John Bolton (1)

I still despise Donald J. Trump for his willing ignorance, racism, cronyism, and keeping the poor and sick poorer and sicker.

Now that that's out of the way.

Narrator Robert Petkoff did a superb job pronouncing foreign names and terms. "The Room Where It Happened" was not easy to narrate.

Am I glad I read "The Room Where It Happened?"

No, and yes.

No. John Bolton rushed to get this out. It's choppy. I think he typed his notes and made a book. I know he could have written a much better accounting. His knowledge of politics in the nation and world, love of history and literature show through "The Room Where It Happened."

Yes.

I learned that John Bolton is intelligent and has his eyes open. He is not bound to a political agenda.

I learned about Steve Mnuchin in "The Room Where It Happened." Ridiculed by both media and by Trump, he turns out to be a neutral character, trying to keep the economy running. His errors come when he veers out of the realm of finance. In the end, if you want to praise someone for the good economy or the first round of stimulus checks during the pandemic, thank Steve Mnuchin.

Although I disagree with John Bolton's politics, I respect him. I didn't before reading his book.… (meer)

Given all the publicity prior to the release of the book, I was curious about Bolton's story. Since there has been no real pushback from Trump or his administration, I assume that most of what is in the book is true. It's a very damning portrait of an incompetent president, mediocre cabinet officials and a lapdog administration. It's a very scary book because no one exhibits any confidence in this president's competency or credibility. General Kelly, Trump's ex chief of staff, shortly before he resigned, questioned how well Trump would perform or respond if there was another 9/11 situation.

I don't like John Bolton. I think he did a disservice to the country by revealing what he knew and thought of Trump in a book that he will profit from instead of testifying in Congress.

I have read a number of books about the Trump presidency and about Trump himself. I don't know if I have read anything that would give me any confidence that this man could handle a real crisis. I look at his response to coronavirus and realize his only concern is for himself and not for America.

It's a long book. Many parts of it are tedious recounts of discussions in meetings regarding North Korea, China, Syria, Venezuela and other hotspots.

I think you get the general gist of the book by watching Bolton on the news shows so unless you are a real political junkie, you may want to pass on this book.… (meer)