John Boltons new book, "The Room Where it Happened," is a betrayal of the trust Donald Trump placed in him as an adviser and confident. The book in hardback copy sells for $32.50. Judas betrayed Christ for 30 pieces of silver and then hanged himself. I doubt that Bolton plans to hang himself, but he has already hanged himself figuratively, since neither Democrats nor Republicans seem to put much credence in the books veracity.
Without a doubt, the Democrats (Socialists) would have dearly loved to have had the book when they impeached the president. Indeed, it would have been an ideal complement to the fictions they created in their attempt to overthrow the president; however, it is doubtful that the testimony they may have received from Bolton would have been of much value. I suspect that he would have invoked the Fifth Amendment numerous times if he had been subpoenaed because to swear under oath that his testimony was true would have caused him to perjure himself, and he is too smart for that.
Instead, Bolton laid the groundwork for the future "landslide sales" of his tell-all accusations. If such were his intent, Im afraid that he misjudged this potential customers interest. I would much rather spend $32.50 for a more interesting book, such as a good biography or a good novel. However, to be candid, I havent read the book. My knowledge of its content is only that of TV interviews and various excerpts read by analysts. That is enough!
In many ways, Bolton is a tragic figure. His desperate attempt to justify his actions by insinuating that the country would be in much better shape if the president had followed his advice (mainly to go to war with our enemies) reveals a man who sees himself as a guru of extreme national importance, one who should be president instead of the present candidates. To emphasize his importance to the country, he will vote for neither Biden nor Trump and will instead write in a candidate having his conservative values (a never Trumper). We will never know, but I would wager that he will write his own name on the ballot.
One wonders why a man who once enjoyed the highest esteem among the conservative powers in Washington D.C., has chosen to cast that reputation aside. Some pundits surmise that Bolton was so disgruntled with Trumps failure to give him the political position which he coveted as well as Trumps failure to recognize his brilliance, in fact, even ignoring his advice, that he grumpily determined to make sure Trump would be discredited as a credible second-term president. Never mind the fact that Trump, although crudely at times, has already proved himself to be quite capable of running a country, a stark contrast to the previous administration which was more interested in transforming America than in governing it, an administration in which the present Democrat presidential candidate was an integral part.
Disgruntled people seldom approach their decisions with logic. (Note the present-day Democratic Socialists who believe that socialism is superior to capitalism as a national political philosophy notwithstanding all evidence to the contrary.) Accordingly, Bolton has emerged, not as a memorable figure who brought down a president, but as a comic figure who brought himself down instead. This book, then, has the elements of a true drama, containing both tragedy and comedy centered on its author.
I suppose in the grand scheme of things the book is appropriate for its time. If the book had been released during the grand inquisition of Trumps impeachment, and a Bolton subpoena to appear before the inquisition had been issued, the unverifiable events, verified only by statements, such as "In my opinion" and "It seemed to me" would have left more egg on the faces of Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler, and Nancy Pelosi, all of whom had enough egg on their faces anyway from their impeachment debacle.
On the other hand, more egg on their faces would have been im-peachy. Sorry! That coined description is a whimsical joke, a bad joke at that, but appropriate, I think, in light of the new face of the Democrat Party whose only agenda is to destroy todays America and create a new one. As the leader of the Black Lives Matter movement in New York City told us, and I paraphrase: We are peaceful protesters, but if we dont get our way, we will burn down America. Now, that statement is a genuine political philosophy, a statement of anarchy, a devastating statement it is true; but, at least, it has more substance than did "The Room Where It Happened."
It is too bad that Bolton didnt close the door to the room when he left.
Carl Fowler is a retired professor of English at Amarillo College and lives in Amarillo
More here:
Fowler: A room at the bottom - Amarillo.com
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