John Bolton: Obama Should Declare Victory In Iraq
Complete video at: fora.tv Although John Bolton says the situation in Iraq is far from resolved, he hopes that President Barack Obama takes advantage of recent successes. “I think President Obama should declare victory, that would be the smart thing to do,” says Bolton. —– “Were we right to go to war in Iraq?” With this question as a point of departure, Peter Robinson explores with Ambassador John Bolton US foreign policy successes and failures during the Bush years and assesses the current challenges from the usual suspects: North Korea, Russia, and Iran. Bolton sees a power shift in the Middle East that would be fundamental, calamitous, and irreversible should Iran get nuclear weapons. A senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, John Bolton served in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush in the Departments of State and Justice. During the administration of George W. Bush he served as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security and as an ambassador to the United Nations. – Hoover Institution John Robert Bolton is an American diplomat in several Republican administrations, served as the interim US Permanent Representative to the United Nations with the title of ambassador, from August 2005 until December 2006, on a recess appointment. His letter of resignation from the Bush Administration was accepted on December 4, 2006, effective when his recess appointment ended December 9 at the formal adjournment of the 109th …
@Mike3303 Well how about facts then? All those people dead, maimed and displaced is not pathos it is a fact. Those people were killed for lies and for greed. Thats not pathos either. That is a fact.
@hsybcmpny Sorry, I’m not accepting pathos, today. Try again.
@Mike3303 Im sure that technical victory will bring a great deal of comfort to the 800 000 dead and million maimed and displaced for lies.
I don’t care what anyone calls it, I’m just glad that we’re out.
bolton the fukin midget always talk shit ,i can bet he shit from his mouth too
fukin war monger
@soundscapenyc Apparently democratic elections for the first time in 40 years is a “loss” to you.
You should be deported.
I am always amazed at how naive some Americans are about Iraq. Having fought and watched my friends die in that country, I can tell you that by every indication we have won the war. Democracy established, violence down, DFI is up into the billions of dollars.
In what way? Can you elaborate with your brilliance?
John Bolton what a jackass.
We have won the war…idk what were waiting on… declare victory…btw anyone kno when obama wants troops out? is it 2011?
Honestly, how complacent can you be? They’ve already begun testing their first nuclear reactor. Do you for a second believe the mullahs in Tehran want this stuff for energy or “defense?” The IAEA and the UN (an organization that has yet to call the travesties in Darfur a genocide) have also accused the Iranians of developing their reactors for militant means. Only 5% of UN nations have nukes. I don’t see why some messianic regime that exists by ancient religious creeds should have them, either.
Iraq has been stabilizing and will probably erupt into an efficient, democratic government. This much remains to be true. It is a “technical” victory, however, stating so would be a political suicide on the part of Obama. Nonetheless, do not downsize the endeavors in Iraq to convenience your political ideologies. You’d be insulting noone, but the soldiers who fought for it. I can claim “victory” without giving credit to the administration.
Well said. Be careful when invoking the death of innocents into the debate though, it’s awful and hard to accept but the harsh truth is that it may be an unavoidable byproduct of preventing future suffering. I feel the Iraq war as ill-conceived and poorly executed as it was, may have prevented more deeply affecting turmoil.
i love how people throw this word “victory” around… what does it really mean? victory over what? an illusion? innocent Iraqis trying to go about their daily lives? victory comes with a hefty price, but carries immense value. this frivolous declaration of victory over the boogey man is a disgrace to those who fought and fight for truly important things out of absolute necessity and protection.
Didn’t Bush declare victory in Iraq years back? That didn’t work then, so it won’t work now. Words like ‘victory’ can be said but they don’t influence the reality. Reality just keeps on truckin’ no matter what.
What Bolton doesn’t realize is that ending American hegemony abroad will in itself increase success. Nothing good ever came from empire in the long run. It eventually crumbles.
Did people like John Bolton NOT pay attention in any of their college international relations or geopolitics classes? Cuz if they did, they certainly would NEVER bother with neoconservatism. It’s a bullshit ideology! There’s no factual basis for it. It’s weak, idiotic and arrogant. No self-respecting official or international relations expert worth his salt believes in neoconservatism. They know it’s a failure! It never has and never will work. Hell, even a former cia director is one.
Of course he works as a senior fellow at the AEI. What other think-tank is gonna stink up the place by employing a bunch of neocons? Not even the Heritage Foundation has done that!
You’ve got idiots like Perle, Frum, Bolton and so many more working at the AEI. It’s like a whos-who list of the PNAC.
The one thing John Bolton is good for is scaring people by going on Fox News Billo or Hannity’s idiotic shows and hyping the threat of Iran with “nukes”, which they still do not have and have not been proven to have! They’re all allegations!
He’s bursting at the seams with bullshit. But at least he has moderated his manner since leaving the UN.
Bolton is a domestic traitor to his country and a Israeli stooge.
these republicans just cant seem to admit their policies have failed and the entire world is now paying for it….
Does he realy expect Obama to drop the “mission accomplished” stink bomb on his own administration when it worked so well for Bush. If he did you just know that every hawk and right wing pundit would be rubbing it in his face every time a soldier dies. It’d be political suicide. Wow that Bolton is such a numpty, that has to be some of the most inane political commentary to ever come from a high ranking official.
Im glad I’m not the only one who thinks this guy is full of shit…
Can we all agree that listening to Bolton on foreign policy is like listening to Kent Hovind on scientific policy?