Surprisingly, Trump names a successor to Bolton

So, he's going to have a National Security Adviser. Not for long if the advice contradicts what he himself wants to do.

President Trump on Wednesday selected Robert C. O’Brien, the State Department’s chief hostage negotiator, to become his national security adviser, moving to reconstitute his foreign policy staff even as he faces rising tension with Iran.

[...]

Mr. O’Brien [...] impressed him with his work to extricate Americans detained overseas. But it is not clear how different his advice will be, given that Mr. O’Brien previously worked for Mr. Bolton and has cited his hawkish views.

  NYT

If he wants to keep his job, he'll bend his advice to please His Lardship.

Mr. Trump announced Mr. O’Brien’s selection on Twitter shortly after saying he would also “substantially increase Sanctions” on Iran.

Didn't wait for advice on that.

Mr. Trump, who is in California for a second day of campaign fund-raising, offered no elaboration on how sanctions could be increased, but the move may have been a way of offering a tough response to the attacks in Saudi Arabia without necessarily using military force.

Or actually doing anything.

Mr. O’Brien, a founding partner of the Los Angeles-based law firm Larson O’Brien, will be Mr. Trump’s fourth national security adviser in three years, the most any president has had in a first term. He has written regularly about foreign policy and collected a series of essays into a book, “While America Slept,” published in 2016 during the last presidential campaign with a cover blurb from Mr. Bolton.

In that book, Mr. O’Brien warned of the dangers that major powers like Russia and China pose and argued against “appeasement and retreat” as he excoriated President Barack Obama for what he deemed a weak foreign policy.

Gee, I wonder what he thinks of Trump's Putin-friendly attitude.

[R]ecently, Mr. Trump sent Mr. O’Brien to Sweden for an unusual mission of trying to win the release of the rap star ASAP Rocky, who had been arrested on charges of criminal assault. A Swedish judge released the rapper pending a resolution of the case and a court later found him guilty; he was ordered to pay damages but did not have to spend more time behind bars.

[...]

[O'Brien] was appointed the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs under Mr. Trump and worked to release Americans held abroad. Among those who have been freed are Andrew Brunson, a pastor held by Turkey for two years, and Danny Burch, an oil-company engineer kidnapped in Yemen and rescued in a raid by forces from the United Arab Emirates.

Mr. Trump has often celebrated these releases with meetings in the Oval Office, where Mr. O’Brien praised the president lavishly.

Which is really why Trump picked him, as I'm sure you understand.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.