Assistants Quote by Rand Paul
![“I don't know about [Rex] Tillerson, but I do know that John Bolton doesn't get it. He still believes in regime change. He's still a big cheerleader for the Iraq war. He's promoted a nuclear attack by Israel on Iran. He wants to do regime change in Iran. So, I think John Bolton is so far out of it…” quote by Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/72a/rand-paul-606_assistants_i-don-t-know-about-rex-tillerson-but-i-d_358090.jpg)
“I don't know about [Rex] Tillerson, but I do know that John Bolton doesn't get it. He still believes in regime change. He's still a big cheerleader for the Iraq war. He's promoted a nuclear attack by Israel on Iran. He wants to do regime change in Iran. So, I think John Bolton is so far out of it and has such a naive understanding of the world. If he were to be the assistant or the undersecretary for Tillerson, I'm an out automatic no on Bolton.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Senate Hearing, 2018
John Bolton is portrayed as overly aggressive, favoring regime change and military actions without nuanced understanding.
In simple terms: Bolton pushes for war and regime change, lacking depth.
Key Takeaway
Question policies that favor force over diplomacy.
Themes
foreign policy
military intervention
political naiveté
Mood
cautious
analytical
Type
political
strategic
When to use this quote
- policy debate
- national security
- diplomatic strategy
Key Concepts
regime change
nuclear threats
ideological zeal
Questions to Reflect On
- Is aggressive foreign policy always effective?
- What alternatives exist to regime change?
A Different Perspective
Bolton's stance may ignore long‑term consequences.
![“[John] Bolton was an advocate for regime change in Libya, so was Hillary Clinton actually. And Donald Trump said it was a mistake. I agree it was a mistake to do regime change in Libya. We became more endangered and actually worse people took over afterwards.” quote by Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/104/rand-paul-606_agree_john-bolton-was-an-advocate-for-regime-c_621336.jpg)
![“[John] Bolton is so far out there, he's advocating bombing everyone in the world.” quote by Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/441/rand-paul-606_advocating_john-bolton-is-so-far-out-there-he-s-adv_2658992.jpg)
![“The question's whether or not there's an American interest in the Civil War [in Syria]. The question is whether or not a military strike on [Bashar] Assad will cause him to be encouraged to use more weapons or discouraged. It's easy enough to say - and the president [Barack Obama] says though this…” quote by Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dfd/rand-paul-606_assad_the-question-s-whether-or-not-there-s-an_3094132.jpg)
![“I think that if you believe in regime change, you're mistaken. In 2013, we put 600 tons of weapons - us, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar - into the war against [Bashar] Assad. By pushing Assad back, we did create a safe space.” quote by Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2da/rand-paul-606_arabia_i-think-that-if-you-believe-in-regime-ch_1949684.jpg)
![“Well, that would be a title [the busiest guy in Hollywood] still reserved for Ryan Seacrest. I have one assistant; he has about nine. I don't have a food taster yet, I don't have a fluffer either. But, yes there are some days when I don't know if I am coming or going.” quote by Joel McHale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/210/joel-mchale-8254_assistants_well-that-would-be-a-title-the-busiest-g_72338.jpg)
![“Remember, this is back in the '40s, and the idea of a museum being a place where interested people could come in direct contact with works hadn't arrived on the scene yet. That, I think, I first ran into at the Freer Gallery in Washington, D.C., where a man named Marty [Martin] Amt decided that he…” quote by Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ddb/warren-mackenzie-4654_assistants_remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the_105550.jpg)
