Bolton, like Cheney and so many shirking politicians on the right who have never worn a uniform, was remarkably willing to spend American lives in the marketplace of his prejudices.
16
At this point, only a diehard conservative would believe anything Trump says. Want to know what's true? Listen to the other guy...
9
I never thought that I would ever have anything good to say about John Bolton. I detested the way this self-proclaimed “Americanist” conducted himself as the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. And I detested the way he did it as the national security adviser in the past 17 months.
But if he was the one instrumental in getting President Trump to scrap, at the last moment, the proposed peace deal with the Taliban, it is something we all must be thankful to him for. But hold the applause. We have yet to know what role his opposition to the deal played in Mr. Trump's changing his mind.
It’s so appalling that the man who withdrew, with great relish, from acclaimed international agreements concluded by the Obama administration even contemplated concluding one with the devil, also known as the Taliban. Forget all the sickening things they did, and are still doing. Just the way they treated Afghan women alone would make any civilized human being treat them like the plague. What a relief that Camp David, the venue of many laudable international agreements, did not get polluted by their presence. Not Trump alone, all those who were responsible for bringing this agreement to near fruition should be ashamed of themselves. If it had materialized, that would have made the Taliban boast that they brought he most powerful country in the world to its knees.
To get back to Bolton. We all can heave a sigh of relief that he won’t be part of the White House decision-making apparatus any longer.
27
It is no more than two guys with overblown sense of SELF; each having a brain the size of a pea and egos bigger than Jupiter (the largest planet). This reflect the state of 48% of America in 2016. Over the three years, it has only become worse.
8
Just assume that 50% of Bolton's comments, Pompeo;s comments and Trump's comments are accurate regarding Bolton's departure.
4
I can't help wondering if, among the various strategies employed by the White House staff to keep their boss in check to some degree, they work to keep guns out of his hands. He imagines himself a king who needs to eliminate anyone who appears disloyal to him. When kings had absolute power, such people were killed. Trump would kill his perceived enemies if he could. That is still the M.O. of Trump's friend and mentor, Mr. Putin.
5
i'm going to get the greatest NSA there is...ME. I'm my own cabinet, have no need for intel or other view points from uninformed people who are obviously not as smart as me...I'm the Greatest and want to be made president for life...
4
Hopefully, Bolton can get his old job back as the “Got Milk?” actor.
1
Darth Vader with handlebar mustache is out! How will this film noire end?
2
Good riddance. Now he needs to work on Pompeo. These "chickenhawks" deserve to be in prison for the crimes they've committed in promoting conflict abroad, oftentimes with the backing of the mainstream media.
3
@Nino Gonzalez So are you implying that Trump is NOT a "chickenhawk"? And also that MSM IS promoting conflict abroad? Can you please explain how that works? The person who belongs in prison for the crimes he has committed is Donald J. Trump.
10
Wait a minute. Is there something right with his(our president's) head?
2
One of the few things this President has done right is get rid of this dangerous man. Bolton lives in a world of 1950s thinking conflict, totally irrelevant and dangerous today.
4
POTUS' remaining claim to competence may be that it has not appeared before the media without its trousers. (So far.)
The search continues for a Press Secretary who can make that sound reasonable.
1
Becoming a National Security Adviser for the Trump administration is akin to becoming a drummer for the band Spinal Tap. The only thing missing is the middle nickname "Stumpy".
That goes for everybody signing up with the Trump administration. Except for the original family members of the band, er, I mean administration.
3
When Bolton surfaced and joined the administration it was like what exactly does it take to get yourself sidelined as a "national security" advisor for Republican presidents? Now we know. Fear not; he'll be back in some future administration. Meantime he'll go back to collecting checks from the aptly-named "Heritage" Foundation.
Trump could hire Santa Claus for a Christmas party and most of you would complain. After Christmas Santa would be fired or resign because well Christmas is over and most of you would complain. The chart of people who were fired or resigned is just another way for the NY Slime to paint a picture that fits it's narrative. Most people see through the nonsense.
2
Another senior member of the Trump Admin FIRED.
What happened to "I only hire The Best People"?
6
Mr. Baker, there is no partnership with Trump---he shares the stage with no one, I mean no one, not his wife, not his kids, and certainly not his "advisors." He alone runs the show, with those around him given the tasks of getting him Cokes' and telling him what a genius he is.
6
Too hawkish? Maybe he should have read his resume before he hired him.
3
Trump may be considering Saul Berenson as Bolton’s replacement.
This nation is ruled by a person who admits to function from his gut rather than his mind hence the total incompetence of all he appoints. They all pose threats domestically and on the international stage.
5
We should all sigh in relief that this "chicken hawk" wasn't able to get us into another unwinnable war.
4
Here is a thought. Trump; against all odds (GOD Forbid) is given another 4 years to wreak even more havoc on this poor planet. Who in their right mind would ever want to work under such a maniac? Having burned through almost everyone who is not a bowl of jelly or a total Trump sycophant; anyone with a shred of self-respect would never work under this Authoritarian disgrace. I simply am at a loss for words how anyone still cannot see what a disaster Trump is in terms of making America a laughing stock all over the world. Nowhere on Earth does the name Trump not now has the effect of total revulsion.
8
Two profoundly delusional and narcissistic men, working in close proximity....with access to Nuclear Weapons. What could possibly go wrong?
10
"I'm with the Bush-Cheney team, and I'm here to stop the count." Why wasn't Bolton arrested for trying to stop the recount in Florida in the 2000 presidential election?
3
He kept the hawk on his shoulder.
It made him feel predatory and powerful.
One night the bird said it was leaving.
He feared that if the bird flew away on its own decision and without his permission, the people might perceive him as weak.
The next morning he banished the bird.
In discussing the matter, the Joker of State grinned broadly,
At the same news conference, the Secretary of the Treasury crowed to the media, "I have never heard such a dumb question."
Their power had been consolidated, and they were both happy.
Such as the laughable state of our country!
And the thinkers worried. Who would be in charge of our nation if a severe problem occurs?
5
The only reason John Bolton was trumps National Security Advisor was because trump needed someone to fill the roll on short notice. There wasn't anyone else around willing to take the job and lord knows Bolton was more than willing. Bolton's reputation was no secret so for trump to now try to claim that he is to hawkish is just another joke on We The People.
I'm sure Bolton did offer to resign but his mistake was not putting it in writing with a date on it so now we have to spend a week or so hashing and rehashing who did what to whom.
Ask yourself this, would the President of the United States intentionally fire his National Security Advisor without having a replacement in the the wings? Well, I guess that's an absurd question because, of course, this particular president would. He say's he will have a new one next week. He makes it sound like the cleaning lady quit and he'll get a new one by next week.
2
Bolton’s ultimate crime in Trump’s eyes was Bolton challenging Putin’s Russia. And while Netanyahu may think he owns Trump, we all know that Putin actually owns Trump.
6
Even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and then. Trumps mistake was not firing Bolton, but hiring him in the first place. If DJT doesn't destroy our fragile democracy, he has published the blueprint and playbook for some other demagogue to do it later. If a democracy like America's is going to exist, there will have to be a paradigm shift in human thought throughout the world. In the near future, we will program the human mind in the computer based on a "survival" algorithm, which will provide irrefutable proof as to how we trick the mind with our ridiculous beliefs about what is important and what is supposed to survive - producing minds programmed de facto for dirty tricks and destruction. These minds see the survival of a particular belief as more important than the survival of us all. When we understand this, we will begin the long trek back to reason and sanity.
See RevolutionOfReason.com
2
Ever since John Bolton came on the scene, he was always seen is a bit of a buffoon and a purveyor of hawkish extremism, a fringe figure who should never be taken too seriously. The idea that he would even be considered for, never mind attain, the position of National Security Adviser was unthinkable. I personally celebrate his departure, but warily, since who knows who would allow him- or herself to accept that position under the mercurial Trump. I can't help thinking that it wouldn't be anyone I would trust, especially as Trump apparently thinks that the hard-right Bolton was actually too far to the left! And of course I certainly don't trust the individual appointing him or her.
1
Worse things could happen. Erik Prince may well be waiting in the wings.
3
Not sad to see Bolton go.
Curious to see what is floated as a replacement. I would think that Kanye West is certainly in the running. I don't watch Fox "News", so I don't know any of the other likely players for Bolton's replacement (after all, that network seems to be a virtual White House farm team under this administration)
5
Bolton and Trump are one in the same. Both are know it alls who can be told nothing. Bolton brought us the Iraq war and promised to produce Saddam's WMD;but never did. Trump promised business acumen after bankrupting 4 casinos, Trump shuttle, Trump University, the NJ Generals football team; and he is now ruining soybean and corn farmers plus coal miners. 4 Trillion added to national debt in 3 years and he calls himself a conservative. We can't survive much more winning at the hands of Trump.
5
I wonder what it would be like if a President chose his advisors based on their TV performances, instead of their policy positions and experience?
3
I agree that Bolton’s view on the Camp David meeting was probably the last straw. Since most of the country seems to want out of Afghanistan, at whatever cost, Trump probably anticipated that news of the peace meeting and it’s abrupt cancellation would be met with sadness and disappointment at a lost opportunity. The derision, disgust that did follow the revelation of the proposed meeting- was probably just what Bolton had argued. That phrase from Dirty Dancing comes to mind; nobody makes Baby look bad.
But I part ways with my domestic progressive views when it comes to foreign affairs. Just as Dems moved more and more to the right to compromise with Republicans, so we have, in the name of diplomacy, moved more and more towards accommodation internationally.
Either we stand for something, or we don’t. In failing to clarify what that is, we fall into appeasement. And we should know where that leads.
On behalf of Afghan women, thank you Mr. Bolton.
4
A good chief executive has the ability to staff and retain employees
3
Now who can replace Nationla Security Advisor John Bolton ... let me see!
There's the Whitehouse Gardner who Trump thinks very highly of. He even took Trump's advice on what time of the year is best for planting the roses.
There's also the guy who washes the Whitehouse windows. He's courteous, doesn't talk much, and most importantly, he's clean-shaven and makes a neat appearance when dressed-up!
This man even salutes Trump through the soapy window each time Trump glides by on his skateboard.
Trump just can't get enough of that. He just loves it!
Trump loves to tell all who will listen that "the window guy NEVER saluted Obama!"
I think it's a safe bet that these two could possibly head the list of "Trump eligible" picks to be seriously considered to be appointed as his 4TH National Security Advisor.
11
Finally a decision by Trump one can agree with. How is it that a person with an attitude like Bolton can be a major influence on U.S. foreign policy in several administrations? Are there still people in the current administration who believe the U.S. can beat the rest of the world into doing what it wants through superior military/economic power? Yes the U.S. *could* be a world leader, and military/economic power are tools in that role, but you lead by example and that doesn't involve inducing perpetual conflict. Trump is also correct to talk to your supposed adversaries - you might learn something.
6
Trump, seeing the way things are going, is about to declare himself another Democratic candidate for the Presidency.
The Trump administration and the current British government share one thing in common. They both lie about anything and everything that might point them out as wrong. The fact that to lie is wrong has been overlooked by both camps. We need to create a new continent one that all these liars can be sent so that ordinary people who believe in honesty, integrity and fairness can avoid their lust to deceive.
10
Well North Carolina for one doesn't care if the rest of us get dragged into an unnecessary war so Trump can save face after doing or saying something totally ignorant to win some phony prize before an election he will hopefully lose. So what about dead Americans floating out of skyscrapers on this day nearly twenty years ago? Trump's ego is all that matters. Honestly Bolton is no loss, but Trump is no protector of national security either from the NRA or any foreign enemy. Give him his Emmy and let him go home already.
6
Bolton has been too "hawkish" for Trump for sure. And the so-called president doesn't want his legacy to be covered in blood like W's with thousands of military and civilian deaths on his head. He talks tough, but he is ultimately more concerned with his image.
3
The Mustache of Doom is out. Good! Even the Hairdo from Mordor couldn't stand him. Whether the Mustache was fired or resigned matters little. Foreign policy will remain with the hands of He Who Knows Everything, just without Bolton, the brave soldier who joined the National to avoid actual service in the Vietnam War but was nonetheless a war enthusiast.
9
Another one of Trump’s hand-picked “BEST” persons bites the dust.
Trump has had more national security advisors in his less than 3 years tenure than any other president has ever had in all of their 8 years combined.
7
The problem is Trump doesn't read. Bolton has always been an open book. War Without Peace has always been the title.
9
Interesting problem now facing Trump: how can I find somebody worse than Bolton?
11
TRUMP USES UP TOP ADVISERS The way that many people use Kleenex. He sneezes on them, wipes his snot off on them, calls them nut jobs and fires them. Bolton is a loose cannon. The truism that opposites attract applies here--or rather it's corollary, since if opposites attract, "likes" repel each other. Trump's ignorant, resembles that of Bolton, rendering it too close for comfort. If Bolton's "diplomacy," an oxymoron if ever there was one, is unsettling to Trump, his own harebrained, extremely dangerous excuse for diplomacy, makes Trump the "nutjob-in-chief." Is it surpassingly odd that Trump should overlook Mnuchin's profligacy with taxpayer dollars, as he reportedly spent some $300K using private charters, in travel related to his honeymoon, rather than traveling coach. To me that makes him less the prince in the story of Cinderella, than her toad. But Trump's white house is, despite all its insanity, not a beauty pageant. Meanwhile, the enemies of the US are quite aware that they're dealing with a dolt. So they continue to grow bolder and more aggressive with each passing day. Meanwhile, Trump believes that diverting military aircraft to an airport near his golf course, to reap profits from personnel who stay at his property, blithely ignores the emoluments clause of the Constitution, which he swore to preserve, protect and defend. Well perhaps that judgment is a tad too harsh, as it is true that now Trump's golf course is more secure. But is that US security??
4
These two fools just couldn't agree on exactly how to further Putin's orders to destroy Democracy. Both desperately need it to be destroyed, but the particulars drove them apart.
Too bad their boss didn't clearly lay out the details for them to follow.
4
Bolton quit. Trump lied about firing him.
Bolton is a mad dog and has always been an imperialist, striving to have America become an empire. Bolton is eager for America to go to war in Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, and China. Good riddance. He should be charged with war crimes.
8
To many are blinded by Trump hate to see this as a good thing. Bolton was looking to advance the concept of a modern total war. It's better he is out.
1
Bolton was clearly a dangerous person to have in a national security position. What idiot appointed such an awful hawk to it in the first place? There's this thing called vetting in which previous administrations looked into the views of candidates for jobs before appointing them, but that's probably some deep state thing this administration wants to avoid.
10
I thought no administration - not involved in a scandal would top the turnover during Nixon Watergate problems.
But we live in interesting times.
If Bolton does not clam up - he could find his security clearance cancelled.
And then, he should definitely be out of a livelihood as some others are finding.
What I am beginning to think is firing aides via a tweet - is it going to catch on in America - at all levels.
The so called "talaq" muslim divorce where a man has to utter this word just 3 times to finalize a divorce.
Are tweets going to be the modern talaq of DC culture.
May be - not that bad.
Finally Mr. Bolton had famously told President Bush when he was UN ambassador "Mr. President, UN is a target rich area."
It turns out the White House is also a target rich area but Mr. Bolton shit himself.
2
If you hire Bolton, you shouldn’t be surprised about the advice he gives.
9
@Bruce Thomson That would also be true about electing his boss-elect a clown, expect a circus.
3
Perhaps Bolton's refusal to accept Trump's designation of Bolton as "Fired" will encourage other egotistical Tea Party hawks to tell their stories of White House chaos and Trump incompetence. There must be a limit to the number of people willing to accept Trump's insults and lies.
6
I don’t expect any changes in policy. These decisions will be made over at the CFR and enforced out of Langley just as it’s been done for the past 70 years.
How can you tolerate insubordination?
Bolton directly disobeyed commander-in-chief by diverting Dorian to Carolinas instead of Alabama. Boss is not going to be happy.
11
No mystery: Putin told donny to fire Bolton before his resignation hit the news.
10
We need an alternative to 1) hawkish neocon policies which have given us wars and distress; 2) Trumpish policies which depend entirely on the president's narcissistic instincts which have not given us wars YET but could. Where is the third way?
2
The non-hawks among us are glad Bolton is gone. It's a shame he will find fans in extreme social media, t.v. and radio.
But, what advice-giver is waiting in the wings? None of Trump's Cabinet choices support the role of their office. His Cabinet has become a destructive force in the U.S. Will another hater like Stepem Miller be waiting to do his cruel best?
One would think Bolton and Trump would have been soulmates, given their proclivity for blowing things up (literally or figuratively).
Yet, I want normalization in Iran. to re-enter the nuclear accord and stop blocking trade. I hate that oil is their currency, as its use is destroying the world. But normal is good, and fighting global warming won't happen under Trump.
China's industrial espionage, not it's manufacturing and trade, are their threat to the U.S. Russia's slow creep to gain power through excellent cyber-marketing of election candidates, worldwide, and their ability to change election results through hacking menaces the world.
We need a cyber-security chief.
5
@Lilou We need an effective president, a president whose daily actions are consumed by theatrics and perception of how he is seen.
We need a president that understands global threats, trade, diplomacy and leadership.
When we find that true leader perhaps that leader will fulfill your desires.
2
President Bush used a congressional recess appointment to make Bolton the ambassador to the UN.
Congress quickly ended that fiasco when it came back into session.
8
Whether y'all like it or not President Trumps instincts against more war for the United States are correct.
That does not go down well with most of the Republican and Democratic Parties who are deeply beholden to the Military/Industrial complex and also to much of the corporate media.
Whilst an arrogant self-interested John Bolton was not able to get his own way, America has more to fear from Israel who may soon draw USA into a war with Iran, for its own interests.
4
It’s hard to believe almost anything Trump says. He knew Bolton’s views before he hired him.
He was probably using him as a foil for some radical decisions he wanted to make.
Maybe Bolton even disagreed with those positions unlike what the news media claims! Now, Trump wants to make it seem like he’s “moderate.”
Sane way, when it’s convenient for him, after Sean Miller has served his purpose, he might throw him under the bus, and claim he was moderate all along!
And the news media somewhat helps him with that by often painting his advisers as the ones with the extreme positions not Trump himself!
2
There's one less adult in the room. Didn't agree with much of his policy positions, but I did (do) respect his professionalism and patriotism.
2
Confusion and chaos. This president sows confusion and reaps chaos.
8
Very common scenario. “You can’t quit, you’re fired!”
Trump did the same thing to General Mattis. Mattis resigned, by letter, effective February 28, and Trump said: “nope, leave right now.”
4
Last person out, turn off the lights.
10
Trump creates the ruse that he "fires" Bolton, so it appears that our all-powerful, all-knowing "King" is "THE man."
If Bolton was allowed to "resign," Trump would then have to live with the public impression that Bolton is dissatisfied with Trump's incompetent performance -- and the stained imprint -- as "the worst human being in the history of the oval office."
Consider Rex Tillerson, among dozens of others, who have had the horribly displeasurable experience of working for an arrogant egomaniac.
13
Trump creates the ruse that he "fires" Bolton, so it appears that our all-powerful, all-knowing "King" is "THE man."
If Bolton was allowed to "resign," Trump would then have to live with the public impression that Bolton is dissatisfied with Trump's incompetent performance -- and the stained imprint -- as "the worst human being in the history of in the oval office."
Consider Rex Tillerson, among dozens of others, who have had the horribly displeasurable experience of working for an arrogant egomaniac.
3
If only this were a reality show . . .
I guess the ones to worry about are those who stay . . . all named Trump or Kushner and the rest of the billionaires (Mnuchin or Ross or DeVos).
3
Folks the real take away from the firing of Bolton is Trump telling us he is going to get rid of the sycophant Mike Pence. If you are loyal to Trump he reviles you; if you stand up to him he hates you.
No one stands in his way. But he still has enough Guile to know that replacing Pence with Nikki Haley will scramble the picture when he decides to act. Are the Dems prepared; or will they be on a 5 week recess?
3
Reality Check so many good people fired . Whats whitehouse trying to do ruin our beautifull country. Never have so mnay good people fired for reasons not explained.
Warmonger who helped Bush lie us into Iraq.
No loss to America, maybe the only inadvertently good thing Trump has done.
8
Trump deserves zero credit for firing Bolton, who never should have been given the job in the first place.
9
Netanyahu pledges to annex West Bank. Bolton is fired. Mission accomplished.
4
Whether it had started from Mr. Trump or from Mr. Boltan, just the clashes of thoughts or something else, Mr. Boltan has been ousted now.
Most useful takeaway from nearly 2K Comments seems that Vladimir Putin likely suggested Bolton's removal before DJT took that action.
Now on to the same for Betsy Voss, David Bernhardt, etc. ad nauseam still befouling the WDC swamp.
3
People like John Bolton who advocate war should demonstrate their conviction by strapping on a weapon and go fight in the front lines. If Bolton wants to send our men to fight and die, he should be prepared to take the first bullet.
8
Bolton tried to be less competent than Trump. No one does that and stays in the Trump White House.
3
"I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions..."
So, once again, the point of Trump's advisers is to be fawning sycophants, and not disagree with him in any way. Sad. Is that not the point of advisers, to tell you things you don't want to hear? And the job of the president is to weigh-up the opinions of his/her advisers and make an informed decision?
Not in Trumplandia. The Donald doesn't need anyone's advice. He knows everything about everything.
8
One more down but the leader still is up! Long 18 months ahead of us!
2
Another peace loving American pushed out. I mean John Bolton brings to mind the peacefulness that can only happen when firing off hundreds of PeaceMaker Missiles like the calm after a thunderstorm or a Peace Bringing Hurricane
Bolton's national duty is to now publicly speak the truth about the man that dismissed him via tweet.
7
Well, irregardless of fired vs quit, at least he's gone.
2
The good news is that Bolton is out of government.
The bad news is that Trump is still in government.
12
My first reaction was that Trump finally did something right . . then I remembered that he was the one who appointed Mr. Bolton as national security adviser. Hopefully this will make us less likely to get into a foolish war than more . . but let's see who his successor is. Based on Trump's track record of appointing unqualified sycophants, I'm less than optimistic.
4
This is becoming more and more like a reality TV show. Life imitates art. Trump really gets to tell people they're fired without having a director and a producer with camera. He knew Bolton was a hawk when he hired him. So why the surprise? Now Trump wants to have the last word by saying he told John Bolton "you're fired."
2
And the speculation turns to who will be the next national security adviser. My money is on one of two Jared or Ivanka, probably the latter.
3
“He should have people that he trusts and values, and whose efforts and judgments benefit him in delivering American foreign policy,” Mr. Pompeo told reporters.
With much regret I have to inform Mr. Pompeyo that there is not such a thing as AMERICAN foreign policy. Instead we have the president’s personal relationships with foreign leaders. Russia’s and Saudi Arabia’s his favorites.
2
As much as Trump is a bull in a China shop, overtures of peace seem to appeal to him, so Trump; war is the insanity of humanity and if there is always a negotiated peace after wars, then don't start wars that destroy our youthful generations. Go right to making peace without allowing yourself to be instigated into angry action. Barks don't hurt, bites do.
1
If Donald Trump would do his homework and not choose advisors for what he sees and hears on Fox News, Bolton would not be making news today. Bolton is and has always been a "HAWK".
What surprises me even more is the statement from Mitt Romney praising him as a valued statesman. Even George Bush found out who he was and got rid of him as well. He is and will always be the "UNTOUCHABLE" in any administration.
4
It's scary to anticipate who Trump might pick to replace Bolton. Contemplating the horror of that choice puts me in mind of "The Second Coming" by William Butler Yeats: "And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches toward Bethlehem to be born?"
9
This is the best news.
I’ve been so frightened Bolton was going to infect Trump with his non-stop, never-ending, arrogant, ignorant, out-dated and ugly push to go to war with Iran.
(I remember him from the Bush day)
And it seemed entirely possible—given Trump’s fascination with Bibi -combined with a potentially tough re election campaign that Trump could be persuaded that war with Iran would be just what he needed to win another term.
Thank you President Trump for being wiser than I have you credit for.
1
@Jenniferlila
Ohh, don't worry about that, China is the boogeyman de jeur and China-bashing sells, people loves it. He will probably push for war with China. Whatever gets him re-elected.
I don't know whether that's really an improvement on war with Iran though.
2
It's very clear.
Trump tries to claim he fired Bolton. He "fires" Bolton so he does not look bad.
By Bolton resigning, it means that Bolton has had enough of con-man Trump's erratic, unstable, amoral, incompetent, short-sighted, bigoted, and highly selfish traits, which are an attempt to distract Americans from his failures and blatant disregard for the rule of law.
Trump will never be exonerated for what he has done to our country.
15
Chaos and Kakistocracy are the norm in the White House. It doesn't matter who leaves or who goes, as each new appointment is no better than the last.
10
Somebody's not telling the truth about how they broke up. Odds are the liar is Individual One. Bolton, however, is no slouch when it comes to the untruth. At least Bolton, whose views I don't agree with, had the courage to stand by his principles, however nutty. As for the servile Pompeo, who made his name as a nutty Republican representative, two possibilities exist. Either he lacks the courage of his convictions, or he simply has no convictions. I'm leaning toward the latter. Pompeo, like the Congressional Republicans, has demonstrated that he couldn't care less about all of those old-fashioned Republican party values like deficits, democracy here and abroad, loyalty to country.
12
Bolton's policies continue to fail every day in the Middle East, and it is hypocritical beyond any understanding for anyone to criticize Trump for firing him. I've seen comments here indicating that people are worried about how our allies and enemies will see this. The only people who would be sorry to see Bolton go would be the terrorists and the "carpetbaggers" who have benefitted from the complete and utter destruction of Middle Eastern countries. The rest of the civilized world doesn't care how he was fired. Our allies and our foes surely see him as a dangerous man. Bolton's policies would cause our allies to distance themselves from us and our enemies to find new ways to thwart us. Nobody wants their country destroyed, even by the great US of A. The guy loves war. He is pro death everywhere and anywhere and doesn't give a hoot how many American soldiers' lives his ill conceived wars will cost. Why Trump hired him in the first place is beyond me. Maybe he wanted to finally discredit and humiliate him so that no subsequent administration hires this discredited war criminal (who keeps popping up in government) ever again. I am not a Trump supporter, and while I know it is stylish to roll our eyes and talk about how the rest of the civilized world now perceives us with Trump at the helm, his humiliation and firing of Bolton is really not the time to do so if we want to stick to our principles. Today was a good day for anyone who cares about human life.
4
Trump and Bolton were always an odd couple. Though Trump and his followers may be motivated by the urge to bury their heads in the sand and hide from the outside world rather than any genuine pacifistic principles, the fact remains that Trump is not in favor of war. Avoiding war comes second only to the Wall in Trump's agenda. This is someone who refuses to back down after being caught doodling on a map to excuse a simple geographical misstatement. No one is going to make him budge on a signature campaign promise.
Bolton on the other hand is a bloodthirsty hawk committed to mindless and random acts of aggression that would cost hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of American lives. He believes in war for the sake of war. Our strategic interests don't matter. National security doesn't matter. His own party's political interests don't matter. He's a relic of a political mindset that doesn't exist anymore. Does it even matter whether he quit or got fired? He served no purpose. Like all of Trump's advisors, his role had no function because Trump doesn't listen to advice from anybody whose name isn't Vladimir.
11
What took Trump so long to notice that Bolton is a hawK? He never tried to hide it and made many bizarre statements about his views. They may have scared the rest of us, but Trump appeared to be fine with them and to believe that Bolton was just the man to do the job.
Which brings us to another question: Why did Trump think that Bolton should have any place in his administration? Hadn't they already been there and done that?
We should not rush into breathing a sigh of relief that Bolton is out, whoever caused that to happen, because who knows what Trump is likely to do next?
3
It's kind of like Godzilla vs. Rodan: It's hard to know who to root for. But in this version, mutual annihilation is definitely the best possible ending. Stay tuned.
7
The fact that Trump disagreed with Bolton is, in itself, somewhat refreshing. It means he does have some sort of baseline "principles," and that Bolton was consistently violating them. However, those "principles" won't be even close to enough to save us if a major international crisis erupts during Trump's watch. A man who can't even form a coherent and complete sentence is hardly up to the task of leading the free world through a time of crisis. Let's hope we can bring this ship back to port in 2020 and get the current commander off before anything really serious happens.
4
The fact that Trump disagreed with Bolton is, in itself, somewhat refreshing. It means that he does have some sort of baseline "principles," and that Bolton was consistently violating them. However, those "principles" won't be even close to enough to save us if a major international crisis erupts during Trump's watch. A man who can't even form a coherent and complete sentence is hardly up to the task of leading the free world through a time of crisis. Let's hope we can bring this ship back to port in 2020 and get the current commander off before anything really serious happens.
3
Bigger issue is Trump has destroyed the NSA leaving our enemies ready to pounce.
5
I think it's hilarious that they seem to have to defend canning Bolton. From whom are they defending the decision, the people who wish we were already in the middle of World War III? The only thing I would note is, as with just about everybody who's left the "administration," Trump and/or the crony of the week is trashing the guy on the way out. "The president is entitled to someone he trusts." Really! A discovery after almost 3 years into the presidency! It rivals the discovery of penicillin in my book. He didn't always agree with us. Really! This is John Bolton we're talking about. That's like husband #6 saying "I thought Liz [Taylor] was the kind who sticks with her marriages." These are the Stable Geniuses that are running our country. Lucky us!
8
one of the very few times i support the president! we do NOT need a warmonger running national security. bolton has a long history of itching to get into wars.
neoconservatives are awful for this country, just like trump. but hey, a broken clock is right twice a day!
8
Please, no tears or martyrdom for Mr. Bolton. How many lives have been lost and money spent on the Iraq weapons of mass destruction myth and how fully has a semi-functional nation been been destroyed?
6
I would gander that what this means is that we were *very* close to war with Iran, and the only one who stopped it was Trump. OK OK, Fox and Friends.
2
I am not a fan of John Bolton (not by a long shot), but at least he was true to his principles. That is a lot more than can be said about almost all other republicans.
6
What did you expect from the man who is accustomed firing people on TV? And I might add it is the only thing he enjoys in his governmental duties. The the other stuff? that is a long story, and for another tall tale to be discussed in the next election cycle.
2
I have to wonder, which loose cannon in the public eye will seek to be the next National INSECURITY Advisor? Maybe somebody from Hollywood - who could that be ...
1
Bolton’s version of the rupture doesn’t just sound like the kind of thing Donald Trump would do. It sounds exactly like the thing Trump did in fact do to another member of the administration — I forget which one. He said, “Let’s talk about it some more,” and practically as soon as the other man was out of sight he fired off a public announcement of his dismissal.
The weaker they come, the tougher they talk. This is Trump 101 for people who need help seeing the hole in such a doughnut of a man.
5
Bolton's tell-all book could be the best one yet. So many books from former Trumpublican appointees, so little time.
5
As someone who has family back in the Middle East, this is one of the few foreign policy decisions by the Trump White House that I fully support.
3
I remember when Bolton came on board. Shortly after there was a lot of saber rattling directed at Iran, Bolton's appointment giving those threats credibility, emergencies were declared and weapons were sold to Saudi and UAE behind Congress' back. "Thank you for your service." Was that always the plan and Bolton was played or am I giving Trump too much credit?
5
Are we really supposed to believe that the spectacular (thanks to Trump) failure of the Taliban initiative, which Bolton said was stupid, had nothing to do wit hthe timing of Bolton's dismissal.
I sure hope not.
7
Bottom line...what now? What sane, qualified, credible person (not that Bolton was, but at least he had a consistent worldview) will take this job? Pompeo? Nah, he’s off to run for senate. Seriously...are we so lowered to point where we will be taking ads out on bus stop benches? Where does this sheer incompetence end?
19
So, is Jared gonna get the call, or is it gonna be Ivanka?
39
Why do people lavish praise upon Donald Trump for supposedly fixing his original mistake of hiring Bolton?
Just how many "flavors" of bad are there and what is going to be the new "flavor of the month" now?!
22
Ambassador Bolton, you have one week to speak up and tell the nation the true story about the dysfunctional state of affairs inside the Trump administration. After a week, your voice will be lost to the news cycle. Speak, up, Sir!
22
Loving the chaos ! What is life without theater... especially live from the WH. The winter is coming , very soon and will be more wintery than Canada or Greenland. The snowflake leadership will gleam even more, let us buy some sunglasses and defensive stocks.
6
Think how happy most of us will be when we fire Trump!!
27
The image I have of John Bolton and Donald Trump is one of Bolton desperately trying to wrestle a greased pig, much to apoplectic, red-faced frustration, and coming so close to getting the president to start a war, any war, whether Iran, North Korea or Venezuela. Yet, just when he thinks he has Trump in his grasp and war seem eminent, Trump slips out and foils his plans yet again. It would be almost comical if the consequences weren't so dire. Well, good riddance to the war monger.
16
Nobody deserves Donald Trump more than John Bolton. The rest of the world deserves neither.
32
I really wonder whether anyone knows the depth and seriousness of the administration's inability to govern this nation.
On one hand we have a president who is monumentally unfit to occupy the White House and on the other, a Senate majority leader whose cynical approach to his job is essentially wrecking the country. Both are unrestrained by a totally complaint Republican caucus.
Just when we need a statesman to stand up and shout "Enough!" all we hear is the sound of crickets in the night.
36
McMaster will RETURN....watch and see
2
The only thing wrong with John Bolton being replaced by Trump is that there will definitely be someone worse appointed next. That’s for certain.
12
Trump has put America at risk since he took office. On his first few days he gave US Intelligence secrets to the Russian Ambassador in the Oval Office and sad it was his right to do so. While that may be true it's been downhill from the start.
Bolton was a clown who could only find work on Fox News so he isn't much of a loss but the fact that he's the 3rd NSA adviser in 2.5 years is incredibly disruptive and continues Trump's pattern of destroying America's security.
14
I have complete confidence that trump will not let this 'resignation' go.
Let the vengeful comments begin!
11
I believe Trump doesn't want war. Or death. Or children to suffer. Oh, it's all so complicated when your the Prez. It takes so much character, resilience, good judgement, emotional and mental capability. Nuff said.
4
Could Trump at least elucidate his foreign policy objectives in writing or in a nationalized broadcast? I just want to know what they are.
9
It is great fun watching Liberals, who abhorred Bolton, now defend him.
9
You’re missing the point of the criticism and, you think, the hypocritical praise of Bolton. His views have always been known.
Like many, I disagree strongly with his position regarding Iran, the Paris Accord, and more generally his unilateral stance in all things regarding treaties.
But he was correct in pushing back about hosting the Taliban at Camp David.
Ya gotta give him that.
3
It is great fun watching Trump supporters twist logic into unintelligible knots to find a way to support the unintelligible actions of an irrational and profoundly disturbed President.
5
@Dr John - sort of like how much fun it is watching Trump supporters defend anything and everything Trump does even when they had apoplectic fits over anything and everything Obama did. Yeah, good times...
6
The day Bolton was appointed, those who were paying attention, knew this was certain to happen.
Trump thinks he is smarter than everyone. Everyone.
Absolutely no hint of humility -- Not a sliver of humility.
It's the danger of the dictator/authoritarian mentality, which currently threatens all of us.
"I alone can fix it."
I'm the chosen one.
But, no shared community -- no life.
18
Who knew senility could be
performance-enhancing!
7
As much as I disagree with Trump, this gives me some confidence about his judgment on things that really matter from a national security standpoint.
6
Bolton's seeming lust for war was very concerning but now that he no longer has power as an adviser, and even braver strategy would be to promote peace in the world as Trump has been making some efforts towards. There is a way to promote sovereignty and respect for that of all other nations by acting to curtail military adventurism and C.I.A. activities that create enemies where none had to be, all for the sake of empire. But be careful, they are dangerous as history has shown.
1
Whatever else Bolton was, I don't think he is owned by the Russians. Trump's next NSA might be.
16
Unrelated comments:
I just listened to President Obama make a few comments on MSNBC/Rachel Maddow.
Why is it that my eyes tear-up whenever I hear his voice these days ?
The difference between 44th and 45th isn’t only one number.
It’s night versus day.
37
I guess Bolton never looked up the definition of a boss.....
2
Fired, resigned- who cares. Hurrah to having him gone! Will Wilbur Ross hopefully be next???
21
He is now in the running-around-like-a-chicken-without-a-head stage of his foreign policy, designed to impress Boris Johnson with its certitude, rationality, and moral grounding.
8
@sbmd - Trump doesn't give a fig about Johnson. What has the UK got than the US already doesn't already have, no matter who occupies No 10 he/she with be beholden to Washington.
2
@Phil Daniels
consider it ironic satire on trump's constant appeal to the lowest common denominator, in this case Boris Johnson. (sorry, jokes don't go over explained).
1
Since all his recent cabinet and staff picks come from Fox, who's next? Sean Hannity? Laura Ingraham? Jeanine Piiro? Or will he pick Honey Boo Boo this time?
15
Sounds like Bolton was not properly vetted. What’s new here? Trump is the most incompetent person on the planet. He knew then what he knows now. Gimme a BIG break!
3
Bolton gone - good
Next up - Trump?
6
As loathsome as he is; I do expect we will soon find out who or what is a worse choice than John Bolton.
11
Will Trump now bring back Dick Cheney?
6
Trump still thinks he's on "The Apprentice" --
"John Bolton - you're fired ...
14
Alas, poor Bolton, once more denied the nuclear war he so craves.
18
Yes, Trump should have people that he trusts, but he should also have people that he trusts to provide him with opinions that are contrary to his own, so he can understand arguments that he's bound to face by people that disagree with his decisions, and unforeseen consequences.
A person that views any disagreement as a personal attack that must immediately be 'punched back' against cannot see the 'both sides' that always exist - and that's a necessary requirement for any leader, because it's very important to try and see as many possible downsides to a policy before putting it into effect.
Presently, Trump tries to do that by floating a proposal in a Tweet and seeing what the response is, but I suggest that contrary opinions from known and trusted associates are a much better choice over anonymous people Tweeting their many uneducated, selfish or angry responses.
9
As there are divergent stories about how this transpired, wouldn’t headline be better written as “Bolton Out as National Security Adviser”?
2
Trump is a dictator. This type of turnover reeks of yet another power grab. When will the American people open their eyes?
10
@Alex, most Americans do have their eyes open; a majority in fact. But, you know, the Dakotas have 4 senators for their how many thousands of people?
11
The headline infers that what trump says about Boltons ouster is true ...It really seems that the reverse is true ...Unless a trump statement is accepted as true ..And who would do that ?
6
I wish we had a President we could trust. I am glad Pompeo is gone but I will not rest until Trump and the rest of the sycophant Republicans so are also gone. Why have they deserted their dignity for this President? He does not deserve it. He will turn on a dime and drown you. Deplorable.
9
Fired or resigned, it doesn't matter. Good riddance a hardcore warmonger.
13
Trump’s idea of loyalty is a hard one-way street. After he has no more use for his underlings, he dumps them and humiliates them. I’m not sure why anyone would want to work in his administration.
That said, I’m not shedding a tear over Bolton’s firing. He is a crazy warmonger that should be nowhere any position of power.
The whole administration is a swamp.
16
Wow! I never thought I would say this but good job Mr. Trump! Good riddance.
5
Good, I hope John is giving the town job of sweeping the streets... lord knows he has a good mustache to be a push broom!
5
Most of America is waiting for the day when we can say – ‘YOU’RE FIRED!’ to Donald Trump. If it looks like he’s going to lose the election, I’m looking forward to watching how many Republican politicians turn on him to save themselves.
9
Donald Trump wants to appear to be tough, so he did prefer John Bolton's outlook.
But when it came to actually killing people, Donald Trump slowed down, and decided not to send missiles into Iran.
What's the point to that, he would think? We are about making progress, making real estate, and a bit of money.
The cool thing about Donald Trump is that he really wants to make a lot of money, but he really does not want to hurt people.
But in his Real Estate business and Construction projects, he sifted almost every sub-contractor!
Still he declared bankruptcies multiple times. It seems that either he is really incompetent or the bankruptcies were declared to milk his creditors. No wonder, US Banks stopped giving him loans.
So the Russian oligarchs moved in!
7
It will come out eventually that Trump fired Bolton for neglecting to tell him that the Taliban leadership were actually all Muslims, and so inviting them to Camp David would have violated his Muslim ban, making him look stupid (again). Trump hates looking stupid, and the first duty of all his staff is to try to prevent this at all costs; e.g., Ross has a sharpie always at the ready. Bolton should really have taken a leaf out of his book.
The next NSA will have the delicate task of letting the president know that the Saudis are, generally speaking, Muslims as well; but better not blurt it out on day 1, or Scaramucci (or is it Flynn?) loses the record!
9
Has anyone considered that Trump fired Bolton when he did in order to knock the Alabama Hurricane Dorian scandal out of the headlines?
24
@Barb Campbell
There’s probably something more sinister about to be announced on immigration, health care or who knows what.
6
The more these ' changes ' occur with this ludicrous excuse for a POTUS and his administration ... the more the song " 99 Bottles of Beer " comes to mind . Begging the question ..... what bottle are we down to now ? One ? Two ? Possibly three ?
Begging the more obvious question ... how much chaos is it going to take for both the Republicans and the Democrats to invoke Article 25 Section 4 removing Trump from power if not institutionalizing the man as well ... for blatant mental incompetency
12
Mr Toad fires Mr. Walrus! We are running out of Fox News personalities. Then again Mr. Capybara, Sean Hannity, would make a fine national security adviser.
2
Another one bites the dust. So: have any physicists determined accurately the half-life of an appointment in that radioactive environment that is the Trump WH?
11
Jared Kushner should be Trump's next National Security Advisor. After all, Kushner and Netanyahu just finishing announcing today, what Jared's "Peace Plan" for the Palestinians is going to be.
6
@Joe Miksis You do have a sense of humor, especially considering the feckless meandering that passes for Kushner's peace plan.
4
Bolton is a neanderthal from the Cold War: consistently belligerent, consistently wrong.
Even Trump figured that out.
For once, Trump got it right.
7
Who's next, Tucker Carlson? If not, then trot out Hannity. Sooner or later it'll all work itself out.
Relax, and leave the driving to them.
But vote just in case.
12
I can't help but think that policy has nothing to do with this. Trump could care less about policy, unless it affects blacks, Latinos, Muslims, and women, in a bad way. In America. "They're bad people, drug dealers and rapists."
Bolton just wants to bomb people that he doesn't have to look at. Where does one develop an attitude like this? Yale? Incredible.
What's a guy like Bolton even doing in government? War is not a viable policy. Even the worst person in the world can understand that. Look what W did under the direction of Chaney. Wow. And the rapist in chief did something right for the first time.
3
This all says that Trump has no functioning mind of his own. He appoints people he does not vet (because he isn't capable of doing so) and then goes all angry bird with tweets when his appointees make his life difficult. After all, interrupting his golf game with real foreign policy issues has got to stop. Next.....
13
This is the ongoing car wreck of incompetence that millions of Americans will turn out and vote for next year. Those people say they love America, but they each poison our country with their votes.
9
Trump now has dumped more National Security Advisors than wives. It is very hard to stay with a stable genius, I guess.
19
@Joe Miksis
Did you support Bolton as National Security Advisor?
When someone says everyone else in the world is crazy - then you know that person is the crazy one. Bolton is no friend to peace in this world, but his version of his departure corroborates many others: the President is a clear and present danger in his mental instability.
13
Trump and Bolton, they deserved each other. Too bad Bolton couldn't fire Trump and then resign. He could have made everyone happy.
13
Dude is definitely selling newspapers.
Extra, extra, read all about it!
Unemployed newsboys back to work. Could account for employment numbers.
8
I would say it is the second thing Trump got right since he was electedish, except that he is the one that hired this horror movie casting reject in the first place.
15
Trump stated that he would hire the best people.
While I will not miss the belligerent, warmongering Bolton, this just gives Trump one more non-senate approved “acting” position in his administration. Less oversight for his ridiculous and uninformed ideas on diplomacy and democracy.
If you didn’t think we are in trouble. We are in trouble.
12
Bolton job loss is the first of the upcoming Trump recession.
13
I’m over this season of the Trump show, time to cancel it!
16
So if Blow it up Bolton was against the peace accord with the Taliban, does that mean Pompeo actually supported that farce? Omg, that is truly frightening.
10
Just another chapter of the "You're Fired" show.
4
Farmers
Had enough yet ?
16
Quit? Fired? I really don't care, do you?
19
John Bolton failed kindergarten and also was shunned on the playground.
His liability, of course, is that he never learned to participate in creating an analytic process for advising the president.
Of course the president is adverse to process.
I suspect we’ll hear from Bolton a good deal on cable. Articulate he is.
And so is he dangerous in his own right.
Wonder if Jared might succeed Bolton.
Seriously a really smart choice would be Dan Coates, but he is wrongfully discredited by Trump.
4
John Bolton texted Washington Post reporter Robert Costa announcing, "I will have my say in due course" and "My sole concern is US national security".
There is no doubt about it. In a few cases Bolton made sense, and he will have plenty to tell in his future memoir. Many, especially the Iranians, are pleased that the Uber hawk is out. Since joining Trump in March 2018, he has been in the driving seat on major confrontations around the world, stoking tensions.
But NATO allies will view him more favourably, because he prevented Trump from blowing up the Alliance.
After Trump stormed out of the G7 summit in 2018, Bolton feared a repeat at the upcoming NATO summit.
He reportedly led a contingent of senior officials to finalise a formal policy agreement with allies, sending a demand to NATO Ambassador - Kay Bailey Hutchison - for the alliance to reach an agreement before Trump took off for Europe. Despite Trump’s disparaging rants, Bolton’s effort paid off. The summit declaration achieved a series of critical goals.
Although North Koreans have demanded many times that Mike Pompeo be replaced with a “more mature” person, if the US wants talks to proceed, it’s unlikely that he be sacked, because he doesn’t contradict and irritate Trump as Bolton did.
They really loathe Pompeo, saying he cast ‘dark shadows’ over negotiations, calling him a “diehard toxin” who only complicates the denuclearisation talks. If Kim Jong-un insists, and if Trump gives in, Pompeo could be next.
3
the unending palace intrigue never ceases to amuse me, except that it's becoming dangerous. this now amounts to a he said she said food fight as the court jester fires his security advisor because of insufficient loyalty. trump tires of everyone eventually, from his multiple wives to his top advisors and this really shouldn't surprise anyone, actually trump did the country a favor considering boltons' overly aggressive and combative hawkishness.
3
It just occurred to me that President Trump is beefing up so many resumes that there’s no shortage of candidates for any erstwhile position in the administration.
Pretty slick if you ask me...
3
There is no “yes but” to Bolton being gone. It is 100% a good thing, for the US and the world. He had only two cards that he played, the threat of war and war itself. The further Bolton is from the levers of power the safer we all are.
12
Reality TV does not belong in OUR White House.
13
I notice the very first thing each man does after the event is call the other a liar; maybe we'll get the inevitable "my days in the purgatory of the Trump WH" book out of Bolton before the next election.
6
“without getting in bed with an organization responsible for killing thousands of Americans over the past 18 years.”
When I heard that, I just assumed he was talking about Purdue Pharma.
12
Big surprise. NOT!
And now he has another "acting" member of his administration.
3
"The Apprentice, WH version." Now showing on all networks.
11
@Abraham
I apologise bringing this up so close to the anniversary of the appalling tragedy of September 11 but the host of the Apprentice bragged that his building (that used to be the second tallest building) was now the tallest building. He did that DURING the tragedy. Who does that? Perhaps someone who also brags about not even waiting to assault women. Then there is also the lie that he was present during the atrocity of 9/11 and the egregious falsehood that he had multiple friends who were killed during 9/11; then of course the fact that he did not attend even one funeral related to this world trauma. Just one of those facts should have been enough to disqualify him from running. That is without even citing one of the many scandals that have since occurred.
13
Trump asked Putin if he would take over for Bolton, but Putin said he would soon be busy with the upcoming US Presidential election...
23
I have an entire color palette of sharpies.
I was going to apply for director of NOAA, but I could do NSA at least for a week or two.
11
Go for NASA or space force, think what a cash cow conquering Mars could be. You can throw out all those math wonks with their fancy calculations of escape velocity and gravitational pull. You have a bevy of sharpies to draw what you would think ships and satellites could do.
9
Look through the lens of 2020 election which Trump obsesses about. He wants to do something like Nixon's opening to China, something bold, confirming him as a visionary world leader and in time for the election. He wants more drama. Bolton was in the way, in North Korea and Iran. Will be interesting if we now nudge closer to them.
11
Any General Contractor with experience (one supposes Trump is) will tell you:
Your Superintendents (Bolton) should be hard and uncompromising in applying/enforcing the contracts with the sub-contractors (Iran) so that in the end, the Manager (Trump) can then appear gregarious when yielding to compromise.
This is the normal dynamic on construction sites. I wonder if Trump knows this, if it is of any use to him, and if this is what he had in mind when he hired Bolton?
In any case, talking with your adversaries is always good. At a certain point, the human element kicks in, and adversaries converge unless there is intractable hatred.
There is no reason America and Iran should hate each other, even though they see things differently. People with different view points can co-exist.
Bolton doesn’t get this. He is intractable. That is probably why Trump let him go.
5
Umm.. Iran is not the Taliban. Yes , talking to Iran would be wise, the taliban, not so much.
8
Trump can’t get along with anyone, so no surprise. Pompeo was likely behind all this, and Trump is easily influenced. Influence...seems to be a theme with Trump.
10
It is weird to say "good riddance" in an administration which by all standards has been populated with individuals not only of questionable ethics and character, but even worse, a lack of skills and abilities to perform the duties and functions they were charged with. That doesn't even include the president himself.
Yet even amongst them all, John Bolton occupied a space on his own. A zealot disguised in a diplomat's outfit, his policies and ideas derived mostly from rigid ideological principles that were served more as edicts rather than suggestions or any coherent foreign affairs framework.
That someone like Bolton was even allowed to have his fingers on the pulse of international relations at such a high level should worry everybody with an ounce of reason and understanding, regardless of party affiliation.
11
I agree with Bolton resigning, but if Trump really wants to improve the situation, he should himself resign.
He is by far the most inferior employee currently in the federal government. Which is saying a lot.
24
For all Trump's faults he has managed to not embroil this nation in another wasteful, unnecessary, war.
His record is better than either of our major political parties.
Remember: if Democratic Senators had voted No on the Iraq War it wouldn't have happened.
6
@willt26 and you remember the intel they were given (supplied by repubs) was knowingly faulty? Remember the "weapons of mass destruction" that were subsequently never found?
16
We will have to wait and see about Iran. Trump certainly did no good by pulling out of the multinational nuclear agreement.
7
This is an extremely good point. Our current government minus Trump started a fake war, totally disrupting the Middle East, caused the worst economic trouble since the Great Depression, and have given the keys of government to the lobbyists. But they did it while behaving reasonably civilly.
They were showing a poll last night showing plus side of 60 percent of Americans versus 30-something percent think Trump is unfit for re-election.
9
Emboldened by antipathy of Americans to Trump’s outrageous decisions and actions - Moscow Mitch will be sure Trump’s new National Security Advisor, Vladimir Putin, sails through his Senate conformation smoother than Kavanaugh.
10
It is at times like this that I am deeply grateful we are the preeminent military power in the world. A lesser nation would have been invaded by concerned powers and put under UN stewardship.
8
Why hire a war hawk if you don't want a war? We're not talking about Lincoln here. The President wasn't seeking rivals in his cabinet. Trump has left the entire international system confused and therefore much less secure.
What we need is a leader. What we have is a game show host enamored with the idea of playing tough but acting weak. Need I mention Helsinki.
Bolton didn't leave because Trump was making a giant geopolitical mistake in inviting the Taliban to Camp David on 9/11. Bolton left because Trump reversed himself after receiving bad publicity for a terrible idea. Regardless of Bolton's opinions, this is the measure of our President. He is incapable fulfilling his duties competently and in good faith. Where is Mitt Romney's quote on the 25th Amendment?
10
Bolton was always the unrepentant chickenhawk and was certainly the poster boy for "strike first ask questions later" school of international relations, Neocon has become the symbol of the old school US approach to running the world on her own terms, Sadly, passe and dangerous,
So. yes, good to see him gone, But sadly, we still have a seat of the pants "gut" reacting president who seems not to have a clue what he really wants or how to achieve it, Oh yes, a Nobel Peace Prize like Obama's is paramount, but that won't happen, his feckless narcissism will not allow it,
4
For all those people who don't want unending, unwinnable wars, Trump for a change was correct to get rid of Bolton. Which raises a question of why he was appointed in the first place.
5
I cannot keep up with the merry-go-round of characters in this White House. I read the NYT and the Washington Post daily, and used to pride myself on knowing (at least superficially) who is in what office. I used to be able to name most if not all of the cabinet members, for example. Now, I can't keep track of who is "in" and who is "out". The list changes too quickly. Could the NYT keep a running list somewhere I can access so I can remember? ( a quick link?) I'm not being sarcastic (maybe just a little) but this news nerd can't keep track! I pity the payroll clerk.
3
People are so quick to find fault with Mr. Trump’s pathological management skills.
For your information, we still have the SAME Postmaster General we had on the day Donald Trump took office. ONE PMG, just one, in more than 2 1/2 years! That’s exemplary executive branch stability, that is.
“Megan Jane Brennan is the Postmaster General of the United States. The seventy-fourth postmaster general, Brennan became the first woman to hold the office when she assumed the position on February 1, 2015.”
Ms. Brennan IS a Democrat. She WAS appointed by a former president. And it’s unlikely that Trump is aware of the relationship between the executive branch of the federal government and the U.S. Post Office, but the president should be given credit anyway for never having fired Postmaster General Brennan. He’s never fired ANY Postmaster General. AND, there’s also no solid evidence that Trump has ever ordered Ms. Brennan to do anything illegal!
Why don’t the newspapers cover Trump’s amazing accomplishments like these???
Go DJT! Resign now, while you’re at the top of your game.
Leave Megan Brennan to run the Post Office and bow out gracefully. A win is a win.
9
Fired! Quit?
You say tomato, I say tomato. Christmas came early this year!
3
The best I can describe it is, the country is driving 120 mph
down the highway on bald tires.
10
While your Allies scramble to get out of the way.
3
Starting wars like the Iraq Disaster: very, very bad and expensive to all involved. Elevating the unrepentant 9/11 murderers to the status of the President of the United States by inviting them to Camp David, not quite as expensive but also bad. And probably capped off by very bad tweets from Trump indicating the Taliban terror hosts are all really great guys, and nobody knew how nice they could be, and what a great meeting it was. As Trump struts back to his bathroom at Mar-A-Lago and his golden toilet, to tweet that he's in love yet again, while the Taliban dances away laughing, now officially blessed by the USA as a legitimate political entity, not terrorists. So its cancellation is: very, very good.
Now that the Trumpiban Bromance has been cancelled, I have a better idea for a meeting. First, arrange for a lower level diplomat to meet with the Taliban. A President should NEVER, EVER meet in person with a terrorist, or a leader of a rogue nation, or any other internationally recognized bad guy. It's wrong. Second, NEVER have that sort of low level meeting at Camp David. It's for real world leaders, not terrorists. Have it at Guantanamo, a much better venue for their ilk. In a cell. Make our guests feel at home with some hot tea, handcuffs and ankle shackles. If they have anything useful to say, they can say it to the guards.
3
Looks like you're conflating the Taliban with Al-Qaeda, otherwise I agree with many of your points.
@Jake Thank you. Just to clarify, the Taliban knowingly, willingly hosted the Al Qaeda's 9/11 terrorists in Afghan territory, and it doesn't really matter if any of the twenty 9/11 Saudi highjackers were Taliban or not. A terrorist can be on the training and promotion side and be involved in terrorism without ever killing an innocent victim. Not to overlook the various terrors inflicted on the Afghan people by the Taliban, but the Al Qaeda sponsorship was/is plenty bad enough.
To me it's akin to the people at the top of a retail coffee chain and the people who run the cash registers for that retail coffee chain. If you're unhappy with the coffee, don't blame it all on the cashiers. The stockholders, senior management and franchise owners also have some culpability.
1
Bolton is rational hawkish. In contrast, Donald is loosing it. The latter is unfit to occupy the WH.
Once again I am glad someone is gone, but worried that the replacement will be worse. By the end of his term, I half expect Trump to name Beavis and Butthead as Secretary of State and NSA, respectively.
8
Too bad. Now, he makes give away deals with Russia, China and North Korea. Japan and United States looses out.
Past time for the Circus to get a new ringmaster.
3
Trump has the remarkable ability to reiterate on a daily basis that NOTHING he says can be believed. You really must assume everything he utters is a lie to some degree.
John Bolton was one of the neocons in the administration of George W. Bush. He, like the rest of the signatories of the PNAC ("Progress for the new American Century") document, wanted a "new Pearl Harbor" to get us to increase our defense budget. They got it 18 years ago tomorrow. I still believe they knew about the terror attacks before they happened. John Bolton will always be a neocon.
6
Now Donnie is free to give his lover, Kim, everything he wants. I expect there will be a meeting shortly.
4
This is (rare) good news! Bolton is an extremist, a warmonger with no real diplomatic credibility. I am amazed that some defend him! But then again, America has become increasingly militaristic, honouring "brave" service-people who wash machinery or fill sandbags. No such esteem for under-paid teachers, hospital orderlies or the family working long hours in the corner shop. Goodbye, Bolty.n
8
"Trump Ousts John Bolton as National Security Adviser"
Is this really what happened ? Kinda sounds like Bolton bolted to me.
2
“Offered last night without his asking,” he wrote. “Slept on it and gave it to him this morning.”
Trump can't even be straight up about something as relatively inconsequential as how Bolton's resignation went down. What an odd man.
1
When will the news be underwhelming because we now know President Trump reacts with himself as the center of his universe. He has become predictable in the most pathetically childish but dangerous way. He is treated like a toddler having a tantrum by all who are beholden to him. Pacification and cuddling and praise don’t always protect his chosen ones from ‘you’re fired’ .
2
Gone ... Bolton discarded like a bad suit. Pompeo should watch his back; he is next. You're fired! That's the president's trump card.
1
It is most likely that Mr. Bolton will be hired in the following days/weeks as a 'political analyst' by CNN or MSNBC ! He will be eulogized by the mainstream media for speaking 'truth' to 'power' and hailed as a 'martyr'.
'Morning Joe' will likely have him to dish out the juicy, internal white house details as part of the 'Resistance' and for T.V ratings.
Let the drama begin !
2
Mr Trumpery - if he is so in love with Kim Jong un - who knows he may have found himself utterly infatuated with the Talibanahasees.They could have struck a chord. What an opportunity for peace missed when they could have found a lot of common ground on their similarly enlightened attitude about women. Mr Trumpery would have loved that they were not politically correct; surely they could have made use of their shared misogyny to achieve lasting peace in Afghanistan.
Who knew that the Don man could have been the only foreign leader in history to come out of the famous quagmire successfully? Oh well he nearly achieved what nobody else ever could. Now at least everybody can resume winning endlessly. Who better to navigate the minefield of Afghanistan than a very stable genius with the best words?
4
Why would you use this definitive headline, when it’s clearly not what happened? This language and the fact that it’s front page is taken as a victory by Trump. Why are you feeding the disinformation trend?
1
It is amazing that Mr. Bolton who is a hawk of the first order suddenly becomes a hero as soon as his views differ from those of Trump. Would Hitler become a hero if Mr. Trump attacked him?
I personally am pleased. One of the things which was positive about Trump in 2016 was that he was not a hawk. He strongly disagreed with our aggressive stance in so many countries, especially Syria and Russia.
Not much has been said in these pages but Muammar Gaddafi was assassinated, dare I say lynched, with a little help from a US drone.
I am optimistic that with Bolton gone we will see a more peaceful foreign policy.
4
What’s wrong with Trump’s story? He said in his tweet: “I informed John Bolton last night (Monday night) that his services are no longer needed at the White House.” If that is true, why was Bolton scheduled to participate in the 1:30 pm Tuesday briefing on terrorism with Pompeo and Mnuchin? Something’s wrong with the timeline.
6
Thanks, I was too over joyed with the news to notice that inconsistency.
2
Good decision regardless whiz idea it was. The guy is a war monger.
2
Too embarrassed from faking the hurricane news about Alabama, Trump had to fire Bolton to shift the news cycle. That plus the fact a Russian asset for the CIA had to be pulled because no one in the intelligence community trusts the president of the United States. Amazing! Firing Bolton doesn't change the fact that his cabinet member Ross told NOAA staff to lie or be fired. Firing Bolton doesn't change the fact that the CIA (under Pompeo no less!) thinks Trump is capable of treason. Firing Bolton doesn't change the fact that we may have a lying traitor in the midst helped by Moscow Mitch and Fox/RT News. Seems like the red states are now actually Russian Red.
4
The deserve eachother. Unbelievable how bad trump is at dealmaking, personel managing, handling the press. All the aspects of being a politician.
However, everybody knew who he was. Everybody. That he is a factor 10 worse could have been handled by congress had it not been for 50 something weakwilled/feeble republicans with no mind of their own. Thats whats embarassing.
Everyone can go on about brexit etc but at least members of conservative party stand up for what they believe whem faced with an undisciplined reckless PM. And he is not even a fraction as bad as Trump.
6
Too embarrassed from faking the hurricane news about Alabama, Trump had to fire Bolton to shift the news cycle. That plus the fact a Russian asset for the CIA had to be pulled because no one in the intelligence community trusts the president of the United States. Amazing! Firing Bolton doesn't change the fact that his cabinet member Ross told NOAA staff to lie or be fired. Firing Bolton doesn't change the fact that the CIA (under Pompeo no less!) thinks Trump is capable of treason. Firing Bolton doesn't change the fact that we may have a lying traitor in the midst helped by Moscow Mitch and Fox/RT News. Seems like the red states are now actually Russian Red.
1
Why this article sounds a bit pro-Bolton? He has always been a terrible man in private and in public. He's an obsessed warmonger who gets satisfaction from nothing more than watching a good bombing and bloodshed.
4
trump conservative? What a laugh. He cares nothing whatsoever for tradition or hoesty. Conservative values.
1
Well, Mike Pompeo finally submarined John Bolton out of the White House.
Mike Pompeo smiled at the press conference because getting rid of Bolton was a Pompeo goal of
Gaining more power in the White House and in his own political agenda.
2
Cool. Trump once again solved a problem that he caused.
9
Misleading headline to this story if, as Bolton claims, he resigned.
Rather than tell a partisan tale, of Trump “ousting” Bolton, it is increasingly vital that journalism find and report the accurate account of White House comings and goings. So, why did the headline not read “Bolton departs Trump Administration”, since that is all that is truly known?
3
Trump is lying through and through. Bolton resigned. And he didn’t really have disagreements with him. He knew his views before he hired him! So they have no real disagreements in terms of policy! He’s just used Bolton to cover up his warmonging!! He probably wanted Bolton to help cover up his warmonging especially against Iran!! Bolton probably resigned over Trump’s incompetence and sheer moral and ethical dwarfism!
2
It's not news Bolton is a hawk;its not news that trump's sharpie gate insanity resulted in NOAA debasing itself at the command of the Prince of Darkness, it just shows trump for the buffoon he is, but inviting the 9/11 murderers to camp david right before 9/11 shows a level of ignorance, insanity, insensitivity, unawareness that is truly incomprehensible. If Bolton told trump not to do this, then finally Bolton got something right. And now Netanyahu will annex the rest of the west bank leaving the Palestinians nothing and no freedom. Shows trump to be the fool he is, claiming there would be a two country solution engineered by the mute Jared who owns apartment buildings in Baltimore, that trump called rat infested, and that would be Jared's buildings where he is known as a slumlord. America, when will you wake up to see this corrupt man, administration, family, as the thieving business they are. If you want Democracy back, vote Democratic so we don't have to deal with this fool and his dangerous ignorance any more. It's on you, America, work to elect any Democrat to end this corrupt administration and this corrupt Republican Congress. It's terrifying reading the daily horror of what has he done now.
6
Expected.
Fall guy!
Election around the corner!
Time to be “moderate”
This is as good as Trump gets: firing somebody he never should have hired in the first place.
19
Only the best people, Part 392.
16
Given the speed at which appointees cycle through this administration, I wonder if we should set up a pool to guess how long the 4th National Security Adviser will last. Any bets??
4
What level of crazy would someone have to be to sign up to be NSA #4?
1
Pompeo and Pence scare me. Total enabling.
13
The end of the world has been delayed by the jettisoning of this war- mongering , evil man. A war with Iran will make Iraq look like a picnic in the mountains.
20
@jack8254
Iran would not last one week.
I fear that all those who are "fired" are also the only people who dared to say no to Trump. Like Wilbur Ross should have said "No, for christ sake, that would be stupid" when he was asked to put pressure on the NOAA to save Trump's face after his mistake.
I'm no fan of Bolton, but I'm terrified of a situation where the White House Administration consists exclusively of yes-sayers and the person they say "yes" to is a man with no endearing attributes whatsoever - Donald Trump.
Donald is dangerous on so many levels, but the biggest danger is that he is way over his head and does not realize it.
A person like that needs competent people around him, people that are competent and brave enough to say "No".
Is there anyone like that left? Jerome Powell maybe? Guess he's next to go.
Who will be the next national security adviser? Eric?
9
Donald J. Trump has made John Bolton look relatively reasonable and sane.
17
...actually, the original Twitter read as follows (before it was altered via magic marker): “I informed John Bolton last night that his moustache was no longer needed at the White House. I disagreed strongly with many of his moustache styles, as did others in the Administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service, but do not thank John for his freedom of expression.”
6
Any sane Democrat would be rejoicing over this news. A noted and demonstrated hawk has been dismissed. It clearly indicates that Trump is sick and tired of endless foreign wars, and that he is ready to bring American troops home and to stop wasting money on foolish foreign military campaigns. But no, and as usual, Democrats, liberals and progressives find the bad in the greater good, and focus only on the rapid turnover in the post of National Security Adviser. Cut off your nose, to spite your face best describes the political agenda of the Democrat party.
4
No , we are glad “blow it up” is gone. We fear what level of crazy will replace him.
2
You are lost. Sorry, but this is not Fox News..
2
I said it from the start, Trump's biggest mistake is he is trying to "reach out" and pull people onto his team even though his vision of the future is unique, and way too complicated and violates too many "politically correct" ideas. Under these circumstances, reaching out is just foolish, even if I appreciate him trying.
Back to what works: appoint Ivanka as acting NSA advisor. Or maybe a Fox personality. I think Steve Doocy has some untapped talent here.
Mr. Trump, sir! Stick with what you know works!
@pjc
Mr. Trump. Stick with what you know works — lie, lie some more, file for bankruptcy. Lie about the previous lies, then lie about the bankruptcy.
1
“Mr. Trump has the record for cabinet turnover in a president’s first term, according to Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, a scholar at the Brookings Institution.”
Go ahead, Trump-bashers. Try to put negative spin on this presidential accomplishment.
Talk about draining the swamp! Trump is a-hirin’ and a-firin’ executive-branchers at a record setting pace. How can his detractors fail to see the logical brilliance in this long-term strategy?
1
@Tom W By his own admission Trump has stated that he likes continuous, frequent change in his cabinet. He runs his administration like a really, bad reality show. I for one, feel no sense of security in a White House run by a clown that resembles a three ring circus.
For the first time in my adult life, I would be hard pressed to name who is occupying the top cabinet positions this week. I don’t see any of this constant upheaval as a reflection of a strong, self assured America.
Am thinking there was more stability in Louis 14th’s court then in the Trump White House.
3
I'm so confused. I trust Donald Trump as a clear eyed real estate man who has told the truth in all aspects of his storied life. He's such a straight shooter, in his 3 marriages, endless dalliances with women, multiple bankruptcies, why look at the great job he did as a Birther. What's not to like about this kind of true blue American?
I just can't figure out what he fires each person who works for him? Oh well. Next!
7
I don't know why Trump hired him in the first place. Bolton has always made it known how he feels about Iran, The Taliban and North Korea. It was just a matter of time
5
As a liberal, I will be casting my vote for Trump. He's doing great getting rid of all the neo-cons.
3
"Mr. Bolton favored the strike on Iran" Good riddance! Fumble as he may and will, at LEAST, Trump is trying to negotiate with these outcast leaders. Anything is better than war.
4
Trump negotiations = zero !
2
@Miquel. So he pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal because he's trying to negotiate with Iranians. And here I thought it may have been to spite Barrack. Hm.
1
It's about time to start shouting "The Emperor has no clothes"
Logical analysis of him and his behaviors by sane minds is simply a vain attempt.
5
Forgive me for asking, as a longtime admirer of the United States, and it’s wonderful People, what “National Security” or International stability can there be, as long as this unstable, mercurial, self-indulgent President remains in Office?
19
He’ll be on SNL in a year. Things are that bad.
5
“While John Bolton was national security adviser for the last 17 months, there have been no bad deals, ...”
Yeah, there were also no good deals.
There were just NO deals at all.
Why? Because Trump is such a superlative negotiator, if course.
And I can sell you a bridge, cheap.
6
How dare an advisor actually give advice. Trump has done one remarkable thing: making John Bolton look good.
12
@@Jerry Schulz He hasn't shamed Bolton (yet), because he knows Bolton's no lightweight at pernicious infighting. He knows he could sustain serious damage if he goes there.
6
When this news broke, my wife said, "How awful!" I told her it was Bolton who was pushing for a military response to the shooting down of an unmanned drone. She then decided maybe it's not so awful after all.
3
This is trump weakening our defenses against Russias onslaught of disinformation coming this election season. How anyone can support this so-called human is beyond me.
6
I can't wait to read "DJT fired" by the electorate.
Not College, actual voters in all 50 States.
21
Media fell for Trump’s shiney object again just as news was reporting the US CIA’s long-time mole in the Russian government was extracted in 2017 either by Trump himself to help Putin or by CIA worried Trump would tell Putin the guy’s identity. Bolton’s firing just a distraction.
12
If only this meant there would be sane and measured decisions . . .
Bolton is the one telling it like it was; something Trump has never done.
Trump hired him because Bolton was aggressive on TV but Trump never really wanted someone more aggressive, unyielding or opinionated than himself. This is merely one more circus act, directed by the guy who prefers holding rallies to governing. The guy who HAS NO policies. Who barely has a cabinet or professional staff to run the world's most important office.
16
Trump's campaign boasts about the "greatest people" he's going to have around him and in cabinet posts should come back to haunt him in the debates.
He really does seem to select by the shallowest possible assessment....'I saw that person on TV'. It is baffling that he would have picked Bolton in the first place except for the explanation above.
Any more, it's baffling that anyone but a die hard grifter would allow themselves to get within trump's orbit. It's curious that so many people can't see Trump for what he is and anticipate how he is going to behave. At this point his behavior has been 100% consistent. Aberrant and outlandish but still consistent.
8
Glad to see Bolton go because his view of the world is dystopian and detrimental for national (and international) security. He apparently never met a war he didn’t like.
But my comment is about the dysfunctional Trump White House. I mean they can’t even coordinate the resignation of a top cabinet official and communicate that to other WH staff, the public and press. What in God’s name would happen if an actual crisis struck? This reflects top-down incompetence. Furthermore, Trump has a terrible record choosing cabinet members with integrity and experience.
Now Trump will likely binge on Fox News looking for Bolton’s replacement: national security advisor number 4. The NSA does not need to be “good” on TV. I’d rather never see them but know that they are thoughtful and possess deep knowledge of intelligence and international affairs.
9
Anyone considering taking a new job in Trump's administration should realize that the assignment will last at most a bit over a year, and then he/she will be blacklisted for future jobs in the private sector.
Things will only get worse before they get better, in 2021 with new leadership in the WH.
5
Great news but am puzzled by this quote "Mr. Bolton, however, has been one of Washington’s most . . . unapologetic advocates of American power to defend the country’s interests."
-How does prolonging the bloodshed in Syria and Yemen defend our interests?
- How does destroying the Iran nuclear deal and any credibility we have defend our interests?
- How do starvation sanctions on Venezaula defend our interets (oh yeah, oil. Bad example).
11
When was the last time that the world, yes the world, was ever in worse shape and more chaotic?
And our President has a starring role in much, if not all, of the maddening chaos.
11
Are you old enough to have lived through the Cold War? Have you read about World War II? Yes, times have been more chaotic than now.
Does this change in foreign policy leadership really mean anything to those who call themselves "Trump supporters"? I have the impression that this crowd doesn't have much interest in or knowledge about America's relationships with other nations of the world.
The impression one is given since Trump took office is that people interested in keeping Mr. Trump in the presidency only care about their jobs prospects, keeping the cost of living down, and in keeping America predominantly white.
10
Hardly a day goes by without a drama for the day. Hardly a day without disorder, upheaval. The damage being done to our country on so many fronts is to be vast. And it's not over yet. Incredible that Democrats, both candidates and those elected, choose to tread gingerly about this chaos, failing to demonstrate courage amidst a national crisis.
6
Not that I am sad to see Mr. Bolton go, but has anyone calculated the 1/2 life of Mr. Trump's cabinet members?
7
In fairness to Trump, two other Republican presidents also made the grievous error of appointing Bolton to high office. W even made him UN Ambassador, a position in which he was the opposite of loved.
Obviously, to avoid having such dreadful officials, the only solution is to NEVER vote for Republicans.
7
John Bolton should challenge Donald Trump in the primaries. He can legitimately say he tried to prevent Trump's foreign policy from swirling down the drain.
Trump wants to put a big peace settlement on the record before the election. However, this is out of Trump's league and best left to the State and Defense Departments. This is not like buying a money losing golf course which Trump has done many times. Trump just doesn't have the ability or skills to deal with the international community. I'm not a fan of Bolton, but he knows that deals like the kind Trump uses are folly. I'll take Mr.Bolton's judgments over Trumps anytime Trump is clay in the hands of the Chinese, North Koreans, Syrians and of course Iran. Very sad.
16
Finally, good news. I’m glad Trump didn’t listen to Bolton and glad he’s been fired. Let’s hope Miller’s next.
54
Whatever. He’ll just find even worse people.
2
“While John Bolton was national security adviser for the last 17 months, there have been no bad deals,” a person close to Mr. Bolton said...
And this must be true, since, beyond the breaking of deals, and the proposal of deals and the making of curiously one sided deals (that unaccountably benefit Israel and Saudi Arabia) there haven't been any deals whatsoever.
29
John Bolton was a complete disaster, so the world is a better place now that he is gone.
That still leaves Donald Trump and the rest of his Cabinet disasters floating around. Vote in 2020, if we are still here.
45
@Joe Miksis
You only have 11 years left.
Maybe you will get something right before then, either here or on WSJ.
I am so tired of reading things that suggest that the Reality Show Con Artist has any capacity or interest to govern. Billions of words written about an empty shell of a human being who only knows words and phrases that make him look good in the moment.
He doesn't have "beliefs", "policies" or an "agenda" other than to enrich himself with money and attention.
To think otherwise means you don't understand the depths of the fraud we have elected President.
78
@Mike N
Exactly. Exactly. Not another molecule of media oxygen should be spent on attributing any shred of functionality, rationality, or mentality to the current occupant. He and his family of grifters need to be thrown out now, and sent to prison. And every single Republican in the House and the Senate need to be sent packing in the next elections.
9
Exactly! Well put.
3
@Mike N
Brilliantly succinct observation.
1
An impeachment inquiry is being opened now. I believe this is Trump's way of absorbing all of the news cycles. Trump still believes he is a game show host yelling You're Fired. I do not like Bolton. Anyone who decides to work for Trump will have to put up with his shenanigans. It's too bad the American people do too. I can't wait for this regime to be over so I can sleep again. And where are the Republicans with backbones? Never mind. I answered my own question.
21
I am no fan of Trump - but it's scary to see some people trying to justify Bolton. To me - hiring Bolton in the 1st place showed Trump was off his rocker. Bolton is a well known extremist warmonger who never saw a "regime change" model he didn't like. Again - people should be glad he's gone. If he had his way the US would have bombed North Korea - Iran and put military in Taiwan to start a war with mainland China. It doesn't matter why he's gone - the guy is a danger. That's not a redemption on Trump - because again - he should never have hired him... But to take Bolton's side is ludicrous.
20
Where is Javanka in all this? Did they play a role in appointing Bolton in the first place and where they consulted on his "firing"?
I expect they and Eric and Don Jr. are busy scoping out real estate in the to be annexed West Bank for future hotels. golf courses and apartment blocs.
15
Trump Continues to reprise his role as the chief firing executive
Just like in “The Apprentice”.
“Hello, wake up! We are all in this nightmare you have created and brought upon this country.”
We are all waiting for “the show” to be canceled.
7
You can take the Apprentice off the air, but you cannot take so-called reality television out of donald j. trump.
14
You KNOW there's a massive problem, when Trump is the one doing the restraining
5
And the stock market went up!
2
Yet another sad chapter forming the legacy of another feckless Republican administration in Washington, DC. This party is dead! If not, then our nation is.
7
Bolton,one of Trump's super choices, kicked to the curb,joining the crowd already kicked to the curb. Bolton is kinda a loose cannon,glad he's gone. Let's just shut down the whole Defense dept.and use the money for health,education,infrastructure,saving the planet etc. Truck's gotta,getting scarier by the day!
7
It would be ludicrous to say that firing Bolton was due to differences in policy. That can never be the case, because Trump has NO policy about any issue of national importance. Everything this con man does is to inflate his insatiable ego. I would not be surprise to learn that the only purpose of the proposed meeting with the Taliban at Camp David was for Trump to get a Nobel Peace Prize. That the one award that Obama has that Trump can never get.
13
I think the timing of Bolton's firing (which has obviously been coming some time) was chosen to distract attention from the latest round of Trump's traitorous nonsense
17
“As government expands, liberty contracts.” "The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." -- Ronald Reagan
2
Ronald who ? I wasn’t born yet. If you want no government move to Somalia.
2
@Light, why are you quoting Reagan's propaganda?
It always seems to be the "tough guys" who are quick to send other people's children off to fight wars when they never spent a day in uniform. In the case of John Bolton, by 1970 he decided that the Vietnam war was a lost cause so why should go. I think anyone who makes those types of calls should have had heard "shots fired in anger" to appreciate the decisions they are making.
One of the few decisions Trump has made that I agree with. Good bye, nice to see you go...
11
If this was a publicly-traded organization with frequent key executive turnover and underperforming in all key areas (quality control, productivity, sales, customer service...), how would it do over the long run? And how long would it take for the Board to fire the CEO?
I doubt that Trump will be reelected in 2020.
11
@Gian Piero Messi
Don't panic Gian. Its all under control because as the article reassures us
"In the meantime, a White House spokesman said Charles M. Kupperman, the deputy national security adviser, would serve in an acting capacity."
Like Donald I like 'acting' as he so ironically puts it.
Who would not want another 4 years of Mr Trumpery? And beyond as well. Two years were stolen from him when he was investigated for selling out America.
Poor Donald is entitled to so very much. He is special.
2
If only. Don’t underestimate the colossal stupidity, gullibility and bigotry of the American people, exploited by the cynical, jaded and greedy with a self- serving agenda. When the “moneyed interests” no longer have use for him, then we’ll see.
1
Good news. He was a bad influence. There is room for diplomacy now. Russia/Ukraine; US/Iran; maybe even US/China, US/North Korea.
Trump is a dealer and doesn't care about Grand Strategy like most in DC. Sometimes that is good.
6
Trump, our game-show host in high office, does it again. Or, to consider Bolton ... as we did Gen Mattis without putting Bolton at Gen Mattis’ level, please ... Trump had it done to him, which we would hardly expect him to be able to admit if the case. That Bolton’s gone actually may reduce the chance of our being at war, which seems pretty good to me. Nevertheless, Trump seems to have a difficult time getting along with people in general, to say the least; though there are some notable exceptions ... namely, Putin and Kim. And he’s our president. Boy, does that not make sense! And along with that ... Bolton’s departure notwithstanding ... it’s a danger to our nation as well as the world we are again reminded of.
3
Why does the headline say "Trump ousts" Bolton when Bolton says he resigned on his own accord? Chances are that Trump is lying, and yet the headline gives the probable lie the imprimatur of truth. At this point in his presidency, Trump does not deserve the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the truth. The headline should have been neutral.
18
@Phil Brown, chances are Trump is lying? You can bet on it. He lies an average of 13 times a day. By the end of his last term (his first) he'll have told 19,000 lies.
He lied to make himself seem like top dog doing the firing. God forbid anyone else should have an independent thought or action. He has to be the one making all the decisions.
Typical behavior of one with Narcissistic Personality Disorder ...
1
@Phil Brown
Agreed.
There is much about Bolton I don't like, but he's not a liar. Trump, on the other hand, has a growing, well-documented, proven track record of lies, and then more lies to cover the first lies.
Cutting Bolton loose is one of the first smart things Trump has done. And that means it had to have been someone else’s idea.
16
Accepting a job with Trump is a source of great shame, reflecting badly on one's judgment and character. Being fired by Trump has the potential to redeem oneself.
John Bolton will not be missed by hardly anyone unless his replacement is far worse. This celebrity illegitimate President television reality show must be cancelled immediately for the sake of democracy and the free world.
6
For a guy who wants to pound every adversary into the earth, his background doesn't prove that. He was in the draft lottery, trained in Fort Polk, LA, and didn't go to to Viet Nam.
According to Wiki, he served in the MD National Guard for four years, and served his last two years in the Army Reserves.
Ironic....
4
@Quandry. My 2 cents. Not as ironic as typical of a long line of GOP Chickenhawks such as "I had other priorities" Dick Cheney. (I recall an article, archived online no doubt, about the long list of cowards egging on Bush the Younger.)
1
The high-stakes reality game show continues while the planet burns. And the GOP just sits there ... watching.
12
All I get from this latest dismissal is that Trump has no idea of the skills and personality needed by his list of selectees to act as his agent to lead any particular agency successfully. The record-breaking turnover of Trump's administration is overwhelming evidence of his executive incompetence. Wake up America!
5
@wkaplan1
"Wake up America!"
Many of us, a majority in fact, were wide awake before Trump was elected.
Very good news - I think.
3
While never a Bolton fan I credit him for trying to stop Trump’s impulsive infatuations / agreements at any cost.
2
John Bolton -- hawkish? Who'd have guessed, eh?
Can't say I'm sad to see Bolton go. Trump may have been playing "good cop, bad cop" with Bolton (especially re Iran), but Bolton has never been inclined to stick around if his advisee doesn't do exactly what Bolton recommends -- immediately if not sooner.
For that reason, I'm very glad to hear Bolton will be out. But his replacement could be just as bad (though that would be tough, since Bolton is so extreme), or worse.
3
@Commenter
Elliot Abrams may be available, just as soon as he puts the finishing touches on removal of Nicolás Madura...oh, wait.
"I don't do war; I do policy."
Now he doesn't do anything.
Well, maybe "Dancing With the Stars". I hear it's a target rich environment.
7
@crow...He'll be back on Fox as quick as he would hold a friend's coat in a fight. (I suspect the New Yorker profile a few months back didn't help him with President Bone Spurs.)
2
trump claims he fired bolton, and bolton claims he resigned. lets see who should i believe. trump said we would have better cheaper health care, lie, trump said Meixco would be paying for the southern border wall, lie, (he is stealing from the very same miltiary he boasts about building back up), no nuclear free North Korea (3 years), has lied about new laws to cover background checks for all gun purchses, only to cower when the NRA calls. There are too many trump lies to mention, now that doesnt mean bolton doesn't lie, but trump out trumps him, so i believe bolton.
5
With each passing day during the run of this insane administration, our national security is more and more endangered. May we all now just assume that Donald Trump has some kind of mental aberration and leave it at that?
8
The “rupture” between President Trump and John Bolton looks deeper than previous dismissals.
3
Who cares about fired or quit when the real story is the utter brutality and blood lust of Bolton throughout multiple Republican administrations, and he hasn't been prosecuted?!?
Trump hired him, so firing Bolton doesn't earn any praise.
And the next guy Trump hires will be probably be even worse.
4
For Trump:
No man unless he's a yes-man.
7
Any President that announces these things on Twitter should not be President. He is not a teenage child - although he does act like one.
10
Bolton is Old, Worked in Gov to long. He should know better. But some are just stupid, they were born that way!
You never ever argue the CEO/Boss about anything. You want to keep your job remember to say Yes Sir, No Sir, Right away Sir, is there any thing else you need me to do Sir.
You let and Exec do this at work to his manager 2 guards will show up bringing a couple boxes for your personal stuff and they will escort you out of the Building for the last time.
Ask the old CIA Dir. Brennan, Trump did him the same way. Trump humiliated him and that's why Brennan hates him.
Men like Trump just don't Care. Bolton is not the last one, there will be more.
2
Men have been running the nation from the beginning. In this last election they sent in their worst. It is now imperative that the American public send in a woman to clean up this mess.
11
@BBB
ELizabeth Warren
1
What’s with the headline? You have no evidence Trump “ousted” Bolton; by Bolton’s own account he resigned. We don’t know whose version is the truth, yet your headline uncritically promotes Trump’s version.
Do better. Stop being his transcriptionists.
9
Trump is probably lying. And that may not be the reason Bolton resigned. He probably saw how immoral Trump is first hand!!
1
When confronted with the choice of a liar, grifter, coward and fraud like the Reality Show Con Artist and a Chicken Hawk like this phony, I will take the word of the Chicken Hawk that he resigned.
As we know, the Grifter in Chief is too cowardly to fire anyone to their face.
Still, we are talking a very low bar indeed.
8
Dear Iranian Leaders,
The "mustache" is gone.
Will this improve things between our countries? Many of us here are not sure...but maybe you can slow down your uranium production thing...Bolton was the only one on Trump's ship that wanted you all replaced...something to think about...
2
Grade 5 Report Card (& Current Condition) of Donald J. Trump. "Does not play well with others." Or work. Or listen. Or learn. Other than that . . . Golf, anywon !?!
5
Now that that mustache is gone, I nominate Ivanka for National Accessory Advisor!
3
Don't you love farce?
My fault, I fear
I thought that you'd want what I want
Sorry, my dear!
But where are the clowns
Send in the clowns
Don't bother, they're here
9
Did anyone ever tell Bolton that there is a Just For Men product for mustaches?
In all seriousness, though, I am not sorry to see Bolton go.
But, I don't see how we can continue functioning as an entity if this is the way the White House is run.
Let's face it...Trump, Hitler and Stalin seem to have a lot in common.
4
Donald, most of us are pretty sure John quit before you fired him. Why don’t you spend the next week tweeting about how that isn’t so? And maybe someone can backdate a memo to that effect... with a Sharpie! Bahaha!
8
Does anybody believe Trump’s version of the story? The man is a pathological liar!
6
Trump cannot fire anybody face to face. His utter lack of courage is bottomless. Who is dumb enough to go for this job? Joe Arpiao?
8
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 arrive 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.
7
@Steve Fankuchen
Excellent on-the-nose post.
1
For Trump firing is akin to a shot in the arm because he’s addicted to the power of himself. Egomania is his drug.
16
Let's be frank: nobody has policy differences with Mr. Trump, because Mr. Trump does not have--never has had--any policies. He has impulses grounded upon what he thinks will make him personally look good. Any suggestion that Mr. Trump has subjected a situation to sober deliberation at any point in his presidency flies in the face of voluminous evidence.
Sometime soon we're going to have to accept that Mr. Trump is estranged from the actual.
39
The "Trump Revolution" is very much like the French Revolution. Friendship, camaraderie and then the guillotine. In 'the best of times and the worst of times', Mr. Bolton can say, 'tis a far, far better thing I have done'. But, it won't be a far better rest since Bolton will write a book.
5
The Trump revolution is absolutely nothing like the French Revolution. It is not a revolution at all. Just a snatch and grab.
5
Bolton isn't fit to run a lemonade stand. This might be the only good decision Trump has made.
13
@Paul - Trump gets no credit for firing him when he was stupid enough to hire him in the first place.
10
But before firing him, he hired him!
Bolton’s foreign policy views were known to everyone, except The Pres!
Chaos breeds chaos!
6
Your first sentence is probably right. The second is likely wrong! Bolton probably resigned! As usual Trump is lying!
3
I am waiting anxiously for the book.
9
It had come down to an angry, abrasive conflict between Pompeo and Bolton. Pompeo had long since perfected his technique of making every presentation an accolade to Trump's genius. Bolton on the other hand was merely a far right wing hawk in international politics. Intelligent, but not versed in ring kissing.
Guess who was going to win with our narcissistic President. It wasn't about foreign policy, it was the President, his thin skin, and his weak ego.
19
@DGP I believe you were being far too polite and ladylike when you referred to Pompeo's "ring-kissing".
4
@DGP I think you nailed it. The conflict wasn't Trump/Bolton, it was Pompeo/Bolton. Pompeo is a far, far better bureaucratic infighter/ring-kisser than Bolton, who no doubt finds such groveling beneath him.
2
Bolton says that he has not been fired but HE resigned. Let’s say that Trump “resigned” him.
5
Says Romney: „John Bolton is a brilliant man with decades of experience in foreign policy.“ Mitt, in times of change experience is toxic!
3
@Peter P. ... Mitt is a weather vane, so no gravitas there.
1
It's difficiult to think of anyone worse than Trump to have an important position in America's government but John Bolton comes close to being that person. Thank God we are rid of that war monger.
20
There is nothing like acting people in government positions, since all of them do seem to be acting, reciting lines supplied for them, and pretending that made up stories are real life. Unfortunately, John Bolton is a bomb thrower who never has faced nor will face being bombed or shot at himself to see what it's like, which is a pity. He might have been less bloodthirsty if he'd seen what his advocay can produce of misery, death, and destruction. Wars cannot be won. Just a lot of innocent people get killed. Presidents should not get us killed for their egos, like Johnson and Nixon did and everyone since the Bushes has done as well.
There is so much positive things we could do for all humans if we stopped the senseless destruction and killing for what?
5
“Too hawkish.” Really? Gee, what a surprise. To anyone who has been living in a cave for 20 years.
11
Bolton should never have been hired in the first place. Warmonger from the get-go, and hired because Trump liked his commentary on Fox News. Shameful. But very good that he's gone; who knows what mayhem he could have persuaded Trump to do.
19
The answer to whether Bolton resigned or was fired is unnecessary. Obviously, Bolton resigned and the mustache was fired.
8
John Bolton, after the Iraq disaster, should never have been allowed anywhere closer to the White House or in any policy making capacity.
In addition, we have a Russian puppet in the White House who never reads any intelligence briefs. This white elephant is mentally incapable of understanding the complexities of international affairs.
So the most powerful nation is being led astray by incompetence and recklessness. God Bless America.
5
I'm not a Bolton fan, but it seems obvious that he was the one that was doing the breaking up.
Trump is such a narcissist, he could not deal with the news of yet another high profile member of his team leaving - So, he lied and said he fired Bolton.
I think this is obvious
8
There is always something fishy about Trumpism! Neocon Bolton, another draft dodger as Cheney and Trump, helped lead U.S. into the Bush/Cheney war crime of the strategic blunder and humanitarian tragedy of invading Iraq while failing to complete the war with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Trump wants desperately to abandoned the Afghan govt. and Afghan war for the 2020 election, achieving any "peace" is not a goal or even a serious thought, .
8
As we get closer to the election, watch how Trump will begin drifting back to the "left" on some of the popular issues he used against Clinton in 2016, such as avoiding regime change wars, ending free trade agreements that allow corporations to export jobs, even restraining Wall Street, "fixing" the health care system and lowering pharmaceutical prices, even a middle class tax cut. Of course it will be mostly smoke and mirrors, but Trump can read the electorate as well or better than most politicians in either party and he has never been constrained by any need for coherence or consistent. He's good at dodging and weaving. I hope the Democrats are quick and agile enough to keep him in their sights, although I've seen little evidence of that so far.
5
It’s a travesty that Trump only surrounds himself with sycophants and people that will echo his nonsense.
“If two people agree, then one of them is un- necessary.”
3
A lack of leadership in a long line of events that have plagued the Trump administration.
5
"Any functioning adult" would provide me some assurance in
either or both positions: President and/or NSA. We are free-wheeling, make-shift, and incoherent at every turn. Without any guarantee that the damage done can ever be reversed.
Remember when Pooh and Piglet go looking for woozels?
And the tracks keep accumulating? Trump and Bolton are those empty tracks. And I'm frightened.
4
As far as a possible successor, we have to take into account that at this stage in the Trump “Presidency,” anyone willing to be a part of it should be immediately suspect.
9
How many employees need to leave, or be fired before the boss receives the necessary scrutinization?
5
Trump campaigned on bringing the troops home and a less interventionist foreign policy.
His pursuing diplomatic openings with some of the United States’ most intractable enemies is impressive... and long overdue.
John Bolton always seemed a strange choice, given Trump's less interventionist ideas.
In today's ever so connected world using military power to defend US interests DOES NOT WORK... particularly when those national interests mean demanding that all countries' interests be subservient to US economic interests.
Short of nuking the world the US will never succeed in dominating the world however much it bombs, kills, destroys. If the US were a better example the world would be a better place.
Mostly, the US has made the world a worse place, but having Jon Bolton out of the administration is a positive.
I wish Trump the best in finding common ground with Kim Jong-un, at least a formal end to the Korean War.
Certainly, if I were Kim, I would never trust the US not to "do regime change", if I were stupid enough to give up North Koreas nuclear weapons.
My only hope for a better foreign policy that would result in a safer US, and a more stable, sustainable world...
is President Bernie Sanders 2020!
A Future To Believe In!
2
There should be a walk of shame for every single person who spent any time, in any capacity, as in this administration. Their names immortalized inside blue twitter symbols extending for miles and miles along the beautiful Tallahassee Trail.
10
If trump did actually fire Bolton, it is the only good thing he has done the entire time he has been in office. Bolton was a menace. At least now the US is not in quite as much danger of starting WWIII, only a trade world war.
4
Not a fan of Bolton, but any deal Trump signs with the Taliban and/or North Korea is doomed to fail. Both are notoriously corrupt and dishonest. Civil war in Afghanistan and missiles lobbed towards Japan and South Korea will result. And without Bolton on the inside he’s now free to state his opinions on Fox on a weekly basis. Bolton kept the hawks inside the Republican Party quiet. Now every Trump misstep will be countered by every senator or congressman with a microphone.
2
Anyone else who wants to be National Security Adviser to the most stable genius? We are not dumb and mute— everyone in his Cabinet is chosen to serve the stable genius and not the People.
8
The first time I have agreed with Trump. The warmonger is finished! I hope we never hear from Bolton again.
4
Perry, DeVos, Carson and Chao are the gang of four impenetrable lackeys and inscrutable countenance of this puppet administration that continue to buck the trend of firing. It speaks volumes about our stable genius’s leadership, and what we have become. Maybe the NSA portfolio should be split across those 4 warriors! Trump has a knack for attracting such a unique posse of talent from Bolton to Whitaker to Zinke to Cohen to Manafort to Gates to Flynn to Pruitt to Price to Hicks to Spicer, and the train wreck goes on. He makes Perry look like an Einstein. There isn’t a single appointment or policy that isn’t ridden with controversy. A Zoo has some orderly function and self-governance at some point than this administration
6
Can’t we consider this to be the positive it is, why turn it into a slam fest about Trump, he campaigned on getting us out of the wars and using diplomacy rather than bombs and for once he’s doing a great thing, getting rid of dirtbag Bolton is a great start and I’m not surprised that another draft dodger Romney is criticizing the move; how about the two of them, Bolton and Romney suit up and hit the streets of Faluga and take the other hawks like Hillary, Nuland, Stephens and Boot with them they’re all great at having other people’s kids die for our “ allies” in the Middle East.
2
Who vetted Bolton ?
First we had Michael Flynn, the convicted felon.
Now we have John Bolton, one of the architects of the Iraq debacle.
Donald Trump is a disaster.
9
I shed no tears for Mr. Bolton's departure. The last thing we need is another hawk in the administration to argue for military intervention, regime change, and/or strategic strikes against enemy in the name of national security. We have enough of that since the 9-11.
Mr. Bolton is also the hard core negotiator in dealing with China in the trade dispute. His persistence put us in a precarious situation that one step forward or backward will be difficult. Because of him, we are stuck in a deep hole that is difficult to climb out. Without him, we may be in a better position to negotiate with China.
6
I almost never agree with John Bolton but on this issue he is correct, the week of the 9/11 anniversary was ot the time to meet with the Taliban at Camp David .
Furthermore Bolton now the third national security secretary to be fired sends the worst possible message to our allies 'the few we have left, and of course delights our enemies.
I await the announcement as to who will replace Bolton, and have no doubt it will be in another 'acting capacity'.
3
So Trump thought Bolton was too hawkish? It’s not like that was ever a big secret. In Bolton’s defense, he has always been very clear about where he stands. We may not like exactly where he stands on foreign policy but he has been remarkably consistent. So why did Trump hire him in the first place? That is the question that needs to be asked of Trump, he who hires “only the best people.”
4
While I'm no fan of Mr. Bolton, I've never doubted his patriotism or his ability to serve the nation.
His resignation is another sign, of which there are many, that this Presidency is over. All that's left is the over-long and too-slow erosion and the election night repudiation. The recovery from this disaster will take more than one stable future administration to complete.
2
Your National Security Advisor invalidates being fired because his departure was truthfully in the form of a resignation. There is no executive order to refute the invalidation period.
1
I don't know why people are bothering to argue about whether Bolton was fired or resigned. It seems clear to me that this followed a far-from-unusual in any White House: Trump made it clear he so didn't like Bolton's advice that he was going to be shown the door without stating that directly. Bolton took the broad hint and resigned before Trump had the chance to fire him.
3
“While John Bolton was national security adviser for the last 17 months, there have been no bad deals,” a person close to Mr. Bolton said...
There have been deals these last 17 months? As far as I've noticed the administration has gone out of its way to not strike deals.
7
Of course he did! Maybe I’m a cynic, but the timing is perfect; he gets to hog the media limelight one news cycle before the 3 hour democratic debate. And the beat goes on!
1
Trump liked John Bolton when he appeared on Fox News but found him way too inflexible as National Security Advisor. Bolton wants to solve every issue by going to war; Trump relishes deal making.
Was Trump right not to retaliate against Iran? Is he right to want to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan? Is he right to try to negotiate with Kim Jong Un? Certainly, the South Koreans think so.
Maybe Trump can see the grays. Hopefully he'll appoint someone who can see them too and help him negotiate through them.
Since WW2, the return on the loss of American lives in overseas conflicts has not warranted their sacrifice.
2
Trump 'should have people that he trusts and values?'
How about the American people having a president we
can trust and value?
8
He’d only hire the best people, he said
We were going to be so sick and tired of winning, he said
6
@Dsr80304
Well, I am sick and tired...
2
Now Bolton can go back to trying to restore the Pahlavi dynasty. That will at least put groceries on the table.
5
The president had to pick between Pompeo and Bolton. Pompeo better fits Trump's style and philosophy. So Bolton had to go.
5
@Alan Klein
Style? Philosophy? Trump has neither. He is the charlatan who duped a nation.
As our Constitution is being shredded by Trump and the Republicans the media continues to cover whether,
(one example), was Bolton fired or did he resign. Every time someone leaves the White House this charade takes place.
This is the part that makes me nervous.
6
Far out. Trump just loves firing people. I can see how people with a combination of no scruples and job insecurity would do or say anything to please the emperor.
Anyway this was a good firing.
4
Oh, dear-
Another "he said- he/she said" Trump mess.
At least the warmonger is gone.
Any chance that Trump will be next?
I live in hope......
14
This one of those cases where if three people tell you that you’re drunk - SIT DOWN!
Is every one of the “best people” that bad?
Or is it really trump that should be out?
Yes. That was a rhetorical question.
trump should be out. And his sidekick pence should be shown the door, too.
I have a nice, smooth rock that I can send to D.C. to sit in the Oval Office. It could do a better job. And it doesn’t play golf.
5
Amazing that Bolton lasted as long as he did given his apparent inability to kowtow to Trump. Loathe his hawkish views, but I'm sure Bolton was telling the truth when he offered his resignation. Typically, the liar-in-chief had to say he fired him.
8
So another one bites the dust. We will see how deep into the swamp trump goes to get a replacement.
6
As Bolton thankfully scurries back to Fox, comments below remind us of how much longer we still have to endure this presidency. Is the Countdown Clock on Times Square open for bookings?
9
Another key staff vacancy at the White House. Are there any Trumps left to fill in? What's Baron doing these days?
10
I never approved of John Bolton and his belligerent approach. Pompeo explains the dismissal because Trump needs people he can trust and value. Given the president's track record I wonder if there is anyone he trusts or values.
It is a delicate dangerous time and Trump has alienated all our allies. I see no US leadership re foreign affairs and no continuity in our policy.
We need another Benjamin Franklin. Or maybe, Trump has decided that HE, alone is capable of directing foreign policy.
4
He trusts Jared & Ivanka!
1
Based on the irrational and erratic workings of Donald Trump's mind, he will probably choose a successor even more chicken-hawkish, more inclined to starting wars over diplomacy than John Bolton, if that is at all humanly possible.
4
"Mr. Bolton saw his job as stopping Mr. Trump from making unwise agreements with America’s enemies."
I never thought I would say this: perhaps John Bolton wasn't the worst choice imaginable.
2
A New Zealander is Deputy Chief of staff for strategic policies, or something, for Trump. His name is Chris Liddell. I'm wondering if he is still there! He doesn't have an ego problem like Trump does; so he might be able to handle Trumps personality. You'd need a thick skin to work for Trump. These people have families to feed and bills to pay -- something Trump has never had to worry about because he was born into money. Maybe all the people Trump has fired should get together and write a book.
5
@CK - They are all too busy appearing on Big Brother and Dancing With the Stars to write a book.
1
A business man, Trump, can never be a statesman. Uncertainty looms large in his action. Surely, he will ask Bolton to take his resignation back by tomorrow.
1
So many books to be written. Even Amazon won’t be able to keep up.
5
If you don't like the Trump administration, wait five minutes. It won't get any better, but it will change.
6
What is most alarming is that these supposedly bright folks who agreed to sit at the game table with Donald did not realize that they were seen by him as a playing card in a trick-taking game.
He has held that role outside the WhiteHouse, and it should not be a surprise to any educated person that while he may appear confident, yet incompetent, he seems to find a way to play his trump card.
Who will beat him at his own game?
1
Typical!
"I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions."
The buck never stops with this president. Always looking for a way out and lying, in this case, to paper over the fact that people flee his inner circle.
Remember when top flight people dropped whatever they were doing when an American president asked them to join their administration? Not so much anymore, is it?
2
If Bolton was behind the decision to call off the Taliban meeting, that was a good move. They harbored Bin Laden leading up to 9/11, and such a meeting at Camp David so close to the anniversary would have been an embarrassment.
3
No one should be surprised at the latest episode of Team Trump. If you heard him last month responding to a question about his management style, then you will recall his answer: " Sorry, that's how I operate. "
What we see is what were getting. It will never change until he's out of office.
4
Good riddance to Bolton. The man was a deranged hawk with no soul. Not as deranged and dangerous as Trump, mind you, but a viable contender.
And by the way. Let’s no longer credit Trump for “cleverly sewing the seeds of chaos” in running our country. The fact is that his “chaos” is borne from ineptitude, ignorance and avarice. There is no predilection or genius of intent here. Call it for what it is...incredibly horrible leadership.
15
Bolton was terrible, but it is fitting that on the anniversary of 9/11, America lacks a national security adviser to the President.
9
Interesting point. Figures that trump would come up with such a novel & auspicious way to mark the anniversary. Let's see what he tweets tomorrow.
2
He is totally incompetent and unfit for the office. And this applies to Bolton too.
10
Trump is a reckless and hopeless incompetent. Trump has now lost 69% of HIS OWN APPOINTEES. They have fled or quit, been fired, indicted, or gone to jail. It is the worst attrition rate in presidential history.
John Bolton, Madeleine Westerhout, Sue Gordon, John Ratcliffe, Dan Coats, Alexander Acosta, Patrick Shanahan, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kristen Nielsen, Rod Rosenstein, Emmet Flood, Kevin Hassett, Johnny DeStefano, John Sanders, Shahira Knight, Claire Grady, Francis Cissna, Randolph Alles, John Mitnik, Ron Vitielo, Linda McMahon, John Ullyot, Bill Shine, Dr Scott Gottlieb, Heather Nauert, James Mattis, Ryan Zinke, John Kelly, Kevin Sweeney, Kirsten Fontenrose, Bill Stepien, Justin Clark, Raj Shah, Mira Ricardel, Brock Long, Jeff Sessions, Nikki Haley, Dana White, Scott Pruitt, Rex Tillerson, Gary Cohn, Sebastian Gorka, Steve Bannon, Tom Price, HR McMaster, Lyin' Mike Flynn, Anthony Scaramucci, Sean Spicer, Monica Crowley, Stefan Passantino, Reince Priebus, Bryan Rice, Hope Hicks, Reagan Hedlund, Cliff Sims, David Shulkin, Ronny Jackson, Donald McGahn, Ty Cobb, John Dowd, Darren Beattie, Rachel Brand, Tim Ziemer, Ximena Barreto, Katie Walsh, Tom Bossert, Kelly Sadler, Omarosa Manigault, Marc Short, Rick Dearborn, George Papadopoulos, Joseph Hagin, plus various wife-beaters and people who could not get security clearances... shall we go on?
Trump is recognized as the worst manager of the White House in modern times. No wonder.
9
That is a LOOONG and shameful list on so many levels, not the least of which is that so many of these people were ever appointed to begin with. (But hey, Jared & Ivanka are still around!) It's not encouraging that their successors are no more qualified. Possibly just better sycophants. If at first you don't succeed, try try again, and again, and again...
3
Oops! ...so many of these people should never have been appointed in the first place. Always reread before you hit send!
No loss, Bolton as neocon in the extreme.
3
But he was the BEST, according to the BOSS.
1
"President Trump announced on Tuesday that he had fired John R. Bolton. . . "
John Bolton said "his resignation was his own initiative, not the president’s."
Even as this latest chapter comes to a screeching halt, there remains a struggle and competition over control and power. Neither one is willing to give an inch on either side of another power struggle/disagreement.
This seems to be a reoccurring theme with Trump and how he "handles" things as president - indecisive, questionable, and hot headed, none of which does this country any favors.
Sometimes I think the only reason why this country isn't at war with anyone is from shear luck because heaven knows no one really has a firm grasp or even a handle on ANYTHING, especially when it comes to countries like Iran, North Korea and Afghanistan.
9
@Marge Keller
If we get through the Trump era it will show we do not need one.
1
Should a good leader not seek out opposing points of view, have those under them question the decision? How else do you get to a 'good' decision.
Trump saying that he fired Bolton for constantly disagreeing says: one, a whole lot about Trump's ability to lead; and two, it tells anyone who thinks they should become part of the Administration to always toe the line.
3
@William Reed If your national security advisor continually tells you what you're doing is wrong, he shouldn't be your national security advisor.
88% republican trump approval. We have big problems in this country. I fear for the future.
14
@caljn - On the bright side the number of Republicans are shrinking. Many of them have become independents and Republican policies (polluted air and water, no access to health care etc.) are thinning out quite a few of them.
2
Be honest, when Trump was elected did anyone say to themselves, I hope he tackles North Korea and Iran? No, while it’s understood that Iran makes mischief in the region, Obama’s nuclear deal was successfully reining in Iran’s ambitions. And North Korea has always been considered an irritant, but not so important a foreign policy objective that you’d stake your presidency on it. China is forging economic ties in Africa, and this president has caused unnecessary upset that distracts from our real security threat: Russian meddling in our election.
3
Certainly, Trump’s foreign policy won’t change.
He has none.
9
Pompeo: "He should have people he trusts and values." In other words, only sycophants need apply. No-nothing trump will keep his own counsel, with an assist from an eye doctor. As scary as Bolton was, things keep getting worse. Russia, China and Iran are celebrating.
7
We all knew this partnership would not end well. This is probably the least damaging way it could go, and thankfully not after another wrong-headed war in the middle east.
4
I'm glad this hawk is out. But though he is not a man of peace, Bolton has more credibility (who doesn't) than Trump, and so I believe his version of his leaving. We know Trump doesn't fire people so quickly, so cleanly.
2
And I agree on this resignation , firing ? Just so he’s not making decisions for us.
"Mr. Trump said he would appoint a replacement “next week,” setting off a process that should offer clues to where the president wants to take his foreign policy . . .".
Are you serious? Does anyone really think that this President has a clue about anything, leave alone foreign policy?
11
Shouldn't a photo of Defense Secretary Matt is be included (unfortunately) in the panorama of departures?
I think he is the only one of the bunch who was (is) worth his salt.
1
Now if only Trump would oust himself, though I am glad to see Bolton gone--until I see who replaces him.
3
The Emperor will not stand for anyone reminding him he has no clothes.
4
Although no fan of John Bolton, he was clearly a choice of Trump. While Trump professed desiring diplomatic relations every move is crude. Diplomatic is as diplomatic does. The world leaders are perpetually horrified but hopefully our voting pubic are not too comatose when it comes time to pack this crude imposter on his way to Trump World wherever that may be. Perhaps his own Trump Space Module far away from our planet for which he champions ruination though ignorance.
3
I wonder what will happen on tomorrow's episode?
Reality tv should be reality tv and nothing more. Grow up America and vote in a real leader next year.
6
Good. That guy is nothing but trouble and always has been. He never should have had the job in the first place. A very, very poor choice.
3
Bolton might be the only person more dangerous than Trump when it comes to foreign policy.
Although if your thing was sending the sons and daughters of the lower and middle classes off to die in meaningless wars while you and your think tank buddies (and your/their children) stayed safely at home, he was definitely your guy.
4
Kakistocracy = government by the worst people = the tyranny of Trump. But, at this rate, will our country even be able to survive this reckless, relentless assault on its senses and institutions in any credible, recognizable form?
The election of 2020 can't come soon enough. But this time, let's make sure we get off this megalomanic merry-go-round and Make America Sane Again. Our children, grandchildren and generations beyond would no doubt thank us.
As we speak, there are 497 days until the next presidential inauguration. Whether that will mark the end of Donald Trump's horrific reign as mad king is entirely up to us.
8
When I saw the headline, I laughed. No one can check Trump. Anyone who pretends the contrary is a fool.
I bought a subscription to the the NYT the day after Trump's election. I never regretted. Watching this presidency is much more funnier and frightening than any series with many more unexpected episodes.
Seriously, the USA is scary to the rest of of the world, particularly those who used to be their allies. In the interest of us all put him out of office as soon as possible.
5
Given Trumps inimitable way of making presidential decisions, the true reason, I fear, was the moustache he never liked...
4
Pompeo says “the president should have people he trusts.” Narcissists like the Republican president, trust no one.
3
No great loss
2
The President does not want a shooting war it is clear, and Bolton is a loose-cannon who does! Or did...Thank You Mister President for your service by possibly preventing a major ground combat war that our volunteer military is not up to!
Hey Republican congressmen. Are you keeping the United States safe? Yep. I didn't think so.
5
The "your are fired"-in-chief has morphed the WH to apprentice V2.0. Donald's WH are full of acting staff of the acting staff. He truly believes in imagined alternate reality and universe.
5
"President Trump announced on Tuesday that he had fired John R. Bolton, his third national security adviser, amid fundamental disagreements over how to handle major foreign policy challenges like Iran, North Korea and most recently Afghanistan."
For a man who boasted that he knew the best people to hire it's extraordinary how many people Trump has hired and "fired" without comprehending until much later that their views were actually contrary to his at the outset.
If they contradict or criticize him after leaving their position Trump starts back peddling to demean, diminish or disavow those same individuals that he himself hired.
21
"'The threat of war worldwide goes down exponentially with John Bolton out of the White House,” Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, told reporters. 'I think his advocacy for regime change around the world is a naïve worldview, and I think that the world will be a much better place with new advisers to the president.'"
I think this is simplistic. Making bad deals that avoid war can result, down the road, in war or worse. Especially with Trump; wily and/or corrupt antagonists who know Trump is all about himself and his money can play the USA for suckers, perhaps resulting in only postponing war until conflict becomes inevitable, with no viable way to negotiate it away.
3
I’m not sure Bolton was preventing Trump from making any bad deals that could result in war down the road. Trump is pretty good at shattering negotiations all by himself.
2
Trump, the demi-god, knows everything including the fine points of climate change, hurricane predictions....he has made no mistakes, makes no mistake, admits no mistakes, enjoys hiring anybody who will not challenge his brilliance, fires any one who disagrees with him... a one-of-a-kind genius.
Can any democratic candidate stand up to this towering statesman...
18
Today the President resolved the serious national dilemma he created when he hired Bolton last year.
14
One would expect a waitress to be fired with more grace than these firings on Twitter by Trump. Bolton might take some re-election support with him from Sheldon Adelson and others at Fox News. It would seem that Hannity approves from a brief glance at his website. He quotes North Korean authorities who do not “hide their feelings of repugnance” toward Bolton. We have now reached a point where it is important to National Security to see where Fox News hacks stand on the personalities. Terrible hire and a disgraceful way to fire.
13
Hurray,one thing I agree with Trump on!!
4
@Lev - Did you agree with Trump when he hired him in the first place?
2
@DR No, absolutely not - I want him to get rid of Pompeo, Wilbur Ross, Rick Perry, Betsy deVos, whoever is now heading the EPA, Elliot ABRAMS for godsake, Ben Carson...pretty much all of them - and fire himself while he's at it!
1
Bolton was pure Bolton which is what Trump should’ve expected. Don’t order a well done steak and complain that it isn’t chicken salad.
14
Not a surprise really, as even a war hawk may project some shadow to Trump's ever further demand for self-aggrandisement, something another of his extreme right weasel aides has learned, and survived thus far, Stephen Miller. Trump is so unhinged and willingly deaf, that he follows Putin's advice rather than his own 'intelligentsia'. What could possibly go wrong here?
4
What an absolute, bona fide train wreck this administration is. So, it's business as usual, and the unraveling of the United States of America continues. Hey, how's this for a totally dysfunctional move: Possibly providing short-term financing to Tehran. Seriously? That's actually a thing?? Imagine what else is going on with all our tax $$$$$. I have to lay down now.
21
And The Show Goes On
Plot thickeners:
Who does Trump trust?
Will Trump replace Bolton with a fresh FOX sycophant?
Will Sean Hannity move into that vacant seat? Or Jarred? Or Ivanka? or Donald Jr? Or his driver?
Will Bolton pop right back as a talking fawning FOX-head? Or what?
Will there be another semi-permanent interim National Security Advisor?
Who will wear the coveted title?
Place your bets folks and stay tuned for the next big tweet.
13
Whether he fired Bolton or "accepted his resignation", removing John Bolton from his position as National Security Advisor is probably one of the best decisions Trump has made in his Presidency. Yes, of course he hired him in the first place, but still, not having Bolton - all war, all the time - in that position anymore reduces the likelihood that we suddenly find ourselves at war with yet another country or two.
8
And now we can all look forward to at least several days, if not a week's, worth of media over-coverage of donald trump trying to convince us all that he fired Bolton. Such newsworthy intelligence.
9
@Kathleen Brown I don't care about the claims. I just wish they could have fired each other.
3
Sort of looking forward to all the rude tweets Trump will probably direct at Bolton. I suppose it is too much to hope he will pick someone a bit less hawkish?
4
Here's something for your pockets: Trump is nuts. Bolton is nuts. Pence is nuts. Pompeo is nuts and will be fired soon. Mnuchin is nuts and will be fired soon. Barr is nuts but still in Trump's pants (for the time being). DeVos is nuts but will survive in Cabinet because of her lethal brother (scary world assassin). The rest of his Cabinet is nuts or missing in action. So the Trump world turns and new firings coming soon.
31
What national security? It is all a matter of the moment, just like hurricanes over Alabama! they come and they go...As for Jared's idiotic ME peace plan .(thanks for quitting, Jason Greenblatt!), that will go the way of the border wall, the replacement for the ACA, infrastructure plans and most anything else. Netanyahu will do whatever he wants to get re-elected, Taliban will do as they will, Kim Jong Un will fire whatever rockets, Russia will keep Crimea or E. Ukraine, Modi will take Kashmir, etc.
9
Can the election please come sooner? This is unbelievable...Inviting the Taliban to Camp David? Wow.
12
Does this make the world a safer place? Does it make things better for the US in the long run? I wish I had higher expectations for both of these things.
5
John Bolton was an experienced player within foreign affairs. Trump has become less the premier deal maker and more the premier politician wanting to get elected. It is surprising they didn’t get along, as they both seemed to want to fight everyone. When it comes to Iran the person you want to temper is Netanyahu. When it comes to North Korea, John Bolton was a great chess piece to have you hand on. Trump can bring people to the table, if he were wise he would keep John Bolton in play somehow.
Bolton was ineffective because he marched to his own drummer, was out of tune with Trump and overly manipulative. Miller and Navarro are bigger liabilities because they are in tune and accentuate and enable Trump's worst instincts. I would have preferred to see a tweet like this about Navarro: "Peter agrees with me all the time on the trade front, but what's the use of that? Asked him to come see me tomorrow." A mark of a great leader, however, is not being able fire (however clumsily) the bad the people he selected, but being able to identify, attract and retain good people. Trump couldn't do this, even on tv.
3
Donald Trump does not understand that the role of an adviser is provide candid advice, not mindless acquiescence.
That point notwithstanding, I am glad to see Bolton gone.
12
@David Eike In Bolton's case, not exactly mindless. He knew just what he was doing.
2
Does anyone know how much the Nobel Peace Prize nomination committee takes into account a candidate’s tendency to fire all his employees and have an incoherent foreign policy with chaotic results?
Asking for a friend.
8
@Miguel sanchez Actually, does anybody remember (or even recognize) the names of the most recent Nobel winners? Denis Mukwege, Nadia Murad, Juan Manuel Santos, Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai
2
Trump regurgitated many of Rand Paul’s and Bernie Sanders’ foreign policy positions during the 2016 campaign, thus defining Clinton as more of a foreign policy hawk than he appeared.
That regurgitation worked for him in 2016, and he’ll try the same thing in 2020, thus defining Biden as more of a hawk.
The Democrats should be smarter this time around and make Trump defend his foreign policy practices as the President.
3
@samcerritos2
Democrats should nominate Sanders whose foreign policy won't add trillions to the debt while making the US less safe, more hated, and having created more terrorists, made the world less stable.
While Sanders passion for forty years has been improving the lives of ALL working people, he has always cared about foreign policy. Sanders gut instinct is a demilitarized, diplomacy oriented foreign policy. Only Sanders has the vision and courage to stand up to the extraordinarily powerful, Washington foreign policy establishment and the military industrial complex.
The US desperately needs a foreign policy that makes the world more stable and sustainable.
3
@Lucy Cooke
Which is exactly why Sanders was sidelined in 2016, why Tulsi Gabbard has been under the charts today, and why a Biden / Harris ticket
seems to be the goal of the DNC for 2020 . . .
3
@irene
I would no more vote for Biden/Harris than I
would vote for Trump.
The US may sink, but the world may survive.
I don't care much for Bolton, but at least he has values and he knows what he is doing, unlike Trump. This is almost certain to be another degradation of competence in the Trump regime.
3
@WeHadAllBetterPayAttentionNow - Well yes if you call killing and maiming thousands of people for no reason values.
6
It was shortsighted to have even considered taking the job in the first place.
1
This is sone of the best news coming out of the WH in months. Bolton and Trump are both nationalists, but the latter is at heart an isolationist while the other a regime change interventionist. Both approaches are misguided and unfit for US foreign policy but at least the risks of the nationalist isolationalist are longer term and more reparable while the costs of the nationalist interventionist are potentially exorbitant and irreversible, e.g., the Iraq War.
4
Nice move by President Trump. If he gets rid of Eliot Abrams I'll feel even better.
3
Sometimes I wonder if Donald Trump has any idea how his behavior must appear to anyone who has to hear his words through a translator.
The man can barely finish a sentence, let alone a cogent one, yet his sycophantic followers think that this is all some masterful act of strategy in three-dimensional Chess.
In Donald Trump, America has failed so spectacularly that his time in office will be nothing, if not an extraordinarily impressive feat of a nation collectively deciding to destroy itself. Sic transit gloria, and all that.
8
Unlike the other ones thrown out, this one deserved it non-categorically. He is a war Hawke and very aggressive. At least Trump doesn’t push for war and is even weary of it, his one good characteristic.
2
It was inevitable.
Trump will kowtow for a temporary media win, while Bolton will dig in on cynicism and never see change.
I pray we don't end up with a patsy NSA who values P.R. optics over the safety of the U.S. and allies...
2
Pompeo says "trump should have people that he trusts"...this is impossible. trump trusts no one but his children. Why doesn't he just do away with everyone...cabinet, heads of departments, press people, advisors, etc. & run the government the way he wants too. If he can dismiss congress (like Boris) he can just take over & be the tyrant he wants to be. Pompeo should be careful...he will be next or the next after his DNI director.
It is sad that his base does not see that he has no support in the administration who have the experience to know what is happening. It is sad that he doesn't trust the career officials who have the experience.
It was smart of the CIA to pull their asset from Russia because trump would have revealed him to putin. He tells everything to his good friends & bromancers.
7
One of the few things Trump has done I agree with.
3
Trump White House is a Parody of The Apprentice. GOP bus is losing it's wheels. Hate immigrants. Tax windfall for the 1%. Tariffs paid by Americans; farm Bankruptcies skyrocketing. US Steel laying off. Manufacturing output down. Trump approval at 38%. Vote Blue no matter who.
12
... and then there was only 1 remaining...
Eventually, Trump will be the only one remaining in his Administration...
6
Funny but yesterday I said to one of my employees that the most important thing any manger does is the hiring of their coworkers. Choose the right people and motivate everyone to succeed, treat everyone the same and most importantly hold yourself to the same standards you do everyone else. It's not really all that difficult but for many people I've come across it is including our President.
20
Once again, Trump creates a problem and while publicly lyingI through his teeth seeks to take credit for fixing it. And to make it worse, some people actually give him the credit.
I mourn the death of honor, integrity, sanity, truth, logic and critical thinking.
30
My God another one! Trump knew (or should have known exactly what he was getting with Bolton) and then fired Bolton for being Bolton. It's scary how inept this administration is.
29
Well it was just a matter of time before Mr. "You're fired" did it to Bolton. But I do not feel sorry for him one iota. Bolton was instrumental in getting some of America to believe the weapons of mass destruction lie. So whose next for the open position ?Ivanka, maybe Jared? The talent to fill the position is endless
5
Bolton was a poor choice in the first place, but now, it appears our "National Security" is about as strong as a wet paper bag. When will republicans come to their senses?
25
I am hereby informing Trump his services are no longer needed.
55
Let’s hope we all do in 2020.
2
Sheldon Adelson is a traitor to the US who makes his money reinforcing the stupid idea that people can get rich in one of his enterprises!
Let's tax all casinos, which suck the life blood out of communities, at a very high rate!
20
Trump insists on always being the sickest and most deranged guy in the room, so naturally Bolton had to go. That’s the reality. Do doubt Netanyahu, Trump’s partner in savagery and crime will be sorely disappointed.
15
A sigh of relief or a pre-emptive shudder? The problem is that the president is allergic to rational thought and long term interest. He is drawn instead to the extravagant superficiality - whatever will fill the bleachers and jack up ratings. We are into a bread and circuses strategy. Look for an even more outrageous appointment: it is what will drive the ratings to higher levels.
9
We're focusing on the wrong part of Bolton's tenure. What really matters is not how or why he left (whew!) but how and why Trump hired the notorious buffoon in the first place. We know Trump doesn't like to be around anyone who's smarter or more experienced than he is, and that leaves very few eligible candidates for job openings in his administration.
Why don't Bolton and Wilber Ross simply swap jobs? Commerce, national security, weather -- they're all the same thing to the President. All that matters is whether he thinks they make him look good or look bad.
17
I am not a fan of Bolton and I am opposed to further US presence in Afghanistan. However, I certainly agree with Bolton and Pompeo that Trump is being an egotistical fool to reach any agreement with the Taliban or with North Korea's Kim Jon-un's North Korea. Neither the Taliban nor Kim would keep any agreement they made with the US. Deluding yourself otherwise is like deluding oneself that the Palestinians would ever keep an agree with Israel.
6
Pompeo and Bolton were on opposite sides of the debate on negotiations with the Taliban. Bolton was vehemently against it, while Pompeo and his envoy were pushing for an agreement. While they didn’t get the latter, the Pompeo camp won the ouster of their West Wing arch nemesis. Knife fights are de rigueur in this administration...
2
Big mistake bringing Bolton on board in the first place. We're still paying for his arrogance in Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
8
Trump is now looking for his forth National security adviser. That can’t be good. Where is Trump going to find someone that always agrees with him and never contradicts him?
10
Trump is forced once again to binge-watch Fox and Friends to find a new personality to replace Bolton. Trump's mini-me Pompeo looked like a Cheshire cat who just ate the mouse.
13
Iran was not a "major foreign policy challenge" until Trump, Pompeo, Bolton & Netanyahu made it so.
16
@SES Exactly. It came out of no where. Trump has been fishing for a war since day one.
1
They can't even get a story like this straight. Would anyone out there put up with this level of ineptness in your place of business? I just can't believe how incompetent this administration is. Unreal, completely incomprehensible.
20
"I only fire the best people!"
(not saying that Bolton was anything but the feckless warmonger he was, just paraphrasing Trumpet...)
6
It is just one more clown coming out of the clown car at the circus. There is always one more right behind the last one. It looks like the voting lever will be the only way to shut done this ridiculous act.
14
Trump and Obama have one thing in common which is good: They didn't start a war. Bolton was part of the Bush administration which did start the Iraq war. But Trump didn't find a solution for the North Korean nuclear threat and forced Iran out of a decent deal to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.
6
@Barry Let's be fair. Trump isn't smart enough or well enough informed to find these solutions. Besides, speaking of fair, the weather lately has been perfect golf weather.
1
Not a Bolton fan but, he at least had some experience in world affairs. Who is left in that administration with a modicum understanding of foreign policy?
I cannot believe even the Russians truly understood the level of chaos, corruption, incompetence and discord the US was about to crash into after Trump’s ascendance to power. I am sure Putin might not believe his luck!
10
John Bolton positioned himself as the go to person for national security, and as such Trump would have seen him as competition he could not tolerate.
4
I just want to know how long the GOP will keep defending these behaviors/actions/decisions before they say:
We’ve had enough.
Am I just naive to think that this could happen?
And if it has happened already, who is keeping the Big Red Wall of Silence going for another year, or five?!?
10
Go to work for Trump, end up eating crow and looking for a new job.
Bolton was always a hawk, more eager for war than most any national security adviser or foreign affairs adviser since the 19th century. He never pretended to be otherwise. So why did Trump hire him?
7
'Trump should have people who he trusts', says Pompeo. Has he recently walked into a door or is he running a high fever? Trump trusts nobody and Pompeo knows that. Neither does Trump know his own mind when it comes to foreign affairs nor national security. Trump runs through staff and advisers like this because he has no firm mind about the issues with which he is dealing. That comment was lame.
7
John Bolton may have to accept that the president who is so reckless he can talk them into attacking Iran unprovoked does not exist.
3
So we have lost the "Uber Hawk" NSC adviser, leaving us with the "Uber Ignorant" President, presumably the lesser of two evils.
6
It's so bad at the Trump administration, there is a Wikipedia entry devoted to his dismissals.
ht tps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Trump_administration_dismissals_and_resignations
And no, righties, don't bother trying to find one on Obama. . . there isn't one.
7
Realism vs. Dealism....and in this administration, The Art of the Deal is so very artfully pursued, and has achieved so much, that old-school Realism has no traction. (Nor have old-school diplomacy, deep strategic thinking, or consistency and stability of approach.)
I don't mourn the departure of John Bolton--a narrow and inflexible thinker whose worldview is certainly not adequate for times requiring global breadth. Unfortunately, there's no one in this entire administration whose worldview IS adequate to meet the times with breadth and creativity. And that, not John Bolton, is the continuing problem for the United States of America in foreign policy.
4
I’m still scratching my head over Trump’s 180 on Iran. That happened after meeting with Macron at the G7. So what did Macron tell him? It would have to be something pretty convincing, perhaps even Kompromat.
Didn't Putin meet with Macron shortly before G7? Putin is an ally of Iran. I don’t know, do you think Putin shared Kompromat with Macron that Macron then used to get Trump to renegotiate an Iran deal?
Or Trump just finally realized that his cozy relationship with Israel isn’t paying off for him with American constituents. So now he’s willing to renegotiate with Iran.
Either way, I really hope the US does renegotiate the deal with Iran and I’m really relieved that Bolton is gone.
4
The revolving door just keeps spinning.
7
What I don’t understand is why Trump officials don’t resign (or offer to resign) by tweet when they leave. The president always claims he fired them after they resign or offer to resign.
Do they fear they might somehow degrade the process? Too late for that.
11
But the real question is, who can he appoint now who is even worse? Maybe way worse. We are for a rough ride, no question about that.
4
I'm glad Bolton is gone, what a waste of time. The man has spent his entire career on the wrong side of everything. The big problem is there is no one who will clear the Republican purity test that will be aligned with Trump's desperate need to a peace win.
Sadly the entire GOP field is filled with war hawks and end-of-days evangelicals like Pompeo and Cotton. Trump would have to reach across the aisle for someone willing to negotiate peace plans. The exasperate things, Trump and the right's pandering to Netanyahu's aggression policies make peace in the Middle East impossible.
5
Yet another episode in the tragic/comic display which is the Trump administration. Boring, boring, boring... Let's change channels soon.
5
Wonder if it has occurred to Trump that nearly everyon disagrees with him.
5
Won't miss "Never saw a War I didn't like" Bolton but the revolving door at the Trump Syndicate Headquarters never stops.
Unabated Criminal Trump assures hard working Americans:
I cannot keep you safe.
The rich will continue to get richer off your hard working backs.
I could care less about the non 1% except for white supremacists and enabling their beliefs.
4
Trump so reminds me of worst boss I ever had -- though in my case was a woman.
2
@ellienyc You should introduce them. He loves power, but he likes women too.
5
@kenneth - Trump doesn't like women. He likes bullying and abusing them. Men who truly like women don't have to pay for female companionship.
5
@DR You must be wrong. He says they have always swarmed about him. (Or maybe I heard it wrong. Maybe he meant they were always warned about him.)
1
trump cannot tolerate alternative views, especially from intelligent people. The limited input he gets comes from small minds with limited range and perspective. The consequence is careless and thoughtless policy and incompetent government diplomacy. trump is a disgrace to his name, our presidential office, and the future of our American democracy.
6
@LGL He's the Man. There are no alternative views.
2
He couldn't work with Bolton a war hawk and a crazy like Trump JFC .
2
Bolton was far too eager to send young Americans off to die for his conflicts from the safety of Washington.
He won't be missed.
8
@Scott McElroy You're not being fair. He would have done that from any American city.
4
I don't like Bolton, but I especially do not like Trump because he is a snake. Only a snake does what he did by firing a person behind his back when he said that he would discuss it the next day. This is the mentality of a coward. This is what we have in office.
12
Interesting to read these comments by leftists decrying Trump's ouster of a perpetual war pig. There's literally nothing the man can do to please TDS sufferers.
2
Actually I think we’re all pretty happy about it, while at the same time pointing out Bolton should never have had the job in the first place. And I don’t give a fig if Trump fired him on Twitter, on America’s Funniest Home Videos or if he sent Melania over in Victoria’s Secret angel wings to do it - just as long as he’s gone.
1
The point is simply that a revolving door for v important positions indicates that there is a deep problem with this admin. TDS has nothing to do with it.
1
“ Mr Trump appreciated his outspoken performances on Fox News”. Always a carnival barker, always appreciative of a good performance to draw in the gullible. I realize no one is surprised at Trump’s “ standards” at this point but I think it bears repeating that this is not normal.
10
Trump does not want an adviser, i.e. someone telling him what to do. He wants somebody to agree with him on whatever Trump wants to do.
7
As long as Trump is President, Bolton and others like him will come and go at Trump's whims. What's really surprising to me is that Romney considers this "an extraordinary loss for our nation" and is "very very unhappy" over it. Cheer up, Romney! Trump will now pay more attention to Bolton when he's on Fox than he ever has to ANY National Security Adviser.
8
Nice.... and still the big question remains
when will impeachment hearings begin?
(Dems are not going to regain the office unless the economy goes south... without impeachment hearings.
4
Well, catching up on old New Yorkers, I had just finished reading the profile on Bolton. If I had not found him frightening before, I sure did after reading that. So many conflicts of interest and hidden agendas. I need to read those profiles sooner . . . while the subject is still in office.
6
Another classic stable genius move.
Then again, it’s pretty clear that Trump could care less about what’s in the best interest of the country. Rather it’s all about Trump and feeding his massive ego.
Republicans could care less about the chaos. Because in Trump, they finally have an open racist in the White House and that’s all that matters to them.
13
@Sterling
No they have a reactionary policy endorsing President who is exciting the religious right with a lot of reactionary judicial appointments, public debt to return tax money to the very rich, and slashing regulations back to what the right began objecting when the government required food processors not to stop selling poisoned foods and drugs to people.
5
Bolton wouldn’t defend Trump’s invitation to the Taliban leaders to Camp David on the Sunday TV shows. He was fired for missing an opportunity to praise Trump...the only bad reason to fire Bolton.
13
I don't think anyone commenting has a clue as to what Trump is thinking or is motivating Trump
My attempts to predict how Trump will act are based upon 2 factors that are usually accurate:
If it benefits Russia and Putin then Trump will do it; or
If Trump can get a good photo-op, preferably one in which Trump can promote a Trump property or business, Trump will act on it
Whatever one thinks of Bolton this was not a good fit for Bolton so not surprised to see Bolton depart and really don't care whether Bolton resigned or was forced out
3
Follow the money and what benefits Trump is so obvious to anyone. It’s my sincere hope the security of the United States can overcome this administration. The intelligence agencies are defending the United States despite Trump.
4
"Mr. Bolton saw his job as stopping Mr. Trump from making unwise agreements with America’s enemies."
As Putin's puppet, 45 was forced to oust this thorn in his side. So much for his encouraging all sides to 'debate' issues. Palace intrigue continues as Trump's reign of Chaos expands. Pray for us.....or better yet, vote!
6
Here's what explains the two differing accounts of "you're fired/I quit." Years ago, something I read about President Trump that helps to understand so much of his behavior is that he can never be shamed. So with the Alabama hurricane Sharpie soap opera—which got almost as much press as the devastating hurricane itself—he spent six days moving heaven and earth and compromising his otherwise respected government officials trying in vain to get us to believe that he had the Alabama thing right, and he wasn't a total fool.
But back to Mr. Bolton. Start by assuming Bolton's version is correct. It's very believable to me; Bolton is an arrogant guy who probably has a low tolerance for being told we not going to be doing things his way. And so after a recent rash of decisions in which he was overruled he says I've had it, and he quits.
But this puts President Trump into a position to be shamed—one of his minions has the audacity to quit ON HIM. So to escape the related shame he cooks up a lie—something that’s second nature to him. And he quickly gets ahead of the game by tweeting out that no, no, he fired Bolton. In Trump's defense, at least he thanked Bolton for his service and didn't subject him to the usual barrage of playground insults and name-calling that he habitually launches on those who dare defy him in any way.
It's too bad we have to put up with such a vacuum of integrity from our president, but that's life in the age of Trump.
1213
@Jerry Schulz
Thank the goddesses and praise be that Bolton is gone. I just hope we don’t get worse.
68
"at least he thanked Bolton for his service and didn't subject him to the usual barrage of playground insults and name-calling that he habitually launches on those who dare defy him in any way"
Yet. That day will come.
(Speaking of names, please don't dignify the loser with the unearned "president" title, much less his own "age of", until he acts the "age of" his body.)
91
@Jerry Schulz "It's too bad we have to put up with such a vacuum of integrity from our president, but that's life in the age of Trump."
Vacuum of integrity? It's childish nonsense. The United States of America, the richest and most powerful nation on Earth, is run by an amoral criminal narcissist with the emotional maturity and intellectual sophistication of a spoiled, lazy ten year old.
Ronald Reagan, where is that shining city on a hill now? What happened?
168