Given the power of hindsight and what we know today about failed intelligence, Jeb Bush says he STILL would have ordered an invasion of Iraq if he were president in 2003 — even Ted Cruz knows better than that. After getting battered for that answer to Megyn Kelly, Bush passed on the chance at damage control in a softball interview with Sean Hannity. Instead of cleaning up his mess, he stepped in it.
Check out the brutal headlines for the Indecider in Chief Jeb Bush below:
CNN: Chris Christie hits Jeb Bush on Iraq War
“But the comments gave Christie — who is actively contemplating a presidential bid, and would compete with Bush for establishment Republican support if both run — an opening to differentiate himself from Bush, and an opportunity for attack. Christie jabbed at the former Florida governor, who’s brother and father have served in the White House, saying that Americans should “avoid … continuing to go backwards in this country.”
Washington Examiner: Jeb Bush’s disastrous defense of the Iraq War
“If Jeb Bush sticks to his position — that he would still authorize war knowing what we know today — it will represent a step backward for the Republican Party…Jeb’s statement is likely to resonate until he either changes his position or loses the race for the Republican nomination. Should he become the nominee, the issue will dog him into the general election campaign.”
New York Times: Jeb Bush Says He Misinterpreted Iraq Query
“It was the third time in six weeks that Mr. Bush had to backpedal, offering a stark reminder that despite his deep political ties and his family’s history in elected office, he remains a novice on the national campaign trail … But for Mr. Bush, the last six weeks have been a bracing reminder that helping a relative run for president is not the same as running yourself.”
Politico: Will Iraq take down another Bush?
“Now, Jeb Bush is floundering on the same terrain, as political rivals pounce on his first uneven effort to address perhaps his biggest political liability — his brother’s record and, specifically, the legacy of the Iraq War. Caught between the competing imperatives of rebranding himself apart from his family’s presidential pedigree and not wobbling on the national security, currently the top issue for Republican primary voters.”
New York Times: Jeb Bush’s Iraq Debacle Gets Weirder
“Later on Tuesday, the conservative radio host Sean Hannity handed Mr. Bush a shovel to dig himself out of the Iraq hole, but Mr. Bush decided to just dig deeper. ‘I interpreted the question wrong, I guess,’ he said. He guesses? If he doesn’t know, who would? So would Jeb Bush have authorized the invasion of Iraq, as his brother, George W. Bush did? His answer, assuming he understood the question this time: “I don’t know what that decision would have been.” To put it charitably, that shows something less than Commander-in-Chief firmness.”
Published: May 13, 2015