The rollout of Jeb Bush’s defense policy has changed dramatically from its original intent.
The former governor expected to talk about “how to rebuild the military” on Wednesday at The Citadel, a military college in South Carolina, but decided instead to focus primarily on “our war against ISIS and radical Islamic terrorism.” The decision to make the change was inspired by the Islamic terrorist attacks in Paris last week.
“The last seven years under President Obama have taught us that problems do not take care of themselves in the absence of American leadership. America has had enough of empty words, of declarations detached from reality, of an administration with no strategy or no intention of victory,” Bush will say, according to his campaign. “Radical Islamic terrorists have declared war on the Western world. Their aim is our total destruction. We can’t withdraw from this threat, nor negotiate with it. We have but one choice: to defeat it.”
Bush has proposed to increase the size of the Army by 40,000 soldiers and grow the Marine Corps to include 4,000 more Marines.
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The governor also emphasized border security as chief among his priorities in keeping the homeland safe. Earlier on Wednesday the governor appeared to shift his stated position on admitting Syrian refugees into the United States. On Tuesday, he disagreed that banning Syrian refugees was the best option to protect the U.S., but the following day he said he favored a “pause” in accepting Syrian refugees into the U.S.
Whether Bush’s differing ideas regarding homeland security become an obstacle for his candidacy remains to be seen. Other GOP governors running for president who delivered national security remarks at The Citadel are no longer running for the White House in 2016, including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Bush likely hopes his tough talk on the Islamic State will help him avoid the fate of his former Republican rivals.
