Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton says he believes some form of the Patriot Act, which expires June 1, will be renewed and that the number of people who want it shut down entirely is very small.
Appearing on
"Fox News Sunday," Bolton said the most important thing is to get the debate pushed forward until the next president takes office.
"Many Republicans, I think, would have greater faith that a new president is not going to endanger American civil liberties," he said. "I think there is a lot of hype and hysteria about this program. It's compounded by a basic distrust of Barack Obama."
One of the main complaints is the National Security Agency's bulk collection of phone metadata it says can be used to track terrorist communications.
Bolton has compared some of the opposition in Congress to the tactics of 1950s anti-communist crusader Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul last week spoke on the Senate floor for almost 11 hours in opposition to renewal of the act.
"I think there is a lot of demagoguery going on here. That's one reason why the votes in Congress are so up in the air," Bolton said. "Even many members don't fully appreciate how this program works, what it does and what protections are built into it."
Turning to the battle against the Islamic State (ISIS), Bolton said the Obama administration is "in denial" of what is happening, just as it has been on the war on terror for the past six years.
"They don't want to admit we are in a war. They would rather treat it as a law enforcement matter," he said.
Though Obama stated last week that he doesn't believe the United States is losing against ISIS, Bolton told Fox News' Chris Wallace, "We are losing. There is no doubt about it."
The White House is blinded by its own ideology, he said, and sees the situation as something that could lead to more American involvement, which the administration opposes.
But Bolton said more U.S. involvement is exactly what is needed.
"It's wrong to say it's their problem, let them handle it," Bolton said. "Are we really saying we are going to put American security in the hands of the Saudi defense ministry?"
Bolton had considered a 2016 White House run but
announced earlier this month he had decided against it. He told Wallace that he had to be a "realist" and understand he would not be taken seriously as a candidate since he had never been a senator or governor.
But he said his real reason for running would have been to focus on getting foreign defense policy at the center of the debate, and he believes that goal has been accomplished.
"That is the president's top job," he said. "The candidates have to demonstrate in their guts they understand that protecting the country is job one."
Most in the GOP are doing that, he said, with the exception of Paul.
"His philosophy is in competition with his ambitions," Bolton said, but added, "I also believe in redemption. There might be hope for him yet."
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