Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush rejected Hillary Clinton’s assertion that the fight against the Islamic State “cannot be an American fight,” and said U.S. leadership is needed after the terrorist group’s apparent attack against France on Friday night that left more than 120 dead.
“Hillary Clinton last night said that it’s not our fight,” Bush said on CNN, just hours after Clinton’s remarks at the second Democratic debate. “It is our fight.”
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Clinton did say the Islamic State has to be destroyed, but then implied that it’s up to other countries to organize and defeat the group by saying it’s not “an American fight.” Bush said that’s the wrong approach and that American leadership has been the missing ingredient that has allowed ISIS to strike out against western countries.
“I think we need to lead as it relates to taking action in Syria and Iraq to eradicate ISIS from the face of the Earth,” he said. “That should be our first and foremost responsibility.”
“This is a warning for our country that this threat is not going to go away. This is a threat against western civilization, and we need to lead,” he added. “The United States has pulled back, and when we pull back, voids are filled.”
Bush said that if he were to win the White House next year, he would develop a strategy against ISIS, something lacking in the Obama administration.
“Creating a strategy means that we create a no-fly zone, create safe havens for the remnants of the Syrian Free Army to be built up,” he said. “We lead by getting our Arab allies and friends to be able to support one fighting force.”
On the specific question of what new military forces the U.S. would have to commit, Bush said it’s unclear, but said he would let that be determined by his military commanders.
“I can’t tell you the force levels required to do this,” he said.
Bush also said a discussion among NATO countries should be held to see if Article 5 of that treaty should be invoked after the Paris attacks. That provision holds that an attack on one NATO member is an attack on all, and that those attacks warrant actions by all members.
“We should certainly consider it,” he said of that option.
French authorities have confirmed that at least one of the terrorist attackers Friday night entered France disguised as a refugee. That has prompted some to say the U.S. needs to turn away refugees from Syria.
Bush said the U.S. should be focused on carving out zones in Syria where refugees can be helped, instead of focusing on taking in refugees.
“I think we need to do thorough screening and take a limited number, but ultimately, the best way to deal with the refugee crisis is to create safe zones inside of Syria,” he said.
