He’s a slam-dunk for the nomination!
(AP photo)
Marc Thiessen on the presidential race, and Iraq 2003 versus Iraq 2015:
Jeb Bush’s fumbled answer on Iraq is so troubling because the controversy is so unnecessary. The only people in the United States obsessed with re-litigating the 2003 decision to invade Iraq are on the left. Most Americans are far more concerned about what the next president is going to do about Iraq today.
And — news flash — the vast majority want to send ground forces to Iraq right now.
In March, a Quinnipiac University poll found that 62 percent of Americans support sending ground forces to Iraq to fight the Islamic State, while only 30 percent are opposed. Even a 53 percent majority of Democrats support sending ground troops to Iraq, along with 60 percent of independents. Among Republicans, support for boots on the ground is even higher, with 73 percent in favor and 18 percent opposed.
So let’s be clear: There is no groundswell among GOP primary voters for Bush or any of the Republican presidential candidates to disavow the 2003 invasion. What voters do want to hear from the presidential contenders is how they are going to deal with the terrorist threat from Iraq in the here and now.
Read the whole thing, especially the end where Thiessen notes how Bush flubbed what should have been a slam-dunk chance to turn the question around. He just isn’t prepared as a candidate.
While you do that, I’ll go back to waiting for the press to start asking Hillary Clinton (who belongs in jail) a few Gotcha! questions about Libya.
[crickets]
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