Michael Green, The Interpreter: What to Expect From John Bolton at the White House
President Donald Trump’s announcement that former UN Ambassador John Bolton will be the new U.S. National Security Advisor will send tremors through some allied capitals. But Bolton may not be effective in the role if he reverts to the aggressive and ideological approaches that made him the darling of the right and the President in the first place.
For one thing, the National Security Advisor’s position has no standing in statute (the 1947 National Security Act only authorized the position of Executive Secretary to the National Security Council). The most effective National Security Advisors, such as Brent Scowcroft, therefore required the trust of the President and the actual statutory members of the NSC (Secretaries of State and Defense, et al.).
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WNU Editor: John Bolton would not have been on my list for this position .... he does not strike me as a consensus type of person. But after one year in office President Trump is now surrounding himself with people that he knows are loyal to him, that he feels comfortable working with, and that will implement his agenda without him telling them to do so. As for John Bolton's appointment .... having a neoconservative in this position does not make me feel comfortable. But he will be one of many voices in the administration, and I am sure that the National Security Council will adjust.