John Bolton's "The Room Where It Happened" - What I learned...

[MineralMan]

After reading the entire book, encompassing 460-something pages, I learned two important things:

1. John Bolton thinks extraordinarily highly of himself.

2. Donald J. Trump didn't take Bolton's advice often enough, so Bolton resigned.

Everything else in the book, pretty much, I already knew from watching the news for three years.

That, my DU friends, is why we did not hear more about the book's revelations in the press after it came out. There really weren't any important revelations disclosed in it. Reading it was a waste of quite a few hours spent turning the book's pages.

[safeinOhio]

1. Thanks for the review.

I can save my money now.

[NCjack]

35. Thank you, MM. You took the hit for a lot of us.

[Merlot]

2. Well, at 460+ pages, at least your wrist got a good work out.

Hopefully that book will end up in the 99 cent store bin.

[Rorey]

3. Thank you

I had already decided that I wasn't going to contribute one penny to a person I consider to be a traitor. I do intend to buy the book by OrangeAss's niece.

[KS Toronado]

34. Amen, not one penny, Have Mary Trump's book on order.

[Cirque du So-What]

4. And therein lies the reason

why I seldom get excited over tell-all publications. I can recall from past readings a scant handful of true revelations. Filter that rehashing through a malignant ego and I have to take a hard pass. Thanks for confirming my suspicion; hope it wasn’t too much drudgery for you.

[MineralMan]

8. I read stuff. I always have read non-fiction more than anything else.

Bolton's book was a slog, simply because it didn't really reveal anything of significance. That's why there was no reporting on the book after the first days following its release. Nothing to report.

As soon as Mary Trump's book is on my Kindle, I'll be reading that, as well. I might as well, I guess. I have low expectations for that one, as well.

[Cirque du So-What]

12. I have confidence

that any previously-undisclosed nuggets will make their way into public view.

[empedocles]

17. Important point. Publicity so important in the Information Age. Bolton is hi-profile

[plimsoll]

18. Yeah, but the "Information Age" brought us the Trump.

What that tells me is that the "information age" hasn't really increased the access to information, but it has cranked up the Noise to near deafening volumes.

[PatSeg]

27. I've preordered Mary Trump's book as well

I was tempted to buy Bolton's book for about two seconds, but figured it would be a lot of boasting from the author and not much else that we didn't already known. Having watched him in television interviews, I got the impression that he used the platform to also put down the Democratic party. Apparently in John Bolton's mind, he is vastly superior to pretty much everyone on the planet.

On the other hand, Mary Trump's book could give us more insight into how Donald Trump became the mindless monster that he is. The psychology behind people like him really interests me. This family has caused a lot of damage to a lot of people and I like to know how and why.

Thanks for the summary of John Bolton's book. I think it was pretty much what everyone expected.

[GoneOffShore]

28. If you want to read Bolton's bloviating bombast for free, it's been dumped on Google Drive.

I downloaded it, read the first couple of chapters, then started to skim it.

It's bloody awful.

I suspect that he had to stop writing between chapters because he got excited by his own prose.

[PatSeg]

31. Oh yes

I'm quite sure that he did. The man truly is full of himself.

You know, I wouldn't even read it for read. Actually, you couldn't pay me to read it, but I'm glad others have so I know what I'm not missing.

[sop]

5. I nearly got through the first chapter before also concluding Bolton thinks very highly of himself,

and he was upset Trump didn't take his advice more often. Luckily, for me, I didn't buy the book, I just skimmed over the bootleg copy on the internet. Good thing for Bolton he got a $2M advance.

[Sorceress]

6. Much Appreciated!

There was no way I was going to give this man one single penny after he failed his country by not testifying. However, now I can be certain I am not missing anything. Good.

[Ninga]

7. So appreciate your book review.

[hlthe2b]

9. That was always my assumption. Thanks for confirming so that fewer of us are tempted to buy

[lagomorph777]

10. Thanks for your sacrifice.

Hopefully you've put a dent into Yosemite Sham's sales.

[GoneOffShore]

29. So did the leak of the pdf that went out on Google Drive.

That made me laugh.

[Firestorm49]

11. Thanks, MM for doing the research.

[still_one]

13. Thanks. Glad I didn't buy it. I have ordered Mary Trump's book though

[MineralMan]

15. My wife ordered the Kindle version of Mary Trump's book.

We have two Kindle Fires on her account. I just checked mine, and it's not there yet. I think it will be released on the 14th, but I'm not certain.

[still_one]

22. Tomorrow MM is when it is released

[MineralMan]

25. Cool. I'll be filing my taxes tomorrow.

So, I should be able to start read the book later in the day. it's short, so it won't take me very long.

[still_one]

26. Yup, July 15th, new tax day this year

[NCDem47]

14. I mean, can't we all write a book about Trump at this point?

He's a lying, sadistic S.O.B. who puts himself above all others. Always has been. Always will be. Doesn't that pretty much sum it up? How many more proof points do we need?

[thucythucy]

16. I miss David Halberstam.

Possibly the best journalist of his generation.

"The Best and the Brightest" "The Powers That Be," his reporting on Vietnam that had JFK complaining how he learned more reading the New York Times than from his own advisors...

A book on Trump by Halberstam would have been awesome indeed.

[erronis]

30. Agree. Halberstam was a great investigative journalist. I hadn't realized that he died

in a car crash.

[thucythucy]

53. I think he was in a taxi on his way to giving a lecture.

A terrific loss for all of us. He epitomized what a truly independent investigative journalist could do to educate the public.

[Butterflylady]

19. Thank you for reading the book.

As far as. Bolton thinking highly of himself, that my friend is plain to see in itself. He evidently thought he could control him. That alone makes him pretty stupid.

[MineralMan]

23. Trump acts as a child would act.

I knew that, though, before reading this book.

We have a child as President, an impetuous child prone to throwing tantrums. I didn't need Bolton's book to tell me that, although he did present that message pretty clearly.

John Bolton is an arch-conservative, politically. i have never liked him, nor his viewpoint. I hoped he would reveal something new that was shocking, but he did not. It's all been in the news.

I understand he got a $2 million advance on that book. It's a good thing he got paid up front, because the book will not be read by many who buy it. Too boring.

I'm used to reading boring non-fiction books. I do it all the time with books related to my work. Most people will put down Bolton's book after reading a chapter or two. It's just not that interesting, and reveals little that is not already know.

The only chapter that interested me was the one on Venezuela. Since I don't normally follow South American issues, I did learn some things from that chapter.

[soothsayer]

20. My favorite blurb

"I joined a gang of bank robbers. These incompetents, tripped on their shoelaces, got lost, ran out of gas, forgot the masks and passed a note to a teller that read 'I have a gub.' Worst part? They wouldn't let me blow things up! I quit. Here's a book about my moral superiority."

Link to tweet

?s=21

[Nevilledog]

38. I have a gub.......bwahahaha

[MyOwnPeace]

40. Old line from a Woody Allen movie.......

No matter what you think of Woody Allen, damn, this is funny!

[Nevilledog]

45. That was hilarious. I've never seen that movie.

[lunatica]

46. I loved that movie!

Just like I love Idiocracy. They’re better than funny. They’re witty as hell!

[Hortensis]

57. Perfect reality-as-satire.

[Fla Dem]

21. Yes it is sad. The media builds it up so much. Bolton's book and Mary Trump's book

Too Much and Never Enough, a lot of hype and really not a lot of meat on the bone. I mean other than telling about the ridiculous gifts she got from Trump and how he stiffed her father and family what did she share we didn't already know? We already knew he was an unempathetic, crook, cheat and grifter. We didn't need her book to tell us that.

[MineralMan]

24. Since I paid for the thing, I read it.

However, once it came out, the dearth of coverage of the book let me know that there was not much in there that offered any surprises. I read it anyway. There simply wasn't much to report on in the book, which is why we stopped hearing anything about it in the news right away.

Oh, well...

[kimbutgar]

32. I got the freebie someone posted as an e book.

Read chapter and gave up. He is so full of himself.

[bucolic_frolic]

33. It did kerplunk didn't it

You're a trooper for getting to the bottom of it so we don't have to!

[George II]

36. I started reading it, there was too much bashing of Democrats and Obama....

Couldn't take it so didn't get too deep into it.

[BlueMTexpat]

37. Thanks for sacrificing yourself!

And that was pretty much what I expected.

Bolton is one of the most arrogant, nastiest people on the planet. I was surprised that he lasted as long as he did with someone who is just like him.

I will never forget him at the head of the GOP "mob" that arrived to shut down vote-counting in Florida in 2000.

[ramapo]

39. Good to know

I preordered it as a protest against Trump trying to prevent publication but I returned the book unopened. I haven’t even gotten thru the sample.

He’ not getting my money to tell me that Trump is awful beyond words

[EarnestPutz]

41. MineralMan - Thanks for the review. Your sterling reputation here on DU makes your...

...opinion golden (yes, I know the problem with these adjectives but my praise is sincere).

[pandr32]

42. I figured as much

Thanks for the heads up.

[barbtries]

43. thank you.

i had no plans to read it. I did download it for free just to hopefully bug him. greedy cowardly warmongering asshole.

[Warpy]

44. Don't forget number 3

3. Democrats are responsible for the failed impeachment because they didn't know what Bolton knew.

My main takeaway from excerpts (I wasn't going to enrich him and I didn't even want the leaked pdf) is that this man needs to be kept far away from any position that carries any responsibility, at all. He can't handle anything but being a tyrant on his own. He's a rigid dogmatist and we've had enough of those, thanks.

[lunatica]

48. It could probably be renamed

A Clash of Narcissists; A Study of Failure at the Top.

[marble falls]

47. I'm waiting for it to come to the Goodwill. At 1-7/8" thick, it'll replace the foot the dog ...

chewed off the "coffee" table. It'll be perfect to keep my "coffee" from sliding off of the "coffee" table.

You didn't ruin it for me. I wasn't going to read it anyway. Like you said - what we didn't know
already was information we aren't surprised about. He;s smarter than everyone else. Check. He left Trump because the stable genius mad him feel unappreciated. Check.

Now maybe he can fade away and then he and his mustache can have it all out once and for all: 'who's gotta weak upper lip'?

[lunatica]

49. From what I've glimpsed of his lower lip

I think he also has an anus mouth, only more wrinkly than Trump’s.

[marble falls]

50. Jeebers.

[lunatica]

51. What do you think?

[marble falls]

52. Worse than I imagined. Time to go out on the deck and smoke a bowl.

[reACTIONary]

54. So, what I want to know is...

... did you learn any top secret revelations that would irreparably and severely damage national security? I think there were supposed to be exactly 12. I was waiting for the revelations, but no one has pointed them out.

[peggysue2]

55. Good to know, MM

I wasn't about to throw Bolton money for the book and figured the pertinent passages/revelations (if there were any) would be exposed by the media. Nice to have that theory confirmed.

That being said, kudos for slogging through the text.

[WyattKansas]

56. The problem is that tRUMP and Republicans have been lying so much and twisting everything...

That has been in the news and what should have been obvious to everyone, but a large portion of the population has been tricked by the lies and twisting to the point that nothing sinks in anymore. Plus many people have been manipulated with their inflated imaginary financial portfolios and retirement funds that they have ignored the jeopardy the country has really been in with tRUMP and Republican Rule over the country.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

58. So, it's almost as good as Steve Bannon's "Fire and Fury".

I think I can wait.

Thanks for your review.

[mzmolly]

59. Thanks for the recap.

I will not spend any more time hoping it becomes interesting.

[struggle4progress]

60. There are several main criteria for entering close orbit around Donny:

(1) You can't be obviously smarter than he is, because that would make him look bad

(2) You should obviously be incompetent for whatever job he gives you, so he can blame you when everyone begins to notice his toilet is overflowing again

(3) You should seem like an obvious bootlicker when he first encounters you, because that's really the only apparent job description in the whole administration

It seems Johnny B Chickenhawk couldn't keep up the bootlicker pretense for long enough

[JI7]

61. Pretty much what I get from his interviews. I will never pay for his book or anything else from him

I did download it for free if I ever feel like reading it but I don't see that happening anytime.

[Xolodno]

62. Something else I noticed when I read it....

He was happy to leave the climate deal because there was no real enforcement mechanism when a country violated. And.......

Was happy to leave treaties negotiated by Reagan's term (practically poo poo'd on them) because there were enforcement mechanism and the USA should not have anyone telling them what to do.

The hypocrisy of this schmuck, is just stunning.