John Bolton is back. Trump has made him national security advisor just in time for that charm offensive with North Korea.
Last time out Bolton failed to get Senate confirmation, requiring George W. Bush to nominate him (to the post of UN ambassador) as a recess appointment. This time, such screening is avoided. Nominees to national security advisor don’t require Senate approval. Trump’s approval is sufficient. Ha.
Bolton is famously hawkish. He is also controversial for making claims about other regimes that may or not have been true, for having allegedly misled the UN itself in arguing for military aggression, and for having been economical with the truth when dealing with his superiors:
Critics allege that Bolton tried to spin intelligence to support his views and political objectives on a number of occasions… According to former coworkers, Bolton withheld information that ran counter to his goals from Secretary of State Colin Powell on multiple occasions, and from Powell’s successor Condoleezza Rice on at least one occasion.
So maybe Trump had some reservations. Well actually he did:
Though he has been on a list of candidates for the post since the beginning of the administration, officials said Mr. Trump has hesitated, in part because of his negative reaction to Mr. Bolton’s walrus-style mustache.
Indeed. The mustache. The mustache is the problem.
The end of the world, folks. It’s coming.
Brian Hughes is an academic psychologist and university professor in Galway, Ireland, specialising in stress, health, and the application of psychology to social issues. He writes widely on the psychology of empiricism and of empirically disputable claims, especially as they pertain to science, health, medicine, and politics.