DeSantis and the Sorry State of Republican Foreign Policy

The danger of DeSantis isn’t that he would be “captured” by bad advisers, but that he already shares the views of some of the worst people in the Republican Party.

I wrote about Ron DeSantis’ foreign policy record in my latest column:

On other issues, DeSantis was a cheerleader for Trump’s early hawkish decisions. He touted Trump’s decision to provide military assistance to Ukraine and to order attacks on Syrian government targets. When John Bolton was named National Security Advisor, DeSantis praised the choice: “John Bolton, it’s a very strong voice, very clear thinker.” We don’t know yet who will be advising DeSantis on foreign policy, but his positive view of Bolton gives us some idea of the kind of people he would probably have around him.

Writing this column was a useful exercise in digging into the details of DeSantis’ views on various issues. Because he was a House backbencher during his brief stint in Congress, his foreign policy views never attracted much attention while he was there, and he never drew attention to himself by breaking ranks over any important issue. It was not surprising that he fit the mold of a Tom Cotton-like hardliner, but I was still struck by the intensity of his obsession with Iran in particular.