Bush Meets Merkel, Takes On ISIS & Possible 2016 Run
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, Germany Wednesday morning touching on topics including his expected run for the White House.
The two had a lot to discuss including how to handle the terror group ISIS.
"The efforts to date haven't been strategic. That we don't have a strategy. This may be the beginning of a strategy. It's unclear whether this would mean boots on the ground directly in combat, or whether this is to train additional ...to try to train the Iraqi military," said Bush.
In the same statement, Bush also took a light jab at the current administration's handling of the terror group.
This six day European trip is an opportunity to polish his foreign policy credentials but also a chance to distinguish and separate himself from the foreign policies of his brother,
Former President George W. Bush remains deeply unpopular largely because of the war in Iraq.
The crisis in Ukraine appears to be a main theme for Jeb Bush, commenting on Russia's involvement including the illegal annexation of Crimea.
Bush made an assertive stance against Russian president Vladamir Putin.
"The deal with Putin, you need to deal from strength. He's a bully….you enable bad behavior when you're nuanced with a guy like that, and I think just being clear. I'm not talking about being bellicose, but saying, here are the consequences of your actions," said Bush.
Bush also addressed questions about recent poll numbers for the president of the United States giving him just fair to average numbers.
"I don't read the polls - polls are, you know, it's fun to see them when you're winning, not so fun to see them when you're not. It doesn't really matter, though, it's June for crying out loud. So we've got a long way to go," said Bush.
Bush will head to Poland and Estonia next.
The entire country will paying close attention to Jeb Bush on Monday, June 15th where he's expected to announce a run for the White House in 2016.
For more on Campaign 2016, click here.
