In an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly, 2016 GOP presidential hopeful Jeb Bush said he would have backed the invasion of Iraq, even if he knew it would turn out the way it has. Kelly asked Bush:
Knowing what we know now, would you have authorized the invasion?
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I would have, and so would have Hillary Clinton, just to remind everybody. And so would almost everybody that was confronted with the intelligence they got.
Later Jeb Bush re-emphasized the point by stating:
I mean, so just for the news flash to the world, if they’re trying to find places where there’s big space between me and my brother, this might not be one of those.
If Jeb Bush is trying to escape from the dark shadow of George W. Bush’s failed presidency, he seems to have adopted a curious strategy. Instead of acknowledging the Iraq invasion as a colossal, ideologically motivated intelligence failure, Jeb is still a cheerleader for the Iraq War. While Jeb may insist that he is not his brother, he is simultaneously defending the single biggest failure of the George W. Bush White House. He is telling America that he would have charted the exact same disastrous course followed by his brother.
Jeb’s comments reaffirm that he is essentially running to serve his brother’s third term. On foreign policy, Jeb Bush has surrounded himself with many of the same neo-conservatives who pushed America into the Iraq War. He is doing so without pause, and without a hint of regret for the tragedy that those neo-conservatives inflicted upon American soldiers and on the people of Iraq.
If any voter believes Jeb Bush will be more reasonable than his brother was in making foreign policy decisions, they are not paying attention to Jeb’s own words. He is determined to pick up right where his brother left off. American voters should take note and make sure he is not given that opportunity.
Keith Brekhus is a progressive American who currently resides in Red Lodge, Montana. He is co-host for the Liberal Fix radio show. He holds a Master’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Missouri. In 2002, he ran for Congress as a Green Party candidate in the state of Missouri. In 2014, he worked as a field organizer for Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick’s successful re-election bid in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. He can be followed on Twitter @keithbrekhus or on Facebook.
