Paul Bonicelli writes for the Federalist about John Bolton‘s merits as national security adviser for the Trump administration.
… [I]t is hard to imagine a better choice, certainly at this juncture of Trump’s presidency. Bolton not only shares the president’s views on many foreign policy issues, he has decades of experience in government, politics, and something not enough Washington hands have: he knows who the American people are and how they respond to national leadership.
He’s spent most of his time working in foreign policy, but he’s no novice on domestic affairs and politics. Wonk and pundit, yes; but also a doer, all rolled into one.
Bolton is a very well-known commodity in DC foreign policy circles. He is one of those experienced hands known for his personality (and the mustache, too, let’s not forget), breadth of knowledge, and key roles in policy debates and implementing the White House’s wishes. Bolton, a lawyer by training, served in the Reagan administration’s Justice Department as an assistant attorney general in the Civil Division, but thereafter served both Bushes at the State Department and United Nations.
For the past year and half, viewers of Fox News have heard Bolton opine often on many topics—mostly foreign policy but also on the machinations of the presidency and Congress. He’s a hawk, no question, if by that we mean that he is uncompromising on U.S. national security interests. For him, the sine qua non of U.S. security is for us to be prosperous and well-armed in order to stave off aggressors and guarantee an international system we built and that serves us.