Jeb Bush: I would have authorized Iraq invasion
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush weighed in on his brother's biggest foreign policy legacy as president, saying that he, too, would have authorized the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
"I would have [authorized the invasion], and so would have Hillary Clinton, just to remind everybody. And so would almost everybody that was confronted with the intelligence they got," Bush said in a Fox News interviewwith Megyn Kelly that airs Monday night, according to excerpts provided by the network.
He does not argue that the entire war was executed perfectly, saying that the U.S. failure to provide sufficient security in the wake of the invasion led Iraqis to turn on the military because they felt their families had insufficient protection.
But does that mean he is critical of former President George W. Bush's record on the issue? No.
"By the way, guess who thinks that those mistakes took place as well? George W. Bush," he said. "Yes, I mean, so just for the news flash to the world, if they're trying to find places where there's big space between me and my brother, this might not be one of those."
As he eyes a 2016 presidential bid, Bush appears to still be calibrating exactly how to discuss his brother's presidency. Despite his apparent unwillingness to criticize George W. Bush on Fox, in February, he delivered a foreign policy speech where he assured the audience, "I am my own man."
"I also have been lucky to have a father and a brother who both have shaped America's foreign policy from the Oval Office. I recognize that as a result, my views will often be held up in comparison to theirs - sometimes in contrast to theirs."
"I love my father and my brother," he added. "I admire their service to the nation and the difficult decisions they had to make. But I am my own man - and my views are shaped by my own thinking and own experiences."