If Bolton makes it in, the neocons’ strategy will likely be to have him play the role of Wolfowtiz to Mattis’ Rumsfeld and Pence’s Cheney. Bolton will try to sell the other two on war with Iran and try to get them to start whispering sweet nothings in Trump’s ear. Hopefully, Trump is not as foolish or stupid as Bush, and would avoid heeding their counsel. If nothing else, maybe Putin could be a restraining force. Trump’s lack of Russophobia is one of his best assets.

By Jessica Schulberg and Ryan Grim

Huffington Post

WASHINGTON ― President-elect Donald Trump will nominate John Bolton to be the nation’s No. 2 diplomat, handling day-to-day operations at the State Department, according to NBC’s Andrea Mitchell and confirmed to HuffPost by a source close to the transition.

Bolton, who had been on Trump’s short list for secretary of state at one point, is among the most hawkish members of the Republican foreign policy community, a bellicose enemy of Russia and Iran.

He is a former acting U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, but served less than two years, as Democrats banded together to block his long-term appointment. His time at the U.N. was marked by a rapid uptick in anti-American sentiment among the global diplomatic community. Bolton remains one of the most disliked foreign policy operators on the world stage.

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