Posted on 12/08/2011 1:00:00 PM PST by SeekAndFind
WASHINGTON -- Newt Gingrich said Wednesday that he would offer controversial former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton the position of secretary of state if he wins the presidency.
Gingrich earned cheers for the choice at a forum hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition, at which nearly all the GOP presidential aspirants appeared separately. Bolton served as President George W. Bush's ambassador to the U.N. for more than a year but never won Senate confirmation.
Critics described him as hotheaded, and he famously loathed the U.N., which won him conservative fans. Bolton discussed a 2012 presidential run himself but decided against it.
Gingrich's assertion -- “If he will accept it, I will ask John Bolton to be secretary of state” -- could run afoul of federal law, which bans a candidate from pledging an appointment “for the purpose of procuring support in his candidacy.” Gingrich’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.
Foreign policy and pro-Israel sentiment were the dominant themes at Wednesday's forum, as the candidates gave speeches and took questions from an audience that ponied up at least $500 per ticket for the privilege.
Gingrich, the former U.S. House speaker from Georgia, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney were the top draws for the event, as they have emerged as the chief contenders for the GOP nomination. Romney has been steady throughout the race, while Gingrich has surged in the polls in the past few weeks.
Gingrich's fast-rising campaign also has earned the backing of Coweta County U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, who plans to formally endorse as soon as Thursday, an aide with knowledge of the endorsement told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Westmoreland will be the fifth member of the Georgia congressional delegation to formally back Gingrich,
(Excerpt) Read more at ajc.com ...
The whiny harelipped pansies don’t like Bolton, good.
At the State Department hotheaded means speaking and thinking like an American-American rather than a “citizen of the world.”
I like Bolton a lot. He is just what we need to delineate our US self interest in world affairs. Excellent move by the Newtster at this point in the campaign. I hope Bolton endorses him.
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