# John Bolton Out as National Security Advisor
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992
**Category:** Politics & Elections
**Created:** [September 10, 2019, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992 "2019-09-10T16:18:27Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/1 "2019-09-10T16:18:27Z")
The revolving door on the clown car that is this administration spins again.
> **[Trump Fires John Bolton In Final Break After Months Of Internal Policy Division](https://www.npr.org/2019/09/10/724363700/trump-fires-john-bolton-in-final-break-after-months-of-policy-divisions?fbclid=IwAR2lOX-Cfn2ykfQl01FEDe8Kfr-ogtLVbhDTV2PKvCD4mqVfrI70rP-NWLY)**
>
> The national security adviser caught the president's attention for his aggressive stance as a Fox News commentator but strayed from favor after pushing too hard against Trump's wishes.
---
### Author:  [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/2 "2019-09-10T16:21:00Z")
The scary thought is that maybe, once again, the \*less \*batshit guy is out.
---
### Author:  [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/3 "2019-09-10T16:25:29Z")
It is just possible that there is actually no worse American to have in that role than John Bolton. Anyone more qualified will be a blessing and anyone less qualified will have even less sway. He was in an uncanny valley of being remotely qualified but also a total nutjob which made him really dangerous. We should count our blessings that he was incapable of being sufficiently sycophantic to persuade Trump to launch any new wars.
---
### Author:  [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/4 "2019-09-10T16:34:47Z")
Glad he’s out. One of the absolute worst people from the Bush administration.
---
### Author:  [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/5 "2019-09-10T16:44:13Z")
And according to each of their Twitter pages, he and Trump have differing things to say about how it ended. So the administration’s credibility is where it’s always been.
---
### Author:  [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/6 "2019-09-10T16:46:09Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#):
>
> The scary thought is that maybe, once again, the \*less \*batshit guy is out.
Gonna be hard to find someone more batshit that John “We HAVE an army, why don’t we use it?” Bolton.
---
### Author:  [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/7 "2019-09-10T16:47:09Z")
I hate him so much I actually don’t even care about the circumstances of his departure. It’s a huge relief. The guy was really, really horrible. I would take a Trump cabinet with the turnover rate of an Applebee’s, over George W. Bush and his very stable and predictable menagerie of stone-cold evil.
I fucking hate, HATE Trump, but if a guy like John Bolton is unable to work with him, that’s a point in Trump’s favor as far as I’m concerned, loath as I am to say it.
There are a lot of things to hate about Trump. But the Bush era foreign policy was 100x worse.
---
### Author:  [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/8 "2019-09-10T17:03:30Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#):
>
> Gonna be hard to find someone more batshit that John “We HAVE an army, why don’t we use it?” Bolton.
Well… “We HAVE nuclear weapons, why don’t we use them?”
---
### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/9 "2019-09-10T17:04:59Z")
So I’m curious. Was Bolton too hawkish for Trump, or not enough?
---
### Author:  [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/10 "2019-09-10T17:06:30Z")
> [@Lamoral](#):
>
> I hate him so much I actually don’t even care about the circumstances of his departure. It’s a huge relief. The guy was really, really horrible. I would take a Trump cabinet with the turnover rate of an Applebee’s, over George W. Bush and his very stable and predictable menagerie of stone-cold evil.
And thus we see the difference in reaction between incompetent evil and very competent disdain.
---
### Author:  [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/11 "2019-09-10T17:07:41Z")
I’m torn between being glad that this chicken-hawk nutcase is gone and worried about whatever obsequious toady trump will find to take his place.
---
### Author:  [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/12 "2019-09-10T17:08:32Z")
Whoever it is will be on an “acting” basis. He sees no need to bother with Senate confirmations anymore.
---
### Author:  [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/13 "2019-09-10T17:08:46Z")
> [@Velocity](#):
>
> So I’m curious. Was Bolton too hawkish for Trump, or not enough?
Trump doesn’t have stable views about the world. He doesn’t fire people because he disagrees with them. He fires them because they step on his narcissism. Bolton probably didn’t behave as Trump wanted for some Fox News segment or refused to stay at Trump properties while traveling.
Trump knew Bolton was a warmonger when he hired him. So all the talk about them diverging on policy is just some post hoc rationalization for what will turn out to be some petty bullshit.
---
### Author:  [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/14 "2019-09-10T17:13:58Z")
> [@E-DUB](#):
>
> I’m torn between being glad that this chicken-hawk nutcase is gone and worried about whatever obsequious toady trump will find to take his place.
Your statement sums up my feelings exactly.
> [@ElvisL1ves](#):
>
> Whoever it is will be on an “acting” basis. He sees no need to bother with Senate confirmations anymore.
I see a dual role appointment for Mike Pompeo in the near future.
---
### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/15 "2019-09-10T17:17:45Z")
> [@Velocity](#):
>
> So I’m curious. Was Bolton too hawkish for Trump, or not enough?
He was always being sold in the MSM as the guy who wanted war with Iran, so I am guessing “too hawkish”. But who knows? It’s not like the press is going to label anything Trump does as a good idea.
Regards,
Shodan
---
### Author:  [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/16 "2019-09-10T17:18:31Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#):
>
> Well… “We HAVE nuclear weapons, why don’t we use them?”
On hurricanes. :rolleyes:
[And before that](https://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/03/trump-asks-why-us-cant-use-nukes-msnbcs-joe-scarborough-reports.html),
> [@](#):
>
> “Several months ago, a foreign policy expert on the international level went to advise Donald Trump. And three times [Trump] asked about the use of nuclear weapons. Three times he asked at one point if we had them why can’t we use them,” Scarborough said on his “Morning Joe” program.
---
### Author:  [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/17 "2019-09-10T17:44:02Z")
> [@Shodan](#):
>
> He was always being sold in the MSM as the guy who wanted war with Iran, so I am guessing “too hawkish”. But who knows? It’s not like the press is going to label anything Trump does as a good idea.
>
> Regards,
> Shodan
The press? You mean “The enemy of the people” We all know that Trump is full of fantastic ideas, the best. And it’s only “The Press” who talks them down all the time.
Trump has the best ideas. Everyone says so. Just the other day, a general came up to Trump and said “Sir, Mister President Sir, you have the best ideas, and everyone in America knows it.”
---
### Author:  [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/18 "2019-09-10T17:52:13Z")
Supposedly this has to do with a planned meeting at Camp David between representatives from the Afghan government and the Taliban. Bolton was against the peace talks.
> **[At Camp David, Trump Sought The Mantle Of History. But Afghanistan Is Different](https://www.npr.org/2019/09/10/759268550/at-camp-david-trump-sought-the-mantle-of-history-but-afghanistan-is-different)**
>
> For a generation, "Camp David" was synonymous with peace between Israel and Egypt, but the world — and the long war in Afghanistan — has come a long way from those days.
I don’t know enough about the current situation to say whether these talks are a good idea or not, but as a few others have noted I think Bolton almost certainly would prefer war over peace. Trump seems to have lucked into the correct decision this time.
---
### Author:  [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/19 "2019-09-10T17:57:40Z")
> [@Velocity](#):
>
> So I’m curious. Was Bolton too hawkish for Trump, or not enough?
I would guess too knowledgeable. Bolton was a dangerous, jingoist war monger but he was at least knowledgeable about foreign policy. I would imagine Trump’s random shifting pronouncements based on his gut and what he saw last night on Fox and friends must have eventually been too much for Bolton to handle.
---
### Author:  [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992/20 "2019-09-10T18:00:31Z")
> [@Lamoral](#):
>
> There are a lot of things to hate about Trump. But the Bush era foreign policy was 100x worse.
This is a common sentiment, but I am not sure I agree. Bush’s warmongering was at least partly reactionary, and public opinion was much more hawkish than now. Give Trump the same set of circumstances and there’s no way he shows restraint.
In fact, note the way Trump casually throws out threats of “fire and fury” and admiration of nuclear weapons. No-one should kid themselves that we’re in the safe zone of foreign policy now.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-bolton-out-as-national-security-advisor/839992.md?page=2)