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Iran Standoff Shines Spotlight on New Trump Security Adviser

Associated Press

   WASHINGTON - In a defining week for President Donald Trump on the world
   stage, national security adviser Robert O'Brien was a constant presence
   at the president's side as the U.S. edged to the brink of war with Iran
   and back again.

   The contrasts with O'Brien's predecessor along the way -- in secret
   consultations at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, in the Oval
   Office and in basement deliberations in the White House Situation Room
   -- could not have been more stark.

   While former national security adviser John Bolton spent decades as a
   conservative iconoclast in the public arena, O'Brien is far from a
   household name. While Bolton had strong opinions he shared loudly in
   the Oval Office, O'Brien has worked to establish an amiable
   relationship with Trump.

   And while Bolton's trademark mustache was a target of Trump's mockery,
   the president is drawn to O'Brien's low-key California vibe and style.

   "Right out of central casting," Trump says of O'Brien.

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