That doesn't mean Bolton lies about everything. Many of the anecdotes in his book are likely to be true. It's highly plausible, for example, that Trump thought journalists should be executed. But Bolton's hardly an unimpeachable impeachment witness.
It also needs to be said that by many accounts, including Bolton's, Trump has taken a more measured approach to war and peace than Bolton or many other members of Washington's national security establishment. Only someone with an irrational hatred of Donald Trump -- or a desire to bolster the bipartisan military consensus -- could turn to the likes of John Bolton.
All You Need is Hate
That's not to say there aren't rational reasons to hate Trump. He's clearly corrupt in a variety of ways, both personal and professional. That makes it even harder to understand why the Democrats' chose to base their impeachment efforts solely on Russia and Ukraine. What happened, for example, to Trump's support for Saudi Arabia and the potential conflicts of interest there (which we reported on for The Intercept)? What about the emoluments clause and the many signs of corrupt profiteering? Or the potential campaign law violations around the Stormy Daniels payoff?
After the book's publication, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) called Bolton "the darling of the liberal left." That's not true. But it could have been, if Bolton had been willing to testify. Instead, Dems' anger at his refusal is based on an escapist fantasy. Had they been able to call him to the Hill, it probably wouldn't have accomplished much. It's likely that Bolton would have tried to pull off the same trick he attempts in the book: being vague enough about his Ukraine accusations to skirt impeachability, while attempting to preserve his right-wing credibility.
Meanwhile, Democrats would have been burnishing the reputation of a bona fide war criminal -- one who's written books with titles like "Surrender is Not an Option" and "How Barack Obama is Endangering Our National Sovereignty." Bolton would undoubtedly have used his new liberal credibility to do what he's always done: push for needless wars around the globe while giving aid and comfort to right-wing dictators like Bolsonaro and Duterte.
For his part, all Trump would have had to do to cast doubt on Bolton's credibility was tell the truth about Bolton's Iraq record. That would also have given Trump another chance to position himself to the Democrats' left on military policy. It worked for him in 2016, and it could work for him again.
The liberals who looked to Bolton for rescue, the ones who have elevated figures like Kelly and Tillerson, have overlooked a fundamental principle: The enemy of my enemy is not my friend. To believe otherwise is...well, irrational.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
2
2
1
