Jeb began his campaign with some very public ambivalence about the legacy of the Iraq War, ultimately declaring that, “Knowing what we know now, I would not invade.” But since then, along with the rest of the GOP presidential field, he’s been steadily sliding back to W. territory, culminating in his declaration today that the U.S. should “increase our presence on the ground” to combat ISIS.
“The United States should not delay in leading a global coalition to take out ISIS with overwhelming force,” Bush said in a speech Wednesday at the military college The Citadel. “Militarily, we need to intensify our efforts in the air—and on the ground.”
It would appear that the neoconservatives have wrested back control of their party after a period in which the GOP flirted with a foreign policy posture that didn’t involve invading countries in the Middle East. Sorry, Rand Paul, looks like your moment is over.