Bolton could be a divisive figure even among Republicans. Senator Rand Paul, the libertarian-leaning isolationist from Kentucky, danced on Bolton’s political grave on Tuesday afternoon during an impromptu conference call with reporters. But even he refuses to buy the emerging doomsday narrative from progressives like Murphy.
“Many on the Democrat [sic] side were never fans, but now they just want to criticize Trump,” Paul told WIRED. Like many Republicans, he brushes off this latest episode of the president’s Apprentice: Oval Office season, and portrays criticism of Trump as partisan politics, not concerns about national security.
Representative Tom Reed, the Republican from New York and a loyal Trump supporter, said he is confident that this week’s shake-up won’t substantially change foreign policy inside this White House.
“That voice—the Bolton voice is still over there. The hawkish versus the dove, you know, the disengagement thing,” he told WIRED. “The two philosophies, obviously, are counter to each other, but it’s very clear the administration and the president know exactly where they stand. And they’re a policy of get our men and women home.”
Trump promised voters he’d end the war in Afghanistan while campaigning, and the US had been negotiating a deal with the Taliban before the Camp David talks collapsed.
SUBSCRIBE
Subscribe to WIRED and stay smart with more of your favorite writers.
“There are really good, qualified men and women that are setting forth plans in order to make sure, as we approach this disengagement policy, that we also recognize there are real risks, in real time that need to be dealt with proactively,” Reed ..
Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.
