Conventional wisdom in Washington now indicates that Bolton, former US ambassador to the UN, would take over for McMaster in the top security adviser role to Trump.
In late February, amid a marked thaw in North and South Korea tensions, as the prospect of diplomacy looked brighter than ever, Bolton wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal called "The Legal Case for Striking North Korea First."
In the article, Bolton argues that North Korea has given the US no choice, and must be attacked before it perfects its fleet of nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles. In making his argument, Bolton never once mentioned South Korea, which North Korea holds hostage with a massive installation of hidden artillery guns.
Experts estimate that thousands would die in Seoul, the capital of a democratic, loyal US ally, for every hour of fighting with North Korea.
"It is perfectly legitimate for the United States to respond to the current 'necessity' posed by North Korea's nuclear weapons by striking first," Bolton concludes his article.