Controversy, a staple of politics on every level, is an especially visible component of the United States presidency, given the high profile of the office.
The Barack Obama administration was highlighted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (better known as “Obamacare”); the killing of Osama bin Laden by the U.S. military; and the 2012 Benghazi attack in Libya, which later impacted then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in her failed 2016 Presidential election bid.
Future historians may well focus on the things Obama couldn’t do, given the overwhelming opposition he experienced because of his status as the first President of color.
George W. Bush is remembered for the 9/11 Twin Towers attack and the escalation of the War on Terror. William Clinton’s notable economic achievements will always be overshadowed by moral impropriety, and the aura of impeachment behind a stained blue dress.
The ebb and flow of the Donald Trump administration is marked by a revolving door of key governmental officials, particularly in the office of National Security Advisor. In recent weeks, headlines have been saturated with anticipation for the release of dismissed security adviser John Bolton’s “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,” which recounts the 453 days he spent under the present administration. This period was marked by legislative efforts to delay or block its publication all together (see “‘What am I supposed to do?’ Federal judge unlikely to order Bolton book delay” from nbcnews.com on June 19).
This media hype all but assures best-seller status for a manuscript that netted Bolton a reported $2 million advance. Mediaite, the political media website, confirms the sale of an initial 780,000 copies in the first week since its June 23 release alone. The content within its 576 pages covers innuendo and gossip already mentioned in print or pixel.
These revelations include the President’s active solicitation of foreign governments to meddle in the domestic affairs of the United States for his personal benefit, and his overwhelming push to get reelected at the expense of national security and overall welfare of the country.
Trump is portrayed as a “dullard” unaware of basic knowledge geopolitical data such as Great Britain’s possession of nuclear weapons, and Finland’s status as a sovereign nation (he allegedly thought it was part of Russia).
Bolton was the third in a series of National Security Advisors during the Donald J. Trump era, starting with Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who resigned after less then a month behind false statements he’d given to the FBI regarding his relationship with Russia and its ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak. He was replaced by another Lt. Gen., H. R. McMaster, who served for 14 months before his dismissal over differences with the President over foreign policy (McMaster has his own book due for release in August titled “Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World,” which may provide a counterpoint to the Bolton tome).
Bolton, a diplomat in the administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. and George W. Bush, started in April 2018 and was fired (according to Trump) or resigned (according to Bolton) over foreign policy differences. The position was temporarily filled by his deputy Charles Kupperman, until Robert O’Brien was tapped as his permanent replacement.
The jury is still out on O’Brien, a former Army lawyer who so far has distinguished himself by his low profile and team player persona since his September, 2019 appointment. He is perhaps best known for negotiating the release of rapper A$AP Rocky in Sweden after his arrest for assault in August of 2019, in a convoluted scenario involving media personality Kim Kardashian. She and her husband, pop culture entrepreneur Kanye West prompted Trump-in-law Jared Kushner to intervene as part of her human rights foray into international/domestic affairs. The line between entertainment and serious politics, blurred when a reality star assumed the mantle of Chief Executive, becomes ever more murky.
“The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir” by John Bolton lists for $32.50 ($19.42 on
