Free Republic

John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, announced today he is considering a bid for U.S. president in 2012. It was his first direct response to months of Internet speculation that he may join the next presidential race. Bolton was speaking to WND senior reporter Aaron Klein on the latter's investigative radio show on WABC in New York. "Yes, I am considering it," Bolton said when asked if he is considering a 2012 presidential run. "I am very concerned about the direction of national security policy." Continued Bolton: "I am concerned that we hardly talk about it...

When the Obama Administration proclaimed victory on October 1st by announcing that a break-through had been reached in Geneva and that Iran had committed to shipping 2,600 pounds of fuel to Russia, expert Iran watchers were appropriately cynical. Bolton cautioned, yet again, that the Iranians had used some of the same diplomatic nuances they had been using for years to successfully buy more time to continue enriching uranium and fake cooperation with the international community. Usually, the Europeans were the first to take the bait but this time the Obama Administration got hooked first. Bolton, however, was the first to...

Last week, on May 20, the Wall Street Journal published former UN ambassador John Bolton's op-ed prophetically titled "Get Ready for Another North Korean Nuke Test." Five days later--boom! Well, why not? As Bolton noted What the North has lacked thus far is the political opportunity to test without fatally jeopardizing its access to the six-party talks and the legitimacy they provide. Despite the State Department's seemingly unbreakable second-term hold over President Bush, another test after 2006 just might have ended the talks. So far, the North faces no such threat from the Obama administration. Despite Pyongyang's aggression, Mr. Bosworth...

Former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton -- who was probably the closest thing to a Bircherite militiaman ever to have held that position, which no doubt was why G.W. Bush appointed him -- was on the Glenn Beck program yesterday. Considering how Beck's militia fetish has been reaching feverish levels lately, you can imagine how this went. Yes, it was as bad as you can imagine: Bolton: You can see in this upcoming G20 Meeting in the next few days -- Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the United Kingdom has his own ideas for a global New Deal -- and...

By JOHN BOLTON While President Obama's unanticipated Nowruz holiday greeting to Iran generated considerable press attention, his video wasn't really this week's big news related to the Islamic Republic. Far more important was that a senior defector -- Iran's former Deputy Minister of Defense Ali Reza Asghari -- disclosed Tehran's financing of Syria's nuclear weapons program. That program's centerpiece was a North Korean nuclear reactor in Syria. Israel destroyed it in September 2007. At this point, it is impossible to ignore Iran's active efforts to expand, improve and conceal its nuclear weapons program in Syria while it pretends to "negotiate"...

(IsraelNN.com) The Obama government’s thinking that Arab-Israeli peace is the key to Mideast stability “is bad news for Israel - and for America," former United States Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton wrote in the New York Post on Friday Bolton said that President Barack Obama and his advisors have adopted the theory that the “overwhelming bulk of other Middle Eastern grievances, wholly or partly, stem from Israel's founding and continued existence.” He based his argument on the appointment of George C. Mitchell as the special U.S. envoy to the Middle East and statements by United States Secretary of...

Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton says the Obama administration has turned on Israel in its determination to resolve the Israeli-Arab dispute. Bolton, now an American Enterprise Institute senior fellow, writes in an opinion column appearing in the New York Post that U.S. pressure to find a solution to the decades-old conflict will be the greatest on Israel, because it is an ally. "Almost invariably, Israel is the loser -- because Israel is the party most dependent on the United States, most subject to U.S. pressure and most susceptible to the inevitable chorus of received wisdom from Western diplomats, media and...

Speaking to a packed room at the opening day of CPAC in Washington D.C. yesterday, former UN Ambassador John Bolton warned convention attendees of something he believes "goes to the heart of the Obama administration" and that will affect not only us but our children and grandchildren. No, not the stimulus bill (although that’s a good guess) - it's what he termed "the coming war on American sovereignty." The problem, he said, is that liberals believe differences in policies that affect Americans shouldn't be debated here at home, but on the international stage - and we can expect it to...

CHICAGO — President-elect Barack Obama has chosen his foreign policy adviser, Susan E. Rice, to be ambassador to the United Nations, picking an advocate of “dramatic action” against genocide as he rounds out his national security team, Democrats close to the transition said Sunday. -snip- John R. Bolton, who was one of Mr. Bush’s ambassadors at the United Nations, would not discuss Ms. Rice’s selection, but said it was unwise to elevate the position to the cabinet again. “One, it overstates the role and importance the U.N. should have in U.S. foreign policy,” Mr. Bolton said. “Second, you shouldn’t have...

JOHN BOLTON, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Glad to be here. LOWRY: Now, do you think it makes any sense to have dis-invited Sarah Palin to this event? Yes, Hillary Clinton had canceled, but there still would have been other Democrats there. And it's not as though the mere presence of Sarah Palin would have discredited this thing as a partisan event. BOLTON: Well, I think it was a mistake. But I know the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations. It's a very important group. They have never done anything, in my view, that was partisan. So they must...

Bush Owes His Successor A Tough Finish on Foreign Policy By JOHN R. BOLTON September 6, 2008; Page A11 As the Bush administration enters its last months, its pursuit of a "legacy," especially in foreign policy, becomes ever more frenetic. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's travel schedule is packed. State Department "signing ceremonies" are blossoming, even for agreements that would not have attracted high-level attention just last year. Editorial writers are being quietly encouraged to laud administration successes. While neither unique nor unexpected, the legacy frenzy masks what should be our real concern until Jan. 20, 2009: the risk of...

Lefty moonbat throws everything but the kitchen sink at John Bolton, with Bolton hitting homer after homer in his responses. Moonbat at times is left speechless. I'd love to see a conservative interviewer get away with an interview like this with B. Hussein Obama: Link to video

Russia’s invasion across an internationally recognised border, its thrashing of the Georgian military, and its smug satisfaction in humbling one of its former fiefdoms represents only the visible damage. As bad as the bloodying of Georgia is, the broader consequences are worse. The United States fiddled while Georgia burned, not even reaching the right rhetorical level in its public statements until three days after the Russian invasion began, and not, at least to date, matching its rhetoric with anything even approximating decisive action. This pattern is the very definition of a paper tiger. Sending Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice to...

Military action against Iran would be a last resort but the United States and its allies have not done enough to promote the alternative, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said on Wednesday. John Bolton, who was a leading hawk in President George W. Bush's administration, told an audience at the Hay literary Festival that five years of "failed" negotiation with Iran over its nuclear program had left just two options for dealing with the issue — regime change and use of force. "The use of military force is an extremely unattractive option and only to be used...

John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, has escaped an attempted citizen's arrest as he appeared at the Hay Festival. The former ambassador - a key advisor to President George W Bush who argued strongly in favour of invading Iraq - had been giving a talk on international relations to more than 600 people at the literary festival. Mr Monbiot was blocked by two heavily-built security guards at the end of the one-and-a-half hour appearance, before he could serve a "charge sheet" on him. After being released by the guards the columnist - a fierce critic of...

National Journal's Ronald Brownstein spoke with John Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, for the May 23 edition of "National Journal On Air." This is a transcript of their conversation. Q: John Bolton -- former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, former undersecretary of State, now a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and a supporter of Republican presidential candidate John McCain. Mr. Bolton, welcome to "National Journal On Air." Bolton: Glad to be here. Q: Mr. Bolton, Senator McCain has been extremely critical of Barack Obama over the past week for saying that he would meet...

John Bolton was on Fox News' Hannity and Colmes a couple of days ago to discuss the left's reaction to Bush's appeasement comments...

With hindsight, the Democrats' filibustering of Bolton's nomination to the U.N. post--he served only via a recess appointment--was one of their most shameful acts. The fact that nonentities like Madeline Albright can slide through the Senate without opposition, while the appointment of John Bolton, who combines a towering intellect with unflagging devotion to his country's interests, is blocked on political grounds, illustrates as well as anything which party is "politicizing foreign policy," as Barack Obama likes to say.

Middle East: Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton says we should take out Iranian camps that train Iraqi insurgents. Not a bad idea. Besides denying our enemies sanctuary, it might give pause to Iran's nuclear ambitions.As much as we hate the lefties comparing Iraq to Vietnam, there are things that do give one a sense of deja vu. Once again we see an enemy able to keep fighting, supplied by those who use a line on a map to protect them. In remarks reported by the London Telegraph, John Bolton advocated an end to the policy of allowing the Quds Force...

President George W. Bush is fond of comparing himself to Ronald Reagan. But as he meets with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in Washington this week, his policy regarding North Korea's nuclear weapons program looks more like something out of Bill Clinton's or Jimmy Carter's playbook. In dealing with the Soviet Union on arms control, Reagan was famous for repeating the Russian phrase, "Doveryai, no proveryai" (trust, but verify). Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev reportedly once complained to Reagan, "You use that phrase every time we meet." To which Reagan smilingly replied, "That's because I like it so much." This administration...

Video of John Bolton on Fox News

Salvaging Our North Korea Policy.... By JOHN R. BOLTON There are signs, albeit small ones, that the Bush administration may be reaching the end of its patience with the Six-Party Talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. These signs could prove illusory. But as it nears its end, the administration has a serious responsibility: It must not leave its successor with an ongoing, failed policy. At a minimum, President Bush should not bequeath to the next president only the burned-out hulk of the Six-Party Talks, and countless failed and violated North Korean commitments. Since they were conceived in spring 2003,...

"John McCain was very active and supportive during my confirmation hearings to be the U.S. Ambassador to the UN. His belief in me at that time was a testament to his courage to fight the liberals in the Senate and vigorously advance American interests at the UN. "I whole-heartedly endorse John McCain for President because when he takes office in January 2009 he will be prepared immediately to lead us. John will not need on the job training. "American conservatives will have a President they can be proud of in John McCain."

John Bolton, who was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the Second Lebanon War, rejects Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's version of he launched a failed ground offensive during the war's final days. "The Israeli military operation did not play a role in the talks on drafting UN Security Council Resolution 1701," which ended the war, Bolton told Haaretz Sunday. He was in Israel to attend the Herzliya Conference. Bolton, who has warned in the past about the possibility of nuclear cooperation between North Korea and Syria, also said that both the United States and Israel owe their citizens a...

President Bush's just-concluded Middle East trip has sparked hope in several key areas, particularly confronting Iran's bad behavior and making progress in the Arab-Israeli conflict. But here's the essential fix the President is in: He is far more likely to be successful in countering Iran's expanding influence and dealing with other major regional problems than in resolving the Arab-Israeli dispute - yet his pursuit of the former goal is impeded by his policies concerning the latter. This view is contrary to the conventional wisdom of most Europeans and many Americans, namely that peace between Israelis and Arabs will facilitate solutions...

The 2007 US National Intelligence Estimate, as well as the skewed reporting around it, is a sign of the "illegitimate politicization" of the American intelligence establishment, according to former US ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton. The document reportedly said Iran stopped its nuclear weapons production program in 2003. While "Iran's nuclear program is continuing and expanding," Bolton told The Jerusalem Post at a book-signing in a Tel Aviv Steimatzky on Sunday, "the NIE has had a devastating impact on our global efforts to try and constrain Iran." "I know the people who wrote this intelligence estimate," Bolton continued....

In recent days, Mike Huckabee has tried to answer long-standing questions about who is on his foreign policy team. On Friday morning, he listed former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton as someone with whom he either has “spoken or will continue to speak.” At a Thursday evening press conference, Huckabee said, "I've corresponded with John Bolton, who's agreed to work with us on developing foreign policy.” Bolton, however, has a different view. “I’d be happy to speak with Huckabee, but I haven’t spoken with him yet,” said Bolton, now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank...

Ambassador John Bolton makes a point that I led off with in the Paul post, namely, that we pushed too soon for democracy in Pakistan. That push led to Bhutto’s return, which in turn led to what happened to her today. That’s not blaming America so much as noting that you can’t make democracy in a microwave. Bolton goes on to note that beyond democracy or anything else, the paramount US interest in Pakistan right now is to make sure that the nukes are secure. That need supersedes thoughts of the January 8 election. He’s right, of course. The first...

Resistance by partisan ”shadow warriors” at the Department of State has limited the president’s options and is bringing us dangerously close to a military showdown with Iran, former Bush administration official John Bolton told Newsmax in an exclusive interview. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice initially had planned to provide significant aid to the pro-democracy movement in Iran, as a means of giving the president more policy options, Bolton said. But resistance by the State Department bureaucracy crippled the programs and rendered them ineffective. “[T]he outcome has been no overt program of support for democracy and no clandestine program to overthrow...

Former US Diplomat John Bolton is no longer in office, but he still has a lot to say about American foreign policy. SPIEGEL spoke to him about Bush's softness abroad, Rice having been taken hostage by the liberal State Department, and why it doesn't matter that the world hates the US. SPIEGEL: Mr. Ambassador, you worked closely with the president and you shared his hawkish views on Iraq. But your new book is fiercely critical of George W. Bush. Why? Bolton: His foreign policy is in free fall. The president is turning against his own best judgment and instincts under...

Message to Israel Singer: "You are now speaking to many Jews and non-Jews throughout the Land of Israel, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean. Your message to them?" Bolton: "I think it's important to keep your focus on national security and not get diverted by political rhetoric and the demands of people who are out trying to build legacies for themselves. You have to keep the long-term and your national interest in mind and remember who your friends are."

Former American ambassador to UN slams president's foreign policy, says Bush 'doesn't supervise Secretary of State Rice enough' US President George W. Bush's foreign policy is in free fall and puts the nation's security at risk, former ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton told a German magazine on Sunday. Bolton , who was a leading hawk in the US administration and favored a tough stance against Iran, North Korea and Iraq, told the Der Spiegel weekly that Bush needed to rein in Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "His foreign policy is in free fall. The president is acting against...

Last Thursday night, former UN Ambassador John Bolton went to the Barnes & Noble store at Lincoln Center, on Manhattan's Upper West Side, ostensibly to promote his new book about his experiences at the UN, Surrender is not an Option.  When he reached the podium, he made some brief remarks about the book's objective of explaining how diplomatic decisions are made and, if understood by Americans, have us "going after them (the UN) with pitchforks." He then stated he would not speak directly about the content of his book, but preferred that those in attendance buy it. Mr. Bolton then...

U.S. intelligence services attempted to influence political policy by releasing their assessment that concludes Iran halted its nuclear arms program in 2003, said John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Der Spiegel magazine quoted Bolton on Saturday as alleging that the aim of the National Intelligence Estimate, which contradicts his and President Bush's position, was not to provide the latest intelligence on Iran. "This is politics disguised as intelligence," Bolton was quoted as saying in an article appearing in this week's edition. Bolton described the report, released Monday, as a "quasi-putsch" by the intelligence agencies, Der Spiegel said.

WASHINGTON -- Now that we are stuffed like turkeys, consider that Thanksgiving is celebrated as an official national holiday in only two countries -- the United States and Canada. In both nations, it is uniquely mandated as a day for offering thanks and praise to God. Interestingly, there is no mention of God or thanksgiving in the U.N. Charter. Nonetheless, United Nations officials apparently take full advantage of the holiday as a respite from the grueling work of international diplomacy. Calls to the secretary-general's office (212-963-7162) on Thursday, Nov. 22, were unanswered. One can only wonder whether the striped pants...

Late in 2006, as the pro-Israel community in Washington was still making its last-ditch efforts to secure John Bolton's confirmation to the post of ambassador to the United Nations, the object of their affection was beginning to change his mind about the post. The initial attempt to give the job to Bolton had been blocked by hostile members of the Senate, who saw the veteran Washington lawyer and diplomat as too critical of the world body to represent the United States there. But after a "recess" appointment in August 2005 that allowed him to stay in office until the end...

Former U.S./U.N. ambassador John Bolton returned to U.N. headquarters in NYC on Friday to launch his new book "Surrender Is Not An Option" (Threshold Editions- Simon & Schuster - 486 pgs.) The controversial U.S. diplomat quit his U.N. post in November 2006 when the Senate Foreign Relations Committee stalled a vote on his nomination. For the preceding 18 mos. Bolton served as UN ambassador under a temporary Congressional recess appointment that was to expire on January 1, 2007. With a Democratic Congress taking office and a rejected nomination likely, Bolton asked President Bush to withdraw his name rather than face...

Bolton calls for bombing of Iran John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, told Tory delegates today that efforts by the UK and the EU to negotiate with Iran had failed and that he saw no alternative to a pre-emptive strike on suspected nuclear facilities in the country.

Richard Luger speaking now

John Bolton became America's Ambassador to the United Nations last year on a recess appointment. Since then, the U.S. has won unanimous Security Council resolutions condemning North Korea's missile tests and ending the Israeli-Lebanese war, and a near-unanimous one (Qatar dissenting) setting a deadline for Iran to suspend its nuclear program. Not bad for a man once called "the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be." Those were the words of George Voinovich, the Ohio Republican who as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee surprised even himself by opposing Mr. Bolton's nomination. Mr....

Chafee delays vote on Bolton nomination By ANNE PLUMMER FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer (Published: September 7, 2006) WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Lincoln Chafee has pulled the plug on a push by his fellow Republicans to confirm John Bolton as U.N. ambassador, saying he had more questions that needed to be answered. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee was expected to vote along party lines during a committee meeting Thursday to approve Bolton. But the panel postponed the vote after Chafee, R-R.I., expressed doubt. "Sen. Chafee said he still had questions that were not answered," said the senator's spokesman, Stephen Hourahan. Chafee...

The last nominee for ambassador to the United Nations about whom The New York Times was frantic was Daniel Patrick Moynihan. In fact, it was frantic about him twice. The first time was in November 1970, when Moynihan's name was, for a brief moment, floated as a likely candidate. The Times was quick to declare him the "wrong man for the u.n." The right man was Charles Yost, a foreign servant for nearly four decades so discreet as to be almost invisible. Moynihan never made clear why he did not then take the post. Did he initially decline it because...

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JOHN BOLTON: “We’re not going back to the status quo ante in Lebanon.” — Bolton. This Saturday PJM Special Correspondent Pamela of Atlas Shrugs sat down with John Bolton, the US Ambassador to the United Nations. In this far-reaching and candid interview, Bolton discusses the UN Ceasefire Resolution, the present and future state of Isreal and the Middle East, and what lies ahead for the USA and the world in the War on Terror.

Bolton just on Fox. Per Bolton, this seems a good move. Israel gets to stay in Lebanon until the UN force is in place, and the UN will have authority to fire back at Hezbollah (gasp!). Hez must stop all offensive acts. Look... we know they won't. As soon as Hez rockets fall again, Israel will already be in lebanon to hit back. In the meantime, Israel will have had time to run its logistics train up to the front line. Hez will have had no chance to rearm. When Hez starts shooting again, the war continues with Israel having...

There was nothing diplomatic about United Nations Ambassador John Bolton's assessment of the crisis in the Middle East. At a time when civilian deaths in Lebanon were already far greater than civilian deaths in Israel, Bolton declared that "it would be a mistake to ascribe moral equivalence" to the loss of innocent life in the two countries. "It's simply not the same thing to say that it's the same act to deliberately target innocent civilians, to desire their deaths, to fire rockets and use explosive devices or kidnapping versus the sad and highly unfortunate consequences of self-defense," said the bumbling...

Will John Bolton finally win Senate confirmation as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations? Contrary to some speculation, there are strong indications on Capitol Hill that the answer is “yes.” But it also appears that Bolton’s — and the Bush White House’s — victory will come only after an intense and angry pre-election debate on the administration’s foreign policy. And that, according to several Senate sources, is just fine with Republicans. This week the Washington Post reported that three Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, and John Sununu of...

The Bolton battle -- again By William Rusher Thursday, August 3, 2006 It is a fair question just what kind of ambassador the United States should send to the United Nations. This country is, after all, by far the most powerful nation in the world -- militarily, economically and therefore politically. It has legitimate interests all over the globe, and, by virtue of its might, is a vital partner in any major international effort. As for the United Nations, it is the principal international forum, where all the world's countries gather to argue, agree, disagree and conspire with one another....

Schumer Says Bolton Won't Face Filibuster By RUSSELL BERMAN - Staff Reporter of the Sun July 31, 2006 A Democratic filibuster of John Bolton's nomination as United Nations ambassador is "unlikely," Senator Schumer said yesterday. Mr. Schumer supported an effort last year to block Mr. Bolton's nomination from gaining a full Senate vote, but he confirmed that he is considering changing his position. New York's senior senator said he was weighing Mr. Bolton's backing of Israel against his unwillingness to work with other countries at the United Nations. "There's a good part of Bolton. He's been a staunch and very...

Thursday, July 27, 2006 in the hallowed halls of the Senate, an alleged war hero received his first ''earned'' Purple Heart. During a battle with U.N. Ambassador nominee John Bolton, John F. (I served in Vietnam) Kerry received life threatening political wounds and a good old-fashioned bloody nose. This time the wounds were real, well documented and likely requiring far more treatment than the wounds that earned Senator Kerry his first three Purple Hearts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXypOf3Umf8&search=bolton%20kerryBolton smacks down this fool