John Bolton served as undersecretary of state for Arms Control and International Security, as well as America's ambassador to the United Nations and foreign policy adviser to 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Here are eight facts about the political background of Bolton as a potential GOP presidential hopeful in 2016.
1. John Bolton enlisted in the Maryland Army National Guard, but did not serve in Vietnam.
2. Bolton at the beginning of the Ronald Reagan administration in 1981 accepted a post as general counsel for the U.S. Agency for International Development, and later spent 20 years working in the administrations of Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush in various federal posts.
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3. Bolton spent years of his career in public service, including assistant secretary for International Organization Affairs at the Department of State from 1989 to 1993; assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice from 1985 to 1989; assistant administrator for Program and Policy Coordination, U.S. Agency for International Development from 1982 to 1983; and general counsel for the U.S. Agency for International Development from 1981 to 1982, according to the U.S. Department of State archives.
4. In 2001, when President George W. Bush took office, Bolton was named undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.
5. In August 2005, Bush installed John Bolton as America's ambassador to the United Nations, a post from which Bolton resigned in December of 2006 when the appointment was slated to end.
6. In 2006, Bolton was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
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7. In May 2011, Bolton was sworn in as undersecretary of state for Arms Control and International Security, an appointment preceded by his role as senior vice president of the American Enterprise Institute, a nonprofit public policy center with a mission to preserve and strengthen the foundations of freedom through research education and open debate, the U.S. Department of State archives stated.
8. In 2012, Bolton served as a foreign policy adviser to Mitt Romney, a 2012 presidential candidate.
As far as Bolton’s candidacy is concerned for the 2016 presidential race,
Bolton said in an interview with National Review: “My hypothesis is that voters are practical and they care more about national security than the media seems to believe; I think, right now, especially after two terms of President Obama, they want a president who has the know-how to lead during a crisis, a president who can defend our national interests."
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