As a candidate, President Trump leveled the harshest criticism of the Iraq War by any Republican whose last name wasn’t Paul. Yet on Thursday, he tapped John Bolton, a member of the dwindling class of unrepentant Iraq War supporters, as national security adviser. At first glance, this may seem like an odd and contradictory match, but upon closer inspection one can see a common national security thread between the two men.

It’s true that looking at it one way, the Bolton appointment could be seen as a clear break from Trump’s “America First” non-interventionist campaign rhetoric. Indeed, my Washington Examiner colleague W. James Antle III, makes that case, arguing “John Bolton is proof that Trump has abandoned his best campaign promise.” He highlights Trump’s criticisms of the Iraq War and other military interventions, arguing, “One of the most valuable things about Trump’s challenge to Washington’s governing class and the bipartisan political elites was his willingness to break from these obvious failures, even when perpetrated by Republicans.”