Oversight
Celebrate John Bolton’s Firing, Even If You Hate Trump
The biggest warmonger in the White House is now gone, and that’s a good thing
John Bolton, an unrepentant militarist who, if he had his way, would have the United States at war with both Venezuela and Iran right now, has resigned from the Trump administration.
Or maybe he was fired. It’s hard to tell. Predictably, a juvenile spat has broken out as to whether Trump relieved him or he quit. But ultimately, how Bolton left the White House does not matter nearly as much as his exit. Because the fact is one of the most dangerous White House officials no longer occupies his seat of power — and we should be celebrating his departure.
From the very start of his appointment in the spring of 2018 as Trump’s national security adviser, Bolton was a disaster waiting to happen. He’s been advocating for a war with Iran since well before the Trump administration, and at least for a while, it seemed he might get his way. Sometimes with Trump’s help, sometimes apparently without, Bolton spent months trying to goad and instigate a military confrontation with Iran that would give the United States an excuse for an all-out attack against the country. In Venezuela, too, Bolton was one of the prime drivers behind the Trump…
