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Ted Cruz: Why not John Bolton for national security advisor?
Hot Air ^ | February 17, 2017 | Allahpundit

Posted on 02/17/2017 3:33:26 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

Hugh Hewitt has been all over this idea lately.

(TWEETS-AT-LINK)

Bolton was a candidate for Secretary of State during the transition period, then a candidate to be a key undersecretary at the Department under Rex Tillerson, and then more recently … nada. His name hadn’t been mentioned in connection lately with any major staffing positions, which is odd given that Trump reportedly came to admire him from his appearances on Fox News. (Also a key qualification for KT McFarland in landing her job as deputy NSA, apparently.) Bolton had two big problems in landing a job at State. One: Rex Tillerson allegedly had “misgivings” about him, whether because of Bolton’s ostentatious hawkishness or because a newbie diplomat at the head of the Department might fear being outmaneuvered by an ambitious, experienced old hand beneath him. And two, more importantly: Deputy positions at cabinet agencies require Senate confirmation, and Bolton has always been viewed as tough to confirm. The left despises him and might well be able to scare centrist Dems into voting lockstep against him; Rand Paul also despises Bolton for his hawkishness and has vowed to oppose him. That leaves a paper-thin majority of 51 votes to confirm him assuming zero other defections among the Senate GOP. And plenty of other Republicans, starting with Bob Corker, are said to have “misgivings” about Bolton. He might be unconfirmable.

But that’s the virtue of the NSA idea. The national security advisor isn’t subject to Senate confirmation. Because he’s merely an advisor, he can be on the job tomorrow if Trump merely says the word. And lo and behold:

(TWEET-AT-LINK)

Don’t get too excited, though. He’s not the only candidate:

(TWEET-AT-LINK)

Trump himself named Keith Kellogg as a fourth possibility this morning, but not until late this afternoon did anyone say anything about Bolton. How come? Why was he an afterthought in this?

The easy explanation is that it has to do with his hawkishness. He was always a weird foreign-policy fit for an Iraq critic like Trump; I think Trump appreciated Bolton’s interventionist bravado in his Fox appearances, but maybe as he’s thought more carefully about the direction of his administration, he realized that having a NATO booster and Russia skeptic as his right-hand man on national security is destined to lead to internal conflict and frustration over policy. On the other hand, Gen. Mattis is also a NATO booster and Russia skeptic and he appears to be one of Trump’s favorite aides. Maybe the deeper reason for Bolton’s afterthought status is that he’d insist on real power to shape policy as NSA and Trump’s inner circle doesn’t seem to be in the mood to share that power with outside advisors and department chiefs. The last thing Trump and Steve Bannon need as they discuss detente with Russia and woo pro-Putin nationalist parties in Europe is John Bolton staffing up with conventional Republican hawks and consolidating power over the National Security Council. Bolton’s personality may simply be too strong to be the sort of deputy that Team Trump is looking for.

And of course, there’s always that mustache. Yee-ikes.

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)


TOPICS: Government; Politics
KEYWORDS: bolton; cruz; cruzlim; cruznsadviser; johnbolton; liar4hasbeen; mikepompeo; nationalsecurity; nsadviser; tedcruz; texas; trump
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1 posted on 02/17/2017 3:33:26 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Because, Ted, if I wanted to see more recycled retreads from the Bush administration, I would have voted for Jeb Bush rather than Trump during the primaries.


2 posted on 02/17/2017 3:38:10 PM PST by ek_hornbeck
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

3 posted on 02/17/2017 3:41:40 PM PST by Proyecto Anonimo
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

why take the lackey? why not just appoint bush?


4 posted on 02/17/2017 3:42:09 PM PST by dadfly
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Lindsey Graham says he is a “big John Bolton fan.” John McCain thinks Bolton is great too. If Graham and McCain are your ideal leaders, then Bolton is your man.


5 posted on 02/17/2017 3:45:53 PM PST by Colonel Kangaroo
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To: dadfly
why take the lackey? why not just appoint bush?

His promotion of Bush people is yet more evidence that Ted Cruz represents fake opposition to the GOP establishment, although there really isn't a need for any more evidence of this after his behavior towards the end of the 2016 primaries.

Sometimes Ted's posturing and grandstanding in the Senate proves useful, even if his motives are dishonest. In this case, Ted isn't being useful even accidentally.

6 posted on 02/17/2017 3:47:08 PM PST by ek_hornbeck
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To: ek_hornbeck

Trump Picks Former Bush Aide As Counterrerrorism, Cybersecurity Advisor
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-12-27/


7 posted on 02/17/2017 3:50:08 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (You cannot invade the mainland US. There'd be a rifle behind every blade of grass.)
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To: ek_hornbeck; 2ndDivisionVet

I think former Ambassador Bolton is worthy of serious consideration and appointment. He served the country well while at the UN. To deny his consideration because of him working for former President Bush is in the category of ‘spiting your face....’


8 posted on 02/17/2017 3:50:32 PM PST by GreyFriar (Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

It would have the advantage of making Democrats’ heads explode, which is always enjoyable.

Whenever the Democrats manage to knock out one of Trump’s nominees, Trump should always nominate someone that they will hate even more. Set the precedent now so they will know what they can expect if they try to block any of Trunp’s nominees for the Supreme Court and all of the vacant court of appeals and district court slots.


9 posted on 02/17/2017 3:54:10 PM PST by Bubba_Leroy (The Obamanation has ended!)
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To: GreyFriar

As another poster pointed out, Bolton is the favored candidate of the McCain-Graham wing of the Republican Party. The problem with Bolton isn’t just that he worked for the Bush administration, it’s that he represents some of the Bush administration’s most misguided polices of failed “nation building” in the Middle East.


10 posted on 02/17/2017 3:56:38 PM PST by ek_hornbeck
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To: Bubba_Leroy
It would have the advantage of making Democrats’ heads explode, which is always enjoyable

That's the upside. The downside is that a Bolton appointment is also the wet dream of Lindsey Graham and Bill Kristol.

11 posted on 02/17/2017 3:59:19 PM PST by ek_hornbeck
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To: ek_hornbeck

My top three requirements for any replacement nominee are someone who is (1) conservative, (2) competent, and (3) will piss the Democrats off so much that they will regret ever opposing the first nominee.


12 posted on 02/17/2017 3:59:52 PM PST by Bubba_Leroy (The Obamanation has ended!)
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To: ek_hornbeck

That is a big downside.


13 posted on 02/17/2017 4:01:30 PM PST by Bubba_Leroy (The Obamanation has ended!)
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To: GreyFriar

I completely agree.


14 posted on 02/17/2017 4:04:21 PM PST by berdie (#No Hill/bern)
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To: GreyFriar

The reason to deny him is that he still subscribes to the catastrophically failed neocon foreign policy worldview.


15 posted on 02/17/2017 4:11:33 PM PST by thoughtomator (Purple: the color of sedition)
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To: Colonel Kangaroo

That’s good enough for me.....to run away from this as fast as possible,


16 posted on 02/17/2017 4:18:23 PM PST by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizen Means Born Here Of Citizen Parents - Know Islam, No Peace -No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Is Flynn back in private life? Or did he merely loose his title. He is a valuable asset.


17 posted on 02/17/2017 4:20:53 PM PST by usual suspect
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Lou Dobbs just reported that Bolton is being considered.


18 posted on 02/17/2017 4:29:37 PM PST by Runner4life
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To: ek_hornbeck
Bolton may be liked by McCain and Graham, but Bolton is smarter than both McCain and Graham put together.

Bolton is also loyal, both to his country and to his President, and I think he would serve Trump well.

19 posted on 02/17/2017 4:30:08 PM PST by pierrem15 ("Massacrez-les, car le seigneur connait les siens")
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To: thoughtomator
Bolton is pretty big on recognizing the Islamist threat. He did serve Bush and loyally supported Bush's policies.

Whether that meant he believed in them is a different matter.

20 posted on 02/17/2017 4:32:04 PM PST by pierrem15 ("Massacrez-les, car le seigneur connait les siens")
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