President Trump was clear about why he fired national security adviser John Bolton: “I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation.”

Trump, of course, has the right to a national security adviser who reflects his views. But he’ll be making a serious mistake if he picks a sycophant to replace Bolton. What Trump needs is an adviser whom he trusts, someone who can effectively manage the national security interagency process. The job of a national security adviser is not to advocate for the president’s ego, but to articulate a range of national security policy options and then advocate for the one he or she believes is best.