Senior Fellow John R. Bolton

John Bolton, one of the Bush administration's best-known and most controversial appointees, has spent as much time as anyone pondering the worst-case scenarios that could confront the United States.

A veteran of Ronald Reagan's and George H. W. Bush's administrations, Bolton took office in 2001 as the undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, developing a reputation as a hard-nosed hawk and a strong conservative voice within the diplomatic community.

In 2005, President George W. Bush named Bolton to a recess appointment as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. But after Bolton's nomination ran into trouble in the Senate and Democrats took control of Congress, he dropped out.

Since then, Bolton has been an active commentator on foreign policy as a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Politico's Alexander Burns interviewed him at his office there. Here are some excerpts. . . .

 Click here to view the full text of this interview

John R. Bolton is a senior fellow at AEI.