What You Didn't Know About John Bolton
15th Nov 2006, 01:10 GMT
The son of a fireman, John Bolton was born in Baltimore in 1948. He is married to the former Gretchen Brainerd; they have one daughter, Jennifer. Bolton was assistant secretary of state for international organizationsthe bureau that oversees U.N. affairsfrom 1989 to 1993, during the administration of President George H. W. Bush. During the Reagan administration, he was an assistant attorney general from 1985 to 1989. Bolton holds an undergraduate degree in political sciencesumma cum laudeand a law degree from Yale, where he made friends with future Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. As a college student, Bolton was editor-in-chief of the Yale Conservative and a member of Yale Young Conservatives. During the Vietnam War era, he declined combat duty, enlisted in the National Guard, and immediately enrolled in law school upon graduation from his undergraduate studies at Yale. In his Yale 25th-reunion book, he wrote, "I confess I had no desire to die in a Southeast Asian rice paddy. I considered the war in Vietnam already lost." While his outspoken style is much criticized, his admirers include Vice President Cheney, who once said Bolton deserved "any job he wants" in the Bush administration. In his office, he once kept a bronzed hand grenadeinscribed to "the truest Reaganaut"a gift from former colleagues during his tenure at the U.S. Agency for International Development. A lifelong conservative, Bolton was a student organizer for Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign, was a White House intern for Spiro Agnew, and worked for then Sen. Jesse Helms, the North Carolina Republican. Bolton is one of the signers of a 1998 letter to President Clinton from the Project for the New American Century that called for the removal of Saddam Hussein, using, if necessary, armed intervention. Bolton lives by the "early to bed, early to rise" philosophyhe typically goes to bed around 8 p.m. so he can get up at 4 a.m. "I remain convinced that government is not an effective problem solver. I would still rely on people and markets," he wrote in an article that appeared in the yearbook for Yale's Class of 1970 25th reunion.
What You Didn't Know About John Bolton related news:
- Bush Stands By Keeping Bolton as U.N. Ambassador Despite Opposition — washingtonpost.com - washingtonpost.com - elections, campaigns, government and politics news and headlines.
- Steve Clemons: More on the John Bolton Drama: 2nd Recess Appointment Means No Pay or Legal Challenges (HuffingtonPost.com) — Yahoo! News: Opinion
- Bush stands by UN ambassador despite Democrats' opposition — Boston Globe -- World News
- US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton prepares to ... — Politics Photos - AFP on Yahoo! News Photos
- Bolton Says Russia Seeking Iran Changes — LancasterOnline - International
- Bolton says Russia seeking Iran changes (AP) — Yahoo! News: World News
- Bolton says Russia seeking broad changes to Iran nuclear resolution — SignOnSanDiego.com: World
- White House intent on Bolton as UN envoy — MSNBC.com: Politics
- Bush Warned Not to Sidestep Congress on Bolton Nomination (OneWorld.net) — Yahoo! News: United Nations
- Bolton sets goal to be 100 years old — The Daily News: Opinion
Latest news from U.S. News & World Report:
- Ten Things You Didn't Know About Dick Armey
- Final Thoughts About Blue Tuesday
- Pelosi Lays Out Her Cards With Murtha Bet
- Lobbyists, PR Firms See Post-Election Boom
- Howard Dean for President
- Rove Sells Election Spin; Some in GOP Aren't Buying
- Women's Health: A Possible Link Between Red Meat and Breast Cancer
- Swallowing Pills on Schedule
- When in Doubt, Act as If...
- House Democrats Duke It Out for No. 2