The White House is full of Sneaky People. They whisper. They leak. They insinuate. Even with Scotty gone, they still talk in code.
Planning for Gulf War III? "What you are reading is just wild speculation," says the President, which means "we're already doing it." "Prevention... In this case, it means diplomacy" he continues. Which, as we know from Iraq, is Bush-speak for "locked and loaded."
On the domestic front, the President never, ever vetos a bill. Instead, he signs the thing and oh, by the way, here's the Signing Statement that explains why he didn't mean it. [According to the Boston Globe, he's done that some 750 times already.] Then there's No Child Left Behind, and my own personal favorite, the Clear Skies Act of 2003.
The President says he says what he means and he means what he says, but he says what he doesn't mean and means what he doesn't say.
But not John Bolton. John Bolton, he calls 'em like he sees 'em. Whatever that soup strainer is hiding, it's not a forked tongue.
Here he is today:
"If for whatever reason [the U. N. Security Council] couldn't fulfill its responsibilities, then I think it would be incumbent on us, and I'm sure we would press ahead to ask other countries or other groups of countries, to impose those sanctions."
With Bolton, you don't need a decoder ring. It's plain as day: if the U.N. doesn't give us permission to attack Iran, why then, we'll attack Iran.
That's not "wild speculation." That's just, as 41 would say, "read my lips."
The question isn't, will the government of the United States go after traffickers in nuclear weapons development (well, not if your name is A. Q. Kahn).
The question isn't, does the government of the United States believe in non-proliferation (well, not in the case of India).
The question isn't, is the government of the United States planning to attack Iran (of course it is).
The question isn't, is the government of the United States waiting for the UN (of course it's not).
There are, in fact, only two questions. The first is a question for them, the second is a question for you.
• One: will the government of the United States use weapons nuclear, or weapons conventional?
• Two: what are you going to do, in your real lived life, this day, to stop them?
This is why I love John Bolton. Even when the answers are difficult, he makes the questions deadly clear.