Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who this week opened an exploratory bid for the Republican presidential nomination, shrugged off the threat Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton poses to the GOP, and even said her marriage to former President Bill Clinton was a “relationship of convenience.”
In an interview, the Tea Party superstar who made a name for himself questioning Obamacare, said Clinton would be a good candidate to take on because she has a rich and liberal past to focus on.
“If I were running, I would not be disappointed if that was the case because there are so many things” to address, he said, singling out her effort to push a health care reform.
“You look at her tenure as secretary of State and the proclivity for exaggeration of the danger she she faced and Benghazi. How are you going to spin that? Either you were totally irresponsible or you turned your back on your troops?” said Carson.
He also addressed the former first family’s relationship when asked about some who feel Hillary Clinton should have left Bill Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky and other sex affairs.
“Well I mean it’s a relationship of convenience,” Carson said. “It is what it is.”
The longshot presidential candidate has recently moved up high in polls, taking third in last weekend’s CPAC survey of some 3,000 conservatives.
His focus is on the Constitution, education, U.S. leadership in the world and diminishing central power in Washington.
Asked if he had the right background to run the country at a time when many Republicans are eager for a former governor as the nominee, Carson said, “I can rattle off the names of dozens of people who have been in politics their whole life and I don’t think you want them at the helm.”
He added, “It would be good to have people who know how to solve problems, who’ve had experience working with others putting together teams to do things that have not been done before, someone who exercises wisdom and discretion, and someone who knows how to listen.”
Asked for his top issues in a campaign, he gave this list:
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
