibition oF Bills of Attainder is wrong. No one more than Trump deserves a congressional bill of attainder finding him worthy of punishment without any trial or evidence. The truth is obvious. I realize the Founders were acting on their view of English history in the 17th century; THE MORE'S THE PITY.
1
What Mr. Trump has clearly demonstrated until now is that, when it comes to foreign policy, he only cares about two things: 1) Becoming a Nobel Peace Prize laureate; and, 2) Making Bibi Netanyahu happy.
I am guessing that for Mr. Trump winning the Peace Prize comes first. After all, that is something that Barack Obama has achieved and, to him, that means it should readily fall into his lap. But, apparently, Mr. Bolton's agenda did not nicely jive with Mr. Trump's plans.
Last week, when Mr. Trump extended an invitation to Taliban to come to Camp David, he could almost see himself in Noway, in Oslo's City Hall, delivering his acceptance speech. But then John Bolton appeared on the screen from Warsaw and ruined everything! He opposed the notion of a "Peace Treaty" with Taliban, in the same way he has constantly opposed negotiations with Kim Jong-Un or US overtures to Iranians.
When "en forme", John Bolton is much smarter than both Pompeo and Trump, combined. He successfully argued that the US can withdraw its troops from Afghanistan without restraining itself militarily by signing a "Peace Treaty" with Taliban. He pointed out that any agreement with Taliban had to be ignored once Taliban attacks Afghan forces. And he reminded everyone of the planned meeting's "very bad timing".
It then dawned on Mr. Trump that, with Bolton around, he will never sign a peace treaty with anyone; i.e. he will never become a Nobel Peace Prize winner. So, it was time for John to go!
1
"Trump seeks diplomacy with adversaries as must-see TV.”
Not exactly. Trump sees himself as must-see TV. He is the center of the universe, and so of course everyone should be ogling at his photo opportunities with ruthless dictators.
Bringing the Taliban to Camp David on the week of 9/11--and without any advance deal? That is an idea so thoroughly bad, so completely shameless in attention-seeking idiocy, that it is very very hard for me to believe that the Trump enablers and supporters are patriotic Americans. Very hard.
Trump has no endgame other than his own self aggrandizement. An endgame that benefits America? He does not recognize any "America" existing beyond the confines of his own self interests.
Now he is his own foreign policy advisor? An unhinged malignant narcissist with nukes and no voice of sanity in the room?
Forget the political fall-out and just impeach him, Speaker Pelosi.
1
Ivanka will be our next NSA.
The Best people!
Trump is his own press secretary also. This selfish, egotistical man doesnt need anyone.
1
Anyone that cannot discern that a hurricane is NOT going to hit Alabama and then doubles/triples down it should not be making national security decisions.
Ever!
Security decisions rely on facts.
DJT does not believe in facts. DJT is allergic to facts.
That alone is disqualifiying for putins “president”.
Bring on the presidential debates! DJT is going to get slaughtered!
1
Now, Alabama really is in great danger...along with a few other states.
This is truly ludicrous. Consider the fact that Trump is a failed businessman, who dallied in real estate and had six bankruptcies. He really knows nothing about foreign policy, nor governing in general. His main goal is to satiate himself. He has no business being president…of anything.
2
The old adage a man who is his own lawyer has a fool for his client I think applies in this situation.
2
Who will replace Bolton? My money is on either Hannity or Tucker Carlson. Must see TV!
Like the person who represents themselves in court, he will have a fool for a client.
This president is a ticking time bomb. It is now not out of the realm of possibilities that something terrible could occur before the election and a military style national emergency would be ordered.
1
Donald Trump as his own National Security Adviser is the terrifying thing I can imagine. He has no interest in or understanding of history, of national defense, or diplomacy. He is merely playing the role of "President," imperiously pitching from one unconsidered impulse to another and back again, guided only by his overweening ego and profound ignorance.
13
Unfortunately, though I had no love for the hawkish Mr Bolton, the president now has free reign with only "yes" men in his cabinet. I am fearful of where he may lead us until 2020 elections. VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO UP & DOWN THE TICKET TOO!
1
I see your president has also "joked" about a third term in office again. The rate of these jokes about a lifetime presidency are now about one per week. These are not jokes. These are trial balloons and an attempt to move the Overton window.
The one and only advantage of Trumps tweets are that they allow the general public a direct view of Trumps thought processes. They are so often just a stream of consciousness that it is almost possible to see the cogs turn as he makes suggestions (often described as jokes) which, dependant upon public reaction, he either backs off (claiming he wasn't serious and how Poe faced everyone else is for not seeing it), else he grows more confident in his ideas and starts to double down if his base likes the idea. The longer you treat these statements as jokes, the longer he is not publicly challenged on them, the bolder he will become. As his historic patterns show - once Trump has convinced himself of a position, once he is determined and his mind is made up, no facts or logic will change his position.
If you don't start calling these trial balloons out for what they are, by the time of a "peaceful handover of power", Trump will have already solidified in his mind that a lifetime presidency for himself would only be right and proper & no discussion regarding the constitution and democracy will change his mind. Nor for that matter, will any discussion change the mind of his followers once he has persuaded them his desires are best for the US
5
“It’s going to be whatever is most conducive to his re-election,” Mr. Cohen said.
Russia and Putin were conducive to his election.
McConnell and the GrandOddParty will help light the candles. National Security as we've known it is Lost.
1
Regardless of opinions and warnings about international affairs given to the president, he has bullied his way past them all and has been acting as his own advisor since he arrived on the scene. Nothing is going to change.
"What Mr. Trump really wants from his foreign policy is a diplomatic victory as he heads into his 2020 re-election campaign."
Surely this assumption is correct, but how? It is extremely unlikely that his president will do anything of substance. But then a superficial 'victory' is all he really wants or could hope to obtain....a theatrical moment that his 1/3 of the country will hail as brilliant. Will that be enough? His previous theatrics have been leveraged to great effect. 45 is the consummate, successful conman.
Pro: Donald Trump has never encountered an ideology that he can articulate.
Con: Donald Trump.
Six of one, half dozen of the other.
In response to this report I find myself thinking that in 2008, after having started a brutal, pointless war of aggression, the US tanked the world economy.
Now here we are, a mere decade later and your government is working overtime to foment further financial disaster through a tariff war; your government is trying to bolster climate change; and your government is setting the conditions for the perfect storm of a war to come.
This is more than Trump. This is how you roll, and is who you are as a people.... wars of aggression and conquest (1848), genocide of the natives, slavery followed by a century of domestic terrorism, and on and on.
There is nothing in your recent history that represents a deviation from your past, not even Trump.
3
To say that Trump's foreign policy is unconventional is giving him too much credit. His ad hoc, unresearched egotistical approach is not only unsuccessful its dangerous to the security of our country. To say that imbedded spies are not successful shows how uneducated he is to the history of this country. George Washington even used imbedded spies that significantly contributed to the successful outcome of our Revolutionary war.
Trump must be replaced. The sooner the better.
Trump has turned our country into a small time city-state run by personality and narcissistic whim, not by astute political experience. He needs to be exposed to his "base" as the fraud that he is, but it won't be until that minority base is suffering the economic deficits of his leadership that we might finally be able to bring true leadership back to our governing bodies.
Martin Indyk and Elliot Cohen speak with such authority, you’d think that they were sitting in the office right next to President Trump.
In fact, their observations are nothing more than easily digestible tweets, that have absolutely no relationship to reality.
It should be abundantly clear to all, including his GOP stalwarts, that he has no rhyme or reason strategic plan regarding foreign policy - he will listen to nobody and his inane proclamation -"I alone will do it. can do it"- may ring true. Trump is unable to see the big foriegn policy picture, has gutted the state department and has no ability to forsee the consequences of his grandiose tweets or nonsensical pronouncements. His only concern is stand center stage, satiating his bottomless ego, after pulling off some fantastic deal which will (in his mind) ensure he alone is the savior and should once again lead the country.
"'The departure of Bolton suggests that President Trump is going to be his own foreign policy adviser,' said Martin S. Indyk, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations..."
This reminds me of certain grandiose, severely narcissistic criminal defendants who fire their lawyers (often doing so several times with different lawyers over the course of many months) and decide to be their own legal adviser and represent themselves at trial.
It never bodes well and it is a sign of a profoundly disordered character, one who doesn't recognize his own limits, who cannot take advice objectively, and who must dominate and control, to his own detriment (and now, ours and the international community's).
2
“The departure of Bolton suggests that President Trump is going to be his own foreign policy adviser,”
What does the charlatan president know or even understand about foreign policy? Has he resolved, No Korea? Iran? Afghanistan? China trade fiasco? No, and he will not without skilled State Dept help. Oohh, that is right! There is no State Dept. !
1
Trumps policies?
Tariff war- Billions lost, farmers on welfare stock market suspect
Korea- Un has missiles shooting and Nucs developed and threats
Russia- doing whatever they want anywhere they want.
Taliban- Shows zero interest and respect
Syria- Tired of winning and with Russian help
Europe- Given up with trusting us
Venezuela- No fear of us and burning the Amazon to supply the Asian markets we gave up
Yes, Trump is a great policy guy.
2
The media should ask the Republican Senators whether they believe that Trump--a man so indifferent to the welfare of citizens that he lies about the risk to Alabama and then adulterates hurricane maps to cover up that lie--whether Trump should be acting without a National Security Advisor.
Put a recording device in the face of every elected Republican and make them repudiate this mess or make them own it.
Trump's administration sits at the intersection of incompetence and awful. We should pivot to Republicans in the Senate and make them explain why they will not vote to impeach him, and why they think America is safe under these circumstances.
1
Unfortunately being the star of a successful reality TV show is not a qualification for being national security advisor, or for that matter President of the United States.
Being an ally of murderers ( Saudi Arabia, Russia) is also not a great thing to have in one’s resume for a job that involves safeguarding the security and interests of the United States.
When Donald Trump becomes a private citizen, the world will also very likely discover that he is a criminal, which means that his next job may wind up being in prison.
If Trump if only hires “the best people”, why is he so often firing them?
1
This man has trouble talking never mind being his own National Security Adviser, however if we go by the motto "Loose lips sink ships", there won't be any need for security because everybody will know our business.
Full headline should read “a president with no knowledge or understanding of national security as his own national security advisor.”
This is SO dangerous for our country.
Just let Jared do the "national security" thing (a joke these days). He does everything else. Plus, he owes Vlad and MBS enough loot to do whatever they tell him to, which is what is going to happen anyway. Much more efficient than pretending that the USA has any sort of "policy".
Great news! Trump needs no advice from anyone else. He's a super genius and only he can do it!
"Mr. Trump came into office with a completely unconventional foreign policy."
Huh?
He HAS NO foreign policy.
This man, with ZERO geo-pol or govt experience (or aptitude), exhibits every characteristic of malignant narcissism, and it effects every impulsive decision he makes.
He is a train wreck of a "leader".
So stop the sugar coating.
Call him incompetent.
Cal him unfit.
Call him unhinged.
But please don't call him "unconventional".
It implies an underlying normalcy that does not exist.
1
The sign outside the White House reads:
Wanted: Yes Men. Serious Individuals Need Not Apply.
1
It is debatable whether we are better off without Bolton. I have little hope any other appointee will do a proper job or that she/he will last.
Why does anyone want to be a puppet to a tyrant? I guess they are lucky to keep their heads on their shoulders.
1
Bolton just had to go. There can be no buffer, nor middle man, between puppet and puppeteer.
.. Let's not cry about the loss of John Bolton.. The guy was looking for military strikes and regime change in Iran...And that was just for starters..
... If Trump had been taking Bolton's advice.. we'd be in a war by now..
.... Sure, Trump is a mess... but still better without John Bolton around
Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is the smartest consultant of all. Why it's me, of course! Who needs anybody else?
The President has announced he is seeking reelection. Without any National Security Advisor, the candidate will have no one else to blame for deteriorating international problems that require a strong response from the U.S.
The candidates who can navigate the office of national security advisor are those who share the President’s Let’s Make A Deal strategies.
A smart National Security Advisor could focus on Venezuela because few people are looking in that direction.
The most important characteristic a President must have is his (or her) ability to evaluate and select people who will be charged with responsibility within the Administration. No President can be personally well-informed about every relevant issue. Therefore it is critically important that a President choose reliably knowledgeable people to provide information and execute policy. Given the very high rate of turnover in Trump's Administration, both voluntary and forced, it is clear that President Trump lacks the ability to evaluate, choose, and retain the people who are absolutely necessary for the safety and well-ordered functioning of our country.
34
No can say trump is personally well informed on any issue. Any issue at all.
1
@Steve Fankuchen
Trump actually does not want to have any advisers, only yes men.
He is trying to establish a dictatorship. very scary
Trump is still using the mentality of The Apprentice to stage photo ops, grandstanding tweets and cultivate attention/ratings--quite independent of wisdom or tactical finesse. Trump was a failed real estate developer with many bankruptcies, bailed out by Russian oligarchs and his reality TV show (until it too tanked).
He insists on treating America and the world like a Casino in Atlantic City--all glitter but unsustainable while stiffing the workers who built it.
His psychological and cognitive deficits are frightening and are the greatest risk to our national security.
60
While the deprture of John Bolton is undoubtedly good news, that doesn't deter from the fact that the same person who appointed him (and several others) to that post, is now going to take it over himself -- with predictably unpredictable results.
And the fact that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin now hold the most sway and influence over Donald Trump does little to alleviate the sense of dread when it comes to correcting this country's current trajectory of foreign policy.
Whether it's the problems in the Middle East, North Korea, the trade war with China, or anywhere else on the planet, it's going to take more than the pomp and showmanship that defines this president.
In that regard, nothing has changed.
Get ready for more of the same.
71
N.Smith...get ready for more of the same? I disagree. It just keeps getting worse. Or perhaps that's what you meant -- continuously getting worse.
38
@Mary Ann
That's EXACTLY what I meant.
How could it be any different???
1
The idea of Trump as his own national security advisor recalls the adage about the man who acts as his own lawyer has a fool for a client.
No one should be under any illusions that Mr. Bolton was not worrying at best, and at worst, well that hardly bears thinking about. But Mr. Bolton had this much going for him: he was not criminally incompetent or totally delusional about his abilities.
The only thing more astounding than Donald Trump's vortex of narcissistic chaos is the number of people who keep suggesting against all evidence that Trump can change, will respond to reason, and won't make matters worse.
It was one thing when the only things at risk were Donald Trump's business empire and the money of those foolish enough to invest in him. As President, he is putting the whole world at risk - and he has driven away anyone who might prove a check on that risk.
Since no one around him dares invoke the 25th amendment, the only recourse is impeachment. Waiting till November 2020 in the hopes that the Trump problem will be resolved by an election is gambling that our luck to date will continue - and that Trump and the GOP will accept the results of the election.
I pray it is not a fool's hope.
55
@Larry Roth "the man who acts as his own lawyer has a fool for a client" is true enough. But that client is the only one hurt. Unfortunately with this 'client' we and the free world are hurt along with him. Foreign policy as a pinball machine is not a strategy. We are indeed hurtling down the wrong path.
@Larry Roth. The GOP will do absolutely anything and everything they can possibly think of to steal the 2020 election. No low is too low. And there is really no law, no court, no one individual and certainly no entity to stop them from doing so. They know this because they have been planning this for years. The strategy even includes canceling the 2020 election invoking some national emergency power based on a crisis that they themselves will create. Yes, it’s that bad.
1
@Michael C; Trump is not the only president who's come from a wealthy background, but others showed more interest in higher education. (Granted FDR was a law school dropout and Poppy Bush didn't go beyond a Bachelor's...after interrupting his education during WWII). Despite jokes as to Dubya's higher education he (and family)obviously felt he needed an M.B.A.( first POTUS with one). With Trump and his kids it was "get an Ivy League degree (Penn). That's it: it earns your place in big time business. Compare w/ Chelsea earning an Oxford P.H.D. (though not with generations of family money behind her). The problem with Trump and kids is that they obviously have no interest in learning to enrich their lives.
So Bolton is suddenly a good guy now? Trump is simpleton fool but Bolton was (and still is) a dangerous ideologue with a completely warped neocon agenda. I mean, it's John Bolton we're talking about. Check out his neocon credentials for a nightmare or two. Make no mistake about it, I'm no Trump fan. But Bolton being out cannot be but a good thing. Trump surrounds himself with people that please his ego. And Bolton wasn't one of those. Whatever the reasons, when evil people like Bolton and Bannon are sacked, we should accept to rejoice. I hear Bannon is recruiting for his neo-Nazi effort in Europe. John, are you interested?
15
@Blue Zone
Totally agree. Trump firing Bolton may be the smartest thing Trump has ever done.
I believe that President Trump should appoint former Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak to be the next National Security Adviser. Kislyak is ideal: he reflects Trump's policy priorities perfectly, and, completely by coincidence, President Vladimir Putin's as well. Trump has already proven as early as 2017 that he trusts Kislyak and is willing to share secrets with him involving U.S. allies like Israel. This could really work.
25
"Mr. Trump came into office with a completely unconventional foreign policy that combined an instinctive isolationism with theatrical attempts at deal-making."
Please use better language when describing trump's whims. He has no "foreign policy". The word "policy" intrinsically requires some intellectual foundation. There isn't one for trump. The media continues to use language that normalizes the abnormal and gives intellectual credence to the president.
29
I am glad Bolton is gone because he never should have been the National Security Advisor. Trump chose him.
He always chooses the best people until they are fired or they resign.
However, the one that truly needs to be ousted is the man who sits in the Oval Office.
His judgement his awful, his tactics are disgraceful and his policies are hurting America.
Let's send this president off to
Mar-a-lago permanently in 2020.
18
"He was the national security advisor who said no." And the evidence of this we should assume is because he told you so?
2
“Now I don't have to tell you good folks what's been happening in our beloved little town. Sheriff murdered, crops burned, stores looted, people stampeded, and cattle raped. The time has come to act, and act fast. I'm leaving.”
--- The Reverend Johnson in "Blazing Saddles"
As usual, Mel Brooks rises to the occasion of describing life in our “beloved little town” long before the Times and any of the rest of us did.
12
@A. Stanton Thank you so much for the levity...…..better than the drink I had been thinking about. We need more of it (levity).
1
Pres I-alone-can-fix-it is shopping for a Nobel Peace Prize. Pathetic, but at least it's the Peace prize he's after. Continue to hope that his only need for a big bomb is to fight a hurricane.
10
Why is anyone enabling this President today--He Is Mad. To say he is "unconventional" on CNN such as Michael Allen today and making Bolton the problem is misguided. Trump is Mad and the Presidency needs immediate, crisis attention. This is 911 on 911 anniversary
19
Trump: a President as his own national security adviser? Why not? He's already his own weatherman, his own worst enemy and God's chosen one.
18
Bolton was everything Trump campaign against in 2016. He was a terrible higher. A classic neocon, who still to this day is defending the Iraq war. At Senator Paul said yesterday… Good riddance
4
Will Republicans ever wake up, get their heads out of the sand and control the incompetent, dangerous trump?
13
Why do we have nuclear bombs if we don't use them? Said the stable genius.
12
What? What happened!? Bolton has now become the latest leftist Horatio at the Bridge? A year ago he was evil incarnate with a bushy mustache. What next ... a gig with Don Lemon at CNN?
4
God help us!
4
Isn't it rich?
Aren't they a pair?
Bolton here at last on the ground,
Trump in mid-air,
Where are the clowns?
Isn't it bliss?
Don't you approve?
One who keeps tearing around,
One who can't move,
Where are the clowns?
There ought to be clowns?
15
@Ted
There are a few better wording for "tearing around."
' A lawyer who has himself for a client is representing a fool'.
A fool who acts as his own national security adviser is still a fool.
Objectivity and commonsense fade then vanish when we hear or see ourselves.
An intemperate insecure diva narcissist like Donald Trump is incapable of self- evaluation and reflection by his ignorant inherent immature immoral nature and nurture.
8
This appears to be an overgenerus reading of the foreign policy. He gets belligerent but stops short of a new war. He has shown himself capable of escalating things militarily with strikes that have killed countless civilians. In talking to Kim Jong Un, he has shown precisely why no one has talked to Kim Jong Un. He I'd also very eager to break alliances but doesn't want to do the work of making the showy deals he claims he can do. And the alliances he does make, he appears to work from such a position of weakness, he often looks like a sycophant to the other "ally"
The two problems I see are that this article is overly deferential and that the Democratic candidates have devoted little time to foreign policy. So little that I have no confidence that many of them knows much about what's going on outside the US border. It is very worrisome.
2
@scm18
Hillary Rodham Clinton was your Secretary of States...did she know nothing about foreign policy? And so Donald Trump was elected, without, it would seem, any shred of knowledge about foreign or domestic policy making.
Elizabeth Warren has tremendous ideas about both foreign and domestic policies, take a look at her platform...
Joe Biden, once your vice-president, knows nothing about foreign policy...come on now!
Bernie Sanders means to tackle income inequality in his foreign policy and recently invoked the war act in order to suspend the Trump administration support of the Saudi's war on Yemen...
etc...for all other candidates
I really wish people took the time to inform themselves before stating such easily verifiable misinformation.
1
As much as I loathe Trump, his instincts on this matter were spot on. Bolton should never ever ever be within reach of the 'levers of power'.
4
@Dana If his instincts were good he wouldn't have hired Trump in the first place. Trump does not deserve one iota of credit.
1
@Dana
What about his instincts when he sneaked Bolton into the position to begin with? Not exactly spot on. I’d say he gets no credit for getting rid of Bolton.
@Dana Why did he hire him, then? Your comment makes little sense.
The crazy thing is, I actually trust Trump more than Bolton. That’s how crazy everything is right now. I place my trust in a TV game show host.
8
It is difficult to understand how one can believe in diplomacy with adversaries and not with allies. What has been demonstrated is rejection of allies and playing nice with adversaries. The 180 degree change in American interests appear to be those of personal gain for the President, not this country, its people, and especially not in terms of national security.
Our adversaries are the professional bad guys and con artists and small-time conman Trump is way out of his league.
There are those who “believe” the world is inherently corrupt. There are those who recognize the corruption and “believe” things can change, in fact, have proven things can change. This positive change takes hard work and sacrifice for the common good, something a conman does not understand.
5
@Kathy White
You say: "It is difficult to understand how one can believe in diplomacy with adversaries and not with allies." Remember, this is a man who has virtually no friends, none. The whole of East Coast high society rejected him; three million more people voted against him despite where he finds himself today; he has stomped on anyone outside of his family. He's a friendless, insecure, out-of-his-depth, angry man who reaches out to others who are angry and rejected even if they are criminals, thugs, or dictators.
trump without anybody to tell him no? What could possibly go wrong?
10
Trump should be his own national security adviser - after all no one, absolutely no one, is as smart about national security issues as Trump, just ask him.
No one is smarter about foreign policy and diplomacy, just look at his great success getting China, Iran, and Korea to give in to his demands.
No one knows more about the military than; Trump stated he knows more than the generals. This proves his amazing intellect since he learned military policy despite never even serving in the military, even escaping the draft during the Vietnam War because of reputed bone spurs in his heels. Funny how they don't affect his golf game but kept him from serving, even as an office clerk, in the military.
13
I love how John Bolton had been up to this point smeared as a war monger, reckless and dangerous, on and on by the media. Now he is being portrayed as the rational person trying to keep the Ultimate evil - Trump - on the straight an narrow.
Fine journalism. In 2019 you don’t just report the news, you editorialize every story to tell the story you want to be told.
This story arch is not new as it’s been used for every Trump cabinet member who has left. They are evil when they work for Trump, then they are saints once they are out and defect.
3
Good riddance to Bolton, one of trump's "best" people... with trump at the helm, what could go wrong. After all he managed to create five bankruptcies. His biggest success was the lame phony reality TV show (which visibility and fictional portrayal got trump elected via his paltry electoral college victory). Watching trump "govern" is a lot like observing the Titanic's fatal maiden voyage. Trump must go. But before he does, let's see his tax returns. Lock HIM up!
10
How about wunderkind Jared for National Security Adviser? That should bring us one step closer to world peace. Or, is it whirled peas?
9
But didn't donald send Pompeo to Mongolia while Ivanka attemded big international meeting w her dad ? So really how secure is Pompeo ?
As far as Israel/Palestine, Jared is handling that, so one less problem for future heads of Homeland Security/Sec. of State.
I don't think he will be asking anymore 'adults' to join cabinet.
Terrifying as this is really happening.
5
The King of Debt, Bankruptcy and Media Manipulation knows best.
What could possibly go wrong ?!
39
“The departure of Bolton suggests that President Trump is going to be his own foreign policy adviser”
What you really mean is we won't have any foreign policy adviser.
A sock puppet on your hand telling you what to do doesn't count.
9
Trump has demonstrated that he does not need a Cabinet. He is his own National security chief, State department head, Defense Minister, Energy Tsar, born economist with unparalleled insights, chief scientist on matters of climate change and weather predictions......
Folks,I have said it many times and I repeat, the Greek god Narcissus has incarnated in the person of this outstandingly brilliant character called Trump, who knows EVERYTHING and needs no help...from anyone.
With an obsequious GOP and 60 million devoted followers, he is King and should be President for life!
6
Neither Trump nor Bolton have any morals or real skill in negotiating. No tears for maniacal Bolton, total lack of good deals from him or Trump.
6
Donald Trump is, let's face it, insane.
Ms. Pelosi, where are you?
We keep this very unstable and delusional pariah in office to the detriment of this country and the world.
Do your duty, uphold the Constitution, and remove this man soon, before we have nothing left.
11
King Trump doesn't need a National Security Adviser, he needs a court jester to counter his rages. A "fool."
He already has Fox News to advise him, along with the worldwide bevy of dictators, especially Putin and Kim. He needs what he perceives to be flattery.
5
Very rarely, but importantly, Donald Trump does the right thing. When John Bolton, who wants very much to start a war with Iran in which thousands will die, got Trump to see it his way and launch a strike, Trump agreed -- he likes launching things -- but at the last moment, thinking aof all the casualties (he said) he called the strike off. Which was a very good thing. ANd may have been part of what led to the Unspeakable to be fired (ops, resign).
4
A New York real estate CEO is deciding our national security matters by flying by the seat of his pants. He is in so far over his head that it is tragic. His ego keeps him flying straight and narrow on this most dangerous road. Donald Trump unplugged here means that America’s enemies and adversaries are fully plugged in and watching for opportunities they could only have dreamed of. What if a North Korean missile launch should actually strike South Korea or Japan? What if the Iranian leadership decides to really let loose its terror proxies on American interests? What if Russia decides to invade the Baltic countries? These are things that a President unplugged on our national security matters invites. Think about this when you vote for President next year.
46
Let us not forget what an asset Harvard educated Jared has been to the President.
10
@Downspout
Well it keeps insiders away form the under the table deals.
3
@Downspout SERIOUSLY?!? Hopefully, Downspout, you speak with sarcasm!
2
Trump's unfettered "diplomacy," based on seat-of-the-pants decision-making, gut feeling, and Fox News talking heads, plus his deep craving for showmanship, attention, and making deals all make for a very toxic mix. We should be worried.
19
The country is extremely unwell, in intensive care, no anti-biotic is working.
19
Calling Bolton some kind of useful “check” on Trump’s naive and showman impulses in dealing with nukes and dictators says it all. Trump’s more dangerous than the well-known risks of a nut like Bolton ever was.
19
This “empire” of Trumps needs to be removed from the WH, with McConnell being the first, and Trump immediately following. No time between to “second guess” any of it. He has all but destroyed our government completely, with the country to follow. He’s closing our borders to Bahamians, Mexicans, and any nationality or skin color seeking refuge inside our borders, while allowing our adversaries to advise him and be “invited” into our WH! Is there ANYONE that can stop this farce of a president from continuing to drain and destroy our country? He has already shown mental instability and personality disorders, and it’s progressing rapidly. Someone needs to step in and do something to block the decisions he makes regarding our security and stability as a nation.
17
So now the inmate is running his asylum.
30
I nominate Dennis Rodman. Kim is his BFF.
12
What a pair!
Bolton knows 'what he's talking about' -- but has the wrong and most hostile ideas about everything he 'knows.'
trump doesn't know anything about anything a president needs to know -- but thinks himself a 'know-it-all'!
(Other trump 'pairings,' including -- w/o limitation -- one 'with' each and any of his cabinet officials, one with just about any Republican politician … in or out of 'office' … one with each of his blood relations, with his son-in-law, with his daughter-in-law, and with his elder son's 'paramour,' would make a 'double negative team' in one 'dimension' of incompetence or another … like as not even worse -- with all … 'like' the donald ... being as 'rigorously' blind to his and her incompetence and lack of 'worth' as each would be presumptuous of his and her worthiness and competence.)
5
Hard to shed a tear at the departure of one of the most war mongering liars in our nation's history.
18
Mr.Trump wants to be center stage on the world stage.He will go anywhere, meet with anyone if it means press coverage and the domination of at least several news cycles.His delusion about receiving the Nobel Prize is serious and should be a cause for concern.Trump is determined to overshadow Obama and will do anything to accomplish that goal.Protocol and morality are not features of Trump”s foreign adventures-his self serving schemes are.Before the 2020 election Trump will focus on the wall( appropriating any money necessary) and will look for any chance to taut a foreign policy victory( no matter how pyrrhic) As Trump”s inner circle shrinks and as recognized leaders have left or been fired we have cause for fear about what might come next.
18
Why should Trump listen to anyone who disagrees with him about anything? Did he not do the hardest thing that anyone could try to do, and against all the odds and odds-makers, viz. get elected president? And he did so, not by listening to Ivy League smartypants, but simply by following his gut. Does that not prove the infallibility of his instincts? He knows he is a genius. Who could possibly advise him? So of course he doesn't really need a National Security Advisor, except as someone whose role is to promulgate, praise, and defend Trump's own ideas.
7
@Greg Weis, “The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.”
― Winston S. Churchill
4
@Greg Weis You forgot to mention the gerrymandering, voter suppression, black money from Citizens United, and Russian interference.
@NLL
Not mentioned because Trump himself never paid the slightest attention to those things. For Trump, winning is winning, period, and it = genius. It wouldn't shake his certainty about that were it to be proved that the Russians fixed enough voting machines to cost Hillary a million votes in PA, WI, and MI.
Trump is really just a one-man show. It is literally his way or the highway. His complete and utter egoism can serve this country no good.
14
Bolton was too crazy even for Trump.
But it should be recalled he was considered perfectly normal by the Bushies: Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Condoleezza Rice, etc. In fact, he was seen as such a force for peace, that he was nominated as US ambassador to the UN.
What's more, the quickly-evaporating wing of the Republican Party, has been expressing their disappointment at seeing Bolton fired.
4
Mr. Trump does not/cannot read, he has no knowledge of history, economics, science, etc. etc. Are we now going to trust his “gut instinct” for “The Art of the Deal?” Be afraid be very afraid.”
48
24/7. All we do is talk about Trump. Enough. Oh, I forgot, today is self-pity day when we say “never again”, except the mass killings at our own hands keep happening. “Never Forget” 9/11/01, but, heck, school shootings, white supremacy, no big deal. Yeah, I know I’ll be chastised (at best) for such “heresy”, but 9/11 was bad, but nowhere near as bad as our national apathy about all our other problems.
22
What else could go wrong?
3
@Jamie
Trump could be reelected.
6
"should Trump look for a scapegoat" (he will) "Pompeo has an escape strategy" (he should) "Trump has no end game in sight" (no kidding) Can anyone even imagine such a circus of an administration like this could exist, EVER? Trump is the leader of this mess and the ring is on fire, the clowns are locked inside the clown car, the trapeze artists have no net, the tigers are eating the tamers, and the Barker is sleeping one off...Can we please just get the fat lady to sing already?
16
Yes, except the barker is tweeting....
4
There is no need for another foreign policy advisor to replace John Bolton. As far as Donald Trump is concerned, the White House has more than enough foreign policy advisors, inasmuch as the entire concept of listening to policy advisors of any kind is foreign to him.
57
There is a headline story here: Trump's North Star for foreign policy will be his own re-election. Not the national interest. Not an interest in international stability. Trump will be making foreign policy decisions by reference to what he thinks will "win" him the cable news cycle.
The Times sees and reports this outrageous truth. But it basically buries it here. It deserves a headline and an in-depth treatment.
135
All of us should read your comment and be fearful. How is it that we have to keep suffering with Trump as our unfit president?
1
Although I was no fan of Bolton and his hawkish warmongering ways he was a counterbalance to Trump’s hunger to make deals with North Korea, Russia and Iran that would make false peace but satisfy Trump’s insatiable hunger to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump has weakened or relationships with our NATO allies and started his own war, a trade war with China. Each day that he remains in the White House he puts our country in danger from terrorism, cyber attacks and economic decline.
46
It is hard to comprehend any situation in which John Bolton would seem to be a more sensible person with regard to national security, foreign affairs, geopolitical balance and the like.
Bolton, never sensible about any of it in my view, is at least consistent.
Who could possibly want or take the NSA job next except a fool or a lackey? The question is rhetorical,it answers itself.
24
He’ll further multitask Mulvaney until he does or says something that trump disagrees with. So far, he’s budget chief, chief advisor to the president, and I’m sure he’ll want to take on another important decision making job. These aren’t positions, these are jobs. Jobs they can be fired from in the blink of an eye. He said from the start “this is easy that he could do alone,” and I believe that’s what he’s aiming for. That would make the US his kingdom.
4
Regardless of what we might think of Trump's ability to understand, let alone conduct, foreign affairs on his own, we must admit that trump's isolationism and desire to get American troops out of foreign skirmishes where we really do not have national interests requiring "boots on the ground" is actually the right tactic. If Johnson had gone with his gut and not listened to his generals there would not have been all that death and destruction of VietNam. If Bush2 had not listened to the Neo-Cons and stayed out of Iraq there would be no ISIS today or Syrian death and destruction and Iran would not be now lighting fires all over the Sunni Mid-East. We cannot try to impose our obviously imperfect form of governance on other people no matter what we think might be best for them, just as we don't want others to impose their philosophical beliefs on us. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day and Trump is right about this.
12
@RLW
Whether Trump is "right" about this is insignificant. Trump is not smart, is pathologically narcissistic, willfully ignorant and has the attention span of a gnat. His cabinet has had revolving door since the beginning of her term in office, because people quit or are fired. These are not the qualities of capable, stable leadership in the global arena. He is entirely in over his head and he and his flunkies and the Republicans in Congress know it and don't care. This does not bode well for the nation.
9
John Bolton was a kook. Good riddance. But the fact that he was so well-connected in the GOP foreign policy establishment long before Trump says volumes about how utterly dysfunctional and intellectually corrupt the GOP FP establishment -and, by extension, maybe the entire US FP establishment - actually is.
17
Trump does not need any adviser especially when it comes to military affairs.
“I know better than my generals,” sayeth the stable genius and multi-draft dodger.
Parsing these words, one can’t help seeing Trump’s sense of ownership when it comes to generals and the obvious lie that he knows anything.
Any self-respecting man in uniform should speak up against this imbecile.
76
Bolton-less, unhinged brutus ignoramus Trump shall rein in promotin chaos as if there was no tomorrow. What could possibly go wrong in a world already in 'embers'?
8
Trump's arrogant mistakes in foreign policy is another reason why we need Biden who was chair of the Foreign Affairs Comm as a senator and also had a huge responsibility as VP.
14
Jim Mattis, Rex W. Tillerson, H. R. McMaster, John F. Kelly and now John Bolton understand perfectly what 63 million voters did not about this man in 2016: he is completely unfit to hold the nation's highest office.
It's one thing to be mesmerized by him at rallies from afar but quite another to work with him in close proximity on a daily basis. The overpowering rot and decay of the man has pushed so many of his erstwhile supporters away from him. Even Putin keeps him at arms length.
This president's lack of political experience is no longer an excuse. Every dismissal or departure is a huge red flag that American citizens should be alarmed about. Republicans boasted that they could keep this man on a leash and steer him away from bad foreign policies. Even they didn't know about his aborted Camp David meeting with the Taliban. And they thought that he was on their side.
141
To have someone as uninformed and delusional as Donald Trump who doesn't care about facts and intelligence but just goes with his gut impressions of reality could be a disaster for the United States and for the entire planet. Bolton was a disaster because his solutions were invariably bellicose. But Trump on his own is equally disastrous because his decisions are not made with all consequences considered beforehand. If Trump is re-elected in 2020 the possibility of horrendous consequences from his infantile emotional behavior will likely be catastrophic.
101
Trump as his own national security adviser? Let’s hope he now knows what the nuclear triad is, along with a host of national security issues about which he’s demonstrated profound ignorance.
19
There is a saying that goes “a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client”. Could the same be said for a President who acts as his own National Security Advisor?
100
Who would agree to take this job? Or better still, would any qualified individual actually accept this job?
28
@David R Heard an NPR moderator interviewing Susan Rice yesterday and asking Rice who she thinks might follow Bolton. Rice said, "Nobody in their right mind would want that job."
19
One might imagine President Eisenhower pulling this off, but a functionally illiterate, psychologically disturbed ex-TV host? Is there any one action that would better guarantee the fall of the United States?
82
Let's hope there is still time by 2021 to change course. The decline is deeply in progress and has its own momentum.
23
@Mike Pod Eisenhower didn't do anything without the John and Allen Dulles who were a foreign policy disaster we still haven't recovered from. They're the ones who overthrew the liberal secular democratically elected government of Iran and installed the American puppet Shah. Eisenhower started this mess and we're still in it up to our eyeballs. Republicans have always been bad for the world and the US.
23
@mary bardmess So I’ll double down on my assessment! Not only is Eisenhower the closest historically who had the tools to do what the title of the column suggests, ie, be his own advisor, those tools might have been what was needed to actually improve our foreign policy. (Remember, he considered running as a Democrat) To iterate, trump* has absolutely nothing in his toolbox...in fact he doesn’t even have a toolbox!
6
“Mr. Trump came into office with a completely unconventional foreign policy that combined an instinctive isolationism with theatrical attempts at deal-making. And he has shown himself to be uninterested in working through the alliances that largely defined 50 years of bipartisan American foreign policy.”
Consiidering that the only hiring qualification for the office of president is to be 35 years old and a US citizen by birth, the quality of the president we get is the mirror image of the quality of those who have elected him to office.
79