Mitt Romney is very sad about John Bolton's firing. Rand Paul is celebrating.


Nobody can seem to agree on how former National Security Adviser John Bolton found himself out of a job Tuesday — Bolton says he resigned on his own accord, President Trump says the ouster was, in fact, his decision. Whatever the truth may be, the early reactions to Bolton's exit from two prominent Republican senators are similarly disparate.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) called Bolton's departure a "huge loss" for the United States, arguing that it's necessary to have someone at the table who is willing to push back. "His view was not always the same as everybody else in the room," Romney said. "That's why you wanted him there. The fact that he was a contrarian from time to time is an asset not a liability."
When asked about a possible replacement for Bolton, Romney suggested none other than...John Bolton.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Romney's GOP colleague, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), had the opposite reaction, commending the president "for his great instincts on foreign policy."
That's no surprise given that Bolton's preference for aggressive U.S. foreign policy clashes heavily with Paul's non-interventionist mindset. The senator, who has tried to influence U.S. negotiations with Iran, is apparently so thrilled with the news that he has reportedly scheduled a media call to applaud Bolton's resignation.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Art review: Diane Arbus: Constellation
Feature Park Avenue Armory, New York City, through Aug. 17
-
July fiction: Summers to remember
Feature Featuring the latest summer-themed novels from Darrow Farr, Lucas Schaefer, and more
-
Why are flash floods in Texas so deadly?
Today's Big Question Over 100 people, including 27 girls at a summer camp, died in recent flooding
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin on August 1, with rates ranging from 25% to 40% on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration