In his White House memoir, titled The Room Where It Happened, Mr. John Bolton, former national security adviser of President Donald Trump, tells all, somewhat maliciously. Almost daily, he would go to that room , the Oval Office, to give his boss a briefing about what was happening in the world and what the President should do to protect the interests of the United States of America. Mr. Bolton stated that the Monroe Doctrine had to be resurrected from the dumpster where the Obama-Kelly tandem threw it. He did not say whether he had to explain that 1823 vintage strategy to President Trump so I concluded that was Mr. Bolton’s secret agenda.
If it is true that most Fil-Ams are diehard followers of President Trump, they will hate John Bolton and wish they could burn him at the stake with his book. However, most of the information contained in its more than 500 pages have already been exposed by international tri-media sources. President Trump’s people have taken Mr. Bolton to court in order to stop the publication of the book, ostensibly for revealing classified information. To my mind, the “classified” information is about President Trump’s pandering to his counterparts in Russia, China, and North Korea to assure him a second term and a Nobel Peace Prize.
As I was plowing through the book (Bolton’s style needs severe editing), I felt a cold chill running up and down my spine. Every day, before going into the Oval Room, he would have early morning meetings with the secretary of state, the chief of staff, the CIA Director, secretary of national defense, the chief strategist, and the director of national intelligence. If need be, the Vice-President would be invited. One of Bolton’s angst was that little or no attention was given (by President Trump) to what the USA should do” if, inconveniently, the people of these countries decided they wanted to run their own governments.” Obviously, these “inconvenient” countries who think they can run their own governments are countries in the Third World classification. With regard to sanctions, one of the USA’s non-military weapons, Bolton said with President Trump in mind: “That is not how sanctions should work, they’re about using America’s massive economic power to advance our national interests.”
There is a chapter titled, “Venezuela Libre” which is a takeoff from “Cuba Libre,” so it is quite ironic to those who know the history of Cuba’s social revolution. It can be argued that as national security Adviser, John Bolton and his group of early birds must have decided that it is in the interest of the United States of America to crush the government of President Nicolas Maduro which very inconveniently thinks it can run its own affairs. Venezuela’s trading partners are Russia, China, and Iran, but the USA covets its bountiful oil reserves and its gold so Venezuela has to suffer and Maduro has to go.
I was not surprised that the head of the Venezuelan Assembly, Juan Guiado, suddenly proclaimed himself interim president, winning the support of Cuban and Venezuelan communities who had migrated to Florida. Bolton moved heaven and earth to get President Trump to meet with Juan the pretender, but it was Mrs. Guiado who came to the meeting. To Bolton’s chagrin, all President Trump said after the encounter was that Mrs. Guiado was very young and that she was not wearing a wedding ring.
After only 17 months in office, Mr. Bolton was eased out of that room where everything happens, including the mapping of our destinies.