Former UN Ambassador John Bolton won’t run for president

(Rainier Ehrhardt/AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the GOP’s most well-known national security hawks won’t be running for president.

Former U.N. ambassador John Bolton is bowing out of the 2016 contest. In a video obtained by The Associated Press, Bolton says he’d prefer to influence the 2016 election from the sidelines.

Bolton was a leading foreign policy voice in the George W. Bush White House. He was a frequent critic of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican rivals such as Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who favors a reduced U.S. footprint in the world.

Bolton says he won’t remain idle in 2016. He promises to keep an eye on the 2016 Republican field.