The Daily Beast’s David Freedlander posited in July 2014 that John Bolton’s foray into politics, particular his bid for the presidency in 2016, is viewed with skepticism even within his own party. Here are five liberal pundits that weigh in on John Bolton's potential as a 2016 GOP hopeful.
1. “Bolton, who has never even run for (let alone won) any federal elective office, appears only to have fully formed views about foreign policy — at a moment when foreign policy is ranked quite low on lists of issues that are important to voters,”
Damon Linker posted on TheWeek.com in February 2014, conceding that the point of a Bolton campaign might be more about issues than actually winning.
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“The only problem is that Bolton is quite possibly the single worst person imaginable to persuade the American people to embrace a more robust foreign policy,” Linker continues. “What is Bolton's approach to international affairs? It can be summarized, with only slight exaggeration, as: war.”
2. Describing Bolton as a “former Bush administration U.N. ambassador and angry flappy-mouthed war monster,”
Jim Newell contemplated Bolton’s possible run for president back in 2012: “Oh god. Run for cover! Bolton, whom George W. Bush appointed to the U.N. ambassadorship during a 2005 congressional recess, loves bombing people. This is what made him such a puzzling choice for the role of a top international diplomat, instead of top war-bomber.”
3. In an “open letter” to Bolton in October 2011,
self-described “right-wing liberal” blogger D.J. McGuire said of the former ambassador’s positions on foreign policy: “Sadly, on the international crises that await us (and face us already) no one has the strength, intelligence, experience, or wherewithal to be that alternative to Romney (and Obama, for that matter). Yet you have all of them.”
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4. With the Iraq invasion still front-and-center in the news,
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman noted in March 2003 that, “according to Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, Under Secretary of State John Bolton told Israeli officials that after defeating Iraq the United States would ‘deal with’ Iran, Syria and North Korea. Will Iraq really be the first of many?”
5.
Eric Hananoki of Media Matters described Bolton as the "quintessential Fox News candidate."
"He was
never elected to office, and left the Bush administration nearly a decade ago. Yet he's stayed visible with Republican primary voters through his
frequent paid appearances on their
favorite network."
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