Force of Darkness

Jude Wanniski is a former editor of the Wall Street Journal and certainly no liberal peacenik. He has published an open letter to Senator Richard Lugar telling him that John Bolton is a true force of darkness.

Memo To: Richard Lugar, Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations
From: Jude Wanniski
Re: An Anti-Diplomat at the U.N.?

Dear Senator, you’ve known me for more than 30 years, from your days as Mayor of Indianapolis and my days as associate editor of The Wall Street Journal. When I tell you John Bolton is a true force of darkness, you can be sure I do not do so lightly. "Darkness" in this sense is the absence of light and Bolton is a protégé of Richard Perle, who has been known for decades in Washington as “The Prince of Darkness.” They are both masters of misinformation, believing that their “just cause” gives them the right, even the responsibility, to make the facts and intelligence fit their personal political objectives. They’re patriots and I would never say they are not. But it is not in their nature to be straight, and both men will always advise the use of force rather than bother with diplomacy. They loath and despise the United Nations. When President Bush asked John Bolton if he has respect for the U.N., Bolton said he did, but remember he is a force of darkness and will always say what he believes will advance his personal goals.

I’ve been watching Bolton from a distance from the earliest days of the administration, knowing of his associations with Perle and the neo-cons at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), which I have long characterized as the HQ of what President Eisenhower called "the military-industrial complex." Here are just a few samples selected from my commentaries in the last several months of 2003, a period when the neo-cons believed they had Iraq under control and were eager to tackle the other members of the "Axis of Evil," Iran and North Korea.

He continues with excerpts from several articles he has written on John Bolton recently that are well worth a read.