I've never been a fan of John Bolton. I feel his appointment to the office was illegitimate. I feel the administration that put him there is only barely legitimate and hugely corrupt. He is abrasive, acerbic and opposed to the very mission of the organization with which he works. That, and he's twice my age and still has a full head of hair as well as bearing a striking resemblance to my stepfather.
After tonight, though, I have to grudgingly give the man an iota of respect.
He did what very few people in his position would have the cojones to do. Though a staunch conservative, a veritable lightning rod for opponents of the current executive administration, he came on an unabashedly liberal television talk show to speak in person with one of the most visible spokespeople of the political left. Though some of the audience boo'd him and John Stewart challenged him repeatedly, he was affable, articulate and even tempered. He made his points cogently and politely and stood his ground despite his hostile surroundings.
I still don't like the man and I like the man who appointed him even less but I have to say that I hope everyone in Washington has learned a lesson tonight. If everyone in politics were as composed, expressive and gracious as the former ambassador was this evening then government might actually get something done.
I'm not holding my breath, though.
(and that was just a joke about my stepfather)
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Well, except that Bolton was wrong on most points- mostly the ones he told Jon HE was wrong on. If you watched the show the next night Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer prize-winning author and Presidential historian, confirmed that Stewart, not Bolton, was right about Lincoln and several other points.
It's nice that he was polite but if you don't know what you're talking about and tell others they don't, it's still rude.
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