Bolton Poses a Grave Threat to Liberty
UPDATE: On November 14, rumors began to swirl that John Bolton is the leading candidate to become President Donald Trump‘s Secretary of State. While this list was originally written to dismiss Bolton as a possible presidential candidate, it can just as easily be used to explain why he would be a terrible Secretary of State.
On Thursday, former US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton is expected to announce whether he intends to run for President. Bolton has never run for elective office before, but he also pondered a run for the Presidency in 2012 before deciding against it. No matter which choice Bolton ends up making, his policies reflect a dangerous precedent for the United States. Here are the top 7 reasons why John Bolton should never be President.
1. He is a champion of failed policies of the past.
Bolton has a long and well-documented relationship with the Republican Establishment, as he served in prominent roles in the administrations of the last three GOP Presidents. In each instance, he represented the fringe neo-conservative elements of the political party, seemingly never finding a conflict in which he did not wish to embroil the United States. Accordingly, Bolton continues to justify the invasion of Iraq, stating that the region is better off now than it was under Saddam Hussein.
2. He is an interventionist war-monger.
In addition to continuing support for the war in Iraq, Bolton is constantly finding new areas around the globe where he thinks it would be for the best for the US to intervene. Just a few months ago, he began to bang the war drums on Iran. He has also talked tough on North Korea, believing that the US should work alongside China to unify the Korean peninsula and overthrow the current government. Bolton came out against withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in 2013, saying that it signified a declaration of defeat in the “global war on terror.”
3. He is a hypocrite on war.
Perhaps most damning of all is that Bolton had the chance to physically participate in war, an activity for which he seems to so often clamor. Despite supporting the Vietnam War, Bolton enlisted in the National Guard to avoid being drafted. Bolton stated that he “had no desire to die in a Southeast Asian rice paddy,” because he considered the war to be “already lost.” Though the draft no longer exists today, if Bolton were to decide that another war were necessary, how could he validate sending young American men and women to die in foreign lands when he actively avoided such an opportunity?
4. He is in favor of NSA spying.
As an extension of his hawkishness, Bolton supports a strong surveillance state. Bolton has constantly attacked whistle-blowers Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden, stating that the NSA program is “fully justified.” In defense of the programs, Bolton paints the scene of an Orwellian reality, as he points out that these programs are designed not just to prevent attacks, but also to gain intelligence on current or “potential” terrorists. He also believes that journalists like Glenn Greenwald should receive no “special protections” like a “privileged designation” and that they should be treated like any other individuals.
5. He is against Due Process.
Bolton stated that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (the infamous “Boston Bomber”) should be designated as an “enemy combatant” and not receive Miranda Rights despite his status as a permanent resident of the US. He also criticized President Obama‘s desire to treat “terrorism as a problem to be handled through conventional law enforcement channels,” granting “full constitutional rights, including Fourth and Fifth Amendment protections and evidence restrictions, public jury trials and more.” Though these individuals have committed heinous acts which are worthy of punishment, it should give us pause when Bolton says that he believes that certain Constitutional rights should be foregone under certain circumstances.
6. He is in favor of torture.
In yet another demonstration of his neo-conservative beliefs, Bolton has defended the “enhanced interrogation” techniques of the Bush Administration. Bolton explains that water-boarding has “protected American lives.” Although he also is on record as opposing torture against Americans, he refuses to admit that water-boarding is torture. Additionally, in 2009, he criticized President Obama for his “passivity” when a Spanish Magistrate opened an investigation into the Bush Administration’s interrogation techniques, saying that “criminalizing policy disagreements is both inappropriate and destructive.”
7. He actually calls himself a “libertarian.”
Despite all of the aforementioned reasons as to why he is an ardent neo-conservative both domestically and abroad, Bolton has the gall to refer to himself as a “libertarian.” While the movement certainly ought to have a large tent, there is very little which is libertarian about John Bolton. No matter how laissez-faire he may be on domestic issues (though this is doubtful, considering his “establishment” background), it would be difficult to overcome Bolton’s interventionist foreign policy and lack of regard for civil liberties to categorize him as “libertarian.”