John Bolton: No Regrets On Iraq War

John Bolton, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, right, and Richard Grenell, left, walk to a Security Council meeting on an Arab-backed draft resolution condemning the Israeli military offensive in Ga... John Bolton, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, right, and Richard Grenell, left, walk to a Security Council meeting on an Arab-backed draft resolution condemning the Israeli military offensive in Gaza at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2006. (AP Photo/Osamu Honda) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

At least one prominent neocon is still defending President George W. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq, even as the president’s own brother is backtracking in his support.

John Bolton, Bush’s U.N. ambassador, told the Washington Examiner that he still believed the war was worth it.

“I still think the decision to overthrow Saddam was correct. I think decisions made after that decision were wrong, although I think the worst decision made after that was the 2011 decision to withdraw U.S. and coalition forces,” he said in an interview posted Thursday morning. “The people who say, oh things would have been much better if you didn’t overthrow Saddam miss the point that today’s Middle East does not flow totally and unchangeably from the decision to overthrow Saddam alone.”

Bolton want on to say that those who consider the Iraq war a mistake “can’t assume if [Hussein] had stayed in power, sweetness and light would prevail in the Middle East today.”

Bolton was believed to be considering a presidential run, but announced later on Thursday he would not be joining the 2016 race.

After former Gov. Jeb Bush told Fox News Monday that he would authorize the decision to invade Iraq, even knowing what is known now, other top 2016 contenders came out against the decision. Bush has since reversed his stance, saying Thursday that, “I would have not engaged. I would not have gone into Iraq.”

Latest DC
28
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. Bolton is incapable of regret. It would be an admission of failure on his behalf and no matter how much disaster his perverted thinking produces he will NEVER admit to being wrong. He cannot do that.

  2. I don’t fault his neoconservative. It the self centered, oblivious bastard in him I detest. For him to regret the war he’s have to be capable of empathy and feeling for other than himself. He isn’t. He’s a self centered egomaniac. An mental lightweight with an intelligence schtick. The sight of him is enraging but what angers me most about him is that he gets away with his phony tough guy persona ( he sure as shit never faced an enemy’s rifle ) like his buddy GW and no one calls him down on the fact he’s never done a fucking thing but run his mouth.

  3. I wish Christopher Hitchens was still alive; I imagine he’d still be defending his support of our Iraq adventure somehow.

    As he pointed out, our engagement with Iraq didn’t begin with the Iraq War. As I think he would have pointed out (more eloquently and convincingly than I), we’re not done there yet.

    I was against the Iraq War before it began, and see it as a Tragedy That Keeps on Giving (or Taking.) Still, in that vein, it’s difficult, but not impossible, to imagine that we may yet see beneficial breakthroughs in the region and throughout the world that could be attributed, in small part, to this… I’m not sure what to call it. War crime, maybe. But the future is unwritten!

  4. thats right nothing bad happened between 02’ and 11’…fucking delusional. THis guys more dangerous advising any one

  5. I too, would like to announce to the country that I, Wile E.Coyote am not running for President. I hope this puts all the rumors to bed. Thank you and may the spirit of Elvis Presley bless America!

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

22 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for lestatdelc Avatar for richardinjax Avatar for pearlywhite Avatar for oldvet Avatar for liberaljesus Avatar for fargo116 Avatar for bluestatedon Avatar for theod Avatar for red_cabbage Avatar for irasdad Avatar for inlabsitrust Avatar for daveyjones64 Avatar for johnrm Avatar for taters Avatar for karldean Avatar for mikeyz99 Avatar for dnl Avatar for zlohcuc Avatar for pshah Avatar for jinmichigan Avatar for meta Avatar for caltg Avatar for 1american

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: