Literary brothers-in-arms

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Reading through John Bolton's newly released book, Surrender is Not an Option, I had a distinct sense of déjà vu. Bolton's chip-on-the-shoulder account of his tenure as U.N. ambassador seemed very familiar. Then it hit me. In tone and tenor, Bolton's book is a dead ringer for Boutros Boutros-Ghali's Unvanquished. In that book, the former secretary-general bitterly attacked the United States (and Madeleine Albright, in particular) for ending his tenure as secretary-general. Both men methodically—almost obsessively—document the slights they received and the ripostes they offered. They have written rebuttals, not memoirs. By most accounts, Boutros-Ghali and Bolton are driven, highly intelligent, and committed. But both men left the East River in the mood for revenge rather than reflection.