Former Ambassador Bolton
.
Back in January, I noted
Of all the casualties of the past election, the loss of John Bolton as our UN ambassador is the one that I regret the most. To have had a plain spoken person advocating first for what’s best FOR AMERICA on the world stage during the last year or so has been refreshing indeed. Unfortunately, the Senate confirmation that eluded Mr. Bolton while the GOP was in charge was rendered utterly impossible with the Democratic takeover and he duly ended his quest for permanancy in the position.
The good news is that Mr. Bolton has not left the scene. Doing yeoman’s work in promoting America’s vital interests on the world stage, he continues to get his no-holds barred, reality based observations throughout much of the media, both old and new. With a new book forthcoming, Surrender is not an Option: Defending America at the United Nations, we’ll be seeing even more of, in my opinion, America’s number one diplomat. Thanks to Fergus and Steve at the NH GOP, we were able to have Mr. Bolton on our radio program, Meet the New Press, this past Saturday. (Click here for the podcast links for the whole show.)
.
During the interview, as you’d expect, we discussed Iran & Iraq and the Bush Administration’s options as we move forward. Additionally, Pat asked a question about a newly released book, The Israel Lobby & US Foreign Policy, that he noted parallels many of the themes spouted in the anti-semitic screed, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Click here to download the .mp3 or use the handy player below to listen. It runs about 7 minutes or so.
Our buddy John Hawkins of Right Wing News (& frequent MTNP guest) also interviewed Mr. Bolton via the telephone. Having more time, he got into a higher degree of detail than we did. Here is a taste:
I think next year is going to be a very consequential election for President and it’s perfectly appropriate for the full range of domestic issues to be discussed. You do that in a presidential election, but I want to make the point that we should look at national security issues as the highest priority — because the threats from international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction have not diminished. They’re still very real and we need a President who is going to view protecting the United States internationally as his highest priority.
Click here to read the whole thing. After you listen to our interview, and read John’s, I’m sure you will agree with me when I say that Ambassador Bolton could very well be one of the smartest people in America today on the geopolitical scene and the dangers we face. He’s certainly among the most easy to understand on a wide variety of otherwise complex issues.