Blast from the Past: Potential Secretary of State JOHN BOLTON!!! in 2007

When I saw that the transition team for (oh, please don't barf, keep typing) President-elect Trump [*urp!*] has thrown former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton's name into the ring for potential Secretary of State, first I had this stomach discomfort. Then a shriek of, "Our number one diplomat is going to be a man with no diplomatic skills whatsoever???" And then, my darkly humorous inner voice conjured up something from the past. It was how Rachel Maddow--then a host on Air America Radio--used to refer to the white mustachioed rabble-rouser. To see what I mean, play this clip from something called The Rachel Maddow Podthing, a precursor to her eventual The Rachel Maddow Show. You're likely to get a kick out of it, if for no other reason than just seeing the kind of fun she liked to have when she wasn't a semi-serious, pseudo news anchor on the teevee machine.

So, What's with the Ads Against Iranian Nukes?

Scary!

We are not in election season. Despite the ramping up of the 2016 presidential race, there is no looming election. And yet, in the last few days, I've seen several ads from "Secure America Now," about stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. EVER! After seeing it for the seventh or eighth time, I decided to seek out the group.

They define themselves thusly, "Secure America Now is a non-partisan 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization. Contributions are not tax deductible." Bolding is mine. So, who are they? Welllll.....

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
Governor Mike Huckabee
Ambassador John Bolton
Pat Caddell

Aha! That's just three of them, the other names aren't on my radar. But these guys would seem decidedly partisan, wouldn't they? Especially when Bolton is quoted right below his name, saying, "The biggest threat to our national security is sitting in the White House," and Caddell is quoted saying, "We have a President who has suppressed the truth."

Huckabee is of course one of the many people running for the GOP nomination for president. What that has to do with Iran and nuclear readiness, I can't be sure. But I thought I'd just point out, this is just another one of those groups with a jingoistic name, claiming to be non-partisan when it isn't. It's the exact thing the IRS should be looking into, regarding tax exempt status.

Also of note, one of their other points of interest is Benghazi!

Here's one of their ads:
 

2012 GOP Checklist Update

Okay, Mitch Daniels is out. And in my last checklist, I inadvertantly left out (say it loudly) John Bolton, Buddy Roemer (who?) and Jon Huntsman.

FOX "News" Suspends Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum

Image from source, Christian Science Monitor

I've said it many times in the past, but it bears much repeating: five potential Republican candidates for President work for FOX "News." FIVE. Doesn't sound too "fair and balanced," now does it? But if you're running for President, you really can't very well have a job on a news station, even one only nominally news, like FOX. But since all of the potentials are being so cagey about whether or not they intend to run, FOX showed a rare bit of apparently ethical behavior, by "suspending" two of them: Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum.

Interesting that they picked those two, the ones of the bunch who would likely be picked off very early into the primaries. I mean Newt, really? If the other GOP candidates can't dispose of him, they're real sad sacks, aren't they? And Rick "Frothy Mixture" Santorum? There is just no chance of a President Santorum. No, stinkin' way.  But what of Sarah Palin, John Bolton and Mike Huckabee? Bolton is in a category with the first two, so I'm not sure why he wasn't suspended too. Palin has had abysmal polling, but is of course the heavy tea bagger favorite. And Huckabee polls well, but has many (many, many) weak spots. Still, the two biggest contenders are not suspended. What does it all mean?

[Excerpt]

Why Fox News is suspending Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum



Apparently Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are making clear moves toward running for president, but Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, and John Bolton? Not so much.


That, at least, is the conclusion of Fox News, which announced Wednesday that it has suspended the contracts of former House Speaker Gingrich and former Senator Santorum but is holding off on the other three. . .
 
Read more at: The Christian Science Monitor

John Bolton Jokes About Annihilation of Chicago

Image from source, Mother Jones

What's left of the far right of the Republican Party is throwing its annual shindig in Washington, D.C. right now. It's called the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), and it used to be the hottest ticket in town. It's chock full of humor, mostly of the unintentional variety, like "Joe the Plumber." And there are also the things intended as humor that just aren't funny.

Former UN Abassador (by recess appointment) John Bolten--who once joked about the UN building being blown up--made a joke about Chicago being blown up. The crowd ate it up. Which tell you a little something about the crowd.

This CPAC thing used to sort of freak me out. Every bigwig conservative was there to curry favor, and the overriding message was far, far to the right. To me, it was an embodiment of the normalizing of far-right politics, something that wasn't true, but had quietly taken the place of more moderate views. With Sarah Palin, not-a-plumber Joe, and now Bobby Jindal, the GOP has become more of a punchline than a serious threat. I like it that way.

[Excerpt]

John Bolton at CPAC: The Benefits of Nuking Chicago

Former UN Ambassador John Bolton believes the security of the United States is at dire risk under the Obama administration. And before a gathering of conservatives in Washington on Thursday morning, he suggested, as something of a joke, that President Barack Obama might learn a needed lesson if Chicago were destroyed by a nuclear bomb. . .

Read more at: Mother Jones

John Bolton: Israel to Attack Iran After Election?

Image from Salon

Oh come on. Really? And are we supposed to believe that George W. Bush has nothing to do with this? I mean, the timing being between election an inauguration day is suspiciously timed.

One thing we really don't need is a third war to fight. And being closely tied to Israel, the US would surely be asked to join in.

Let's hope John Bolton is just running off at the mouth here, and doesn't have inside information. Love the touch that "Arab states will be delighted." Frighteningly similar to "we'll be greeted as liberators," isn't it?

[Excerpt]

Bolton: Israel Will Attack Iran After U.S. Election But Before Inauguration, Arab States Will Be ‘Delighted’

I think if they [Israel] are to do anything, the most likely period is after our elections and before the inauguration of the next President. I don’t think they will do anything before our election because they don’t want to affect it. And they’d have to make a judgment whether to go during the remainder of President Bush’s term in office or wait for his successor. . .

Read more (with video) at: Think Progress

And then there's this: Kristol: Bush Might Bomb Iran If He ‘Thinks Senator Obama’s Going To Win’