Martin O’Malley criticized his fellow Democratic presidential candidates for using the term “boots on the ground” Saturday during the second primary debate.
O’Malley described meeting the mother of a military service member in Iowa who encouraged him not to use the term “boots on the ground” when referring to military strategy.
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“My son is not a pair of boots on the ground,” the former Maryland governor said the mother told him.
“These are American soldiers, and we fail them when we fail to take into account the day after a dictator falls,” the former Maryland governor added.
O’Malley said the country must use a “whole of government approach” when choosing to get involved in a foreign conflict, including “sustainable development” and “diplomacy.”
He argued America had created instability in a number of Middle Eastern countries by removing authoritarian regimes without a plan to fill the subsequent vacuum.
“Libya is a mess. Syria is a mess. Iraq is a mess. Afghanistan is a mess,” O’Malley said, subtly attacking rival Hillary Clinton for her vote in favor of the Iraq war and her push as secretary of state for military involvement in Libya.
The early portion of the debate Saturday focused heavily on foreign affairs and the fight against the Islamic State, coming one day after terrorists linked to the Islamic State killed and injured hundreds in a series of coordinated attacks in Paris.
