Joe Cirincione of the Ploughshares Fund, supporters of the Iran Deal, tweeted, "This is the moment the administration has officially gone off the rails." Though he notes the broad opposition to Bolton (including from Richard Haass of Council on Foreign Relations).
"The most encouraging aspect of this dangerous moment is the broad, energized reaction. As Trump constructs his War Cabinet, the resistance emerges, unites."
Senator Jeff Merkley:
"John Bolton: Wanted war w Cuba, arguing wrongly that Cuba had WMD Wanted war w Iraq, arguing -- wrong again -- that Iraq had WMD Believes -- wrongly -- that Islamic law is taking over America If you're always wrong on security, you're the wrong person to be National Security Advisor."
Lobelog republishes Greg Thielmann's article detailing Bolton's role as a "prime mover of the Iraq WMD fiasco." The site notes that the appointment is a complete reversal of Donald Trump's anti-war stance during his campaign.
"[Bolton's elevation enhances the] steadily increasing prospects for the U.S. becoming involved in yet another armed conflict in the Middle East or elsewhere.The president-elect who repeatedly taunted his Democratic opponent for supporting the Iraq invasion and whose transition team recently dismissed a CIA assessment by noting, 'these are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction,' is reportedly considering John Bolton to be deputy secretary of state. Bolton is, of course, one of these 'same people.' If Donald Trump chooses to nominate a prime mover of the Iraq WMD fiasco for a key State Department position, he will really outdo himself in converting the ironic into dark comedy."
Matthew Waxman, a professor of law at Columbia who served in the White House, says that what makes Bolton "dangerous" is his gifts as a wily administrative player.
"Yes, Bolton is militantly aggressive about wielding American military and economic power. But what I saw in him also was an operator who was relentlessly effective in implementing -- or stymying -- policy, at least in the short term."
Bolton's record of Islamophobia is also undeniable. He is head of an "Institute" that just yesterday said that Great Britain has become an "Islamist colony" because of its alleged failures to take on Sharia law, and has said that American neighborhoods with Muslim majorities in major cities are closed to non-Muslims.
The Council on America-Islamic Relations blasts the appointment of "a notorious Islamophobe who has a history of ties to anti-Muslim extremists and organizations."
"'We urge Americans across the political spectrum to speak out against the appointment of John Bolton as White House National Security Adviser because of his ties to anti-Muslim bigots and his promotion of extremist views that will inevitably harm our nation and that could lead to unnecessary and counterproductive international conflicts,' said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. 'Bolton is the last person who should be entrusted with this critically-important position, which requires sound judgment and a fact-based approach to national security matters.'"
Bolton has long been associated with anti-Muslim extremists Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller. He's pictured frolicking with Geller.
From Rightweb's profile of Bolton. Here's his resume:
"John Bolton is a senior fellow at the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute and the chairman of the Gatestone Institute, a right-wing 'pro-Israel' activist group that has been accused of fomenting anti-Muslim sentiment. A longtime national security hawk, Bolton is a former board member of the Project for the New American Century and a past adviser to the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. He is a frequent contributor to Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times, the Weekly Standard, and other right-wing media outlets."
Some more of the Israel advocacy, from Rightweb:
"Bolton was mentioned in an April 2015 New York Times piece that examined why Republicans are 'more fervently pro-Israel than ever.' The article linked such sentiment to being 'partly a result of ideology, but also a product of a surge in donations and campaign spending on their behalf by a small group of wealthy donors.' The piece revealed how Bolton's PAC is partly financed by 'major pro-Israel donors' like Irving Moskowitz and that it 'spent at least $825,000' to support the successful 2014 Senate bid of Tom Cotton (R-AL).
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