John Bolton at Merrimack County Lincoln Day Dinner

I enjoyed Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton's address to the Merrimack County Republican Committee last night in Concord. Bolton has taken the controversial stand of telling people the truth about foreign policy. This is just not done in diplomatic circles, where they treat rogue states and thugs as we wish them to be; not as they are.

Bolton concentrated on the Middle East, particularly with the foolish notion pushed by Senator Obama that the way to settle things over there is to negotiate with Iran. He pointed out that negotiation is a tool, not a policy. We should not negotiate unless we have some expectation that the benefits to U.S. interests would outweigh the harm. Sitting down with Ahmadinejad would give him increased credibility, with no likelihood that Iran would abandon its nuclear weapons program. Europe has been trying for years. This is but one example of Senator Obama's irresponsible foreign policy.

Bolton also highlighted recent disclosures about North Korea's involvement in building nuclear facilities in Syria, and he hopes that the public can learn about similar intelligence more quickly in the future, as it helps show the true threat we face.

After the event, I had a chance to talk briefly with the Ambassador, and follow up on a question he answered regarding changing demographics in Europe. I asked how he saw the growing emergence of pockets of Sharia Law in Europe, and efforts to create radical Islamic enclaves in the United States. He said it was suicidal of Europe to tolerate neighborhoods where basic civil rights no longer apply, particularly to women. He said that equal protection under the law applies to all, even if their radical version of Islam does not recognize the rights of women.