Trump also regarded O’Brien as a handsome, clean-cut Mormon in nice suits, looking the part of a savvy foreign-policy hand.
Honestly, I don't think trump hated Bolton because he argued with him half as much as he hated the mustache. He really hates mustaches.
He is Trump's new companion pony, so important that Trump wanted him by his side every moment during the decision-making process at Mar-a-lago. He's not a good influence:
Rather than trying to restrain Trump from riskier decisions, O’Brien has instead enabled big swings -- like the president’s decision in October to abruptly withdraw U.S. troops from Kurdish-held territory in Syria, the military raid that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and the Soleimani killing. In meetings on all three situations, O’Brien offered pros and cons, but ultimately agreed with the courses of action and didn’t dissent, according to two people familiar with the discussions.
The new national security adviser is close to Pompeo, unlike Bolton. O’Brien is also friends with Bolton, though the two haven’t spoken since O’Brien assumed his current job, according to people familiar with the matter.
O’Brien’s counsel has proven to be a balm for Trump, who aides say has been cheered by their conversations on some of his gloomiest days. But some aides are concerned that the president may not be well served by O’Brien’s accommodating approach. Those concerns have been amplified as Trump has replaced other top advisers with loyalists seen as unlikely to challenge his thinking.
Yeah:
Lindsey Graham told Trump he needs to put "points on the board." O'Brien talk is even more Trumpian terms:
Trump’s critics say O’Brien is helping cement a transactional foreign policy in which quick U.S. “wins” are the priority, regardless of long-term strategy and positioning. O’Brien has difficulty keeping to his schedule and at times -- perhaps to keep the president mollified -- has asked seemingly misplaced questions at briefings, according to two people familiar with the matter. O’Brien told aides on Monday that he wants to stack up more “wins,” and that his staff should look for ways to achieve decisive action for the U.S.
His allies say, "he’s learning on the job, and argue that the president deserves a top foreign policy adviser who shares his worldview and approach."
Great. Apparently he was a hostage negotiator who advised Romney and Ted Cruz on foreign policy so he isn't a total novice. But this is a very, very big job in a chaotic administration. And he is a bootlicker which means Trump will be enabled to do his worst. I think we've already seen how that's going down.
Oh, and O'Brien is also "working" on Venezuela. Maybe we really will end up with WWIII -- or, at least, two hot wars on two different continents. What could go wrong?
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