Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said in an interview this weekend that he would have authorized the Iraq War in 2003 were he president at the time. He also made sure to add that Hillary Clinton would have supported it too, based on the intelligence at the time.
“I would have [authorized the invasion], and so would have Hillary Clinton, just to remind everybody,” Bush told Fox News’ Megyn Kelly in an interview that will air during The Kelly File Monday night. “And so would almost everybody that was confronted with the intelligence they got.”
Bush then said that the U.S. military turned away from a focus on security and didn’t protect families. He noted that his brother, President George W. Bush, who ordered the invasion in March 2003, does agree that there were mistakes.
“By the way, guess who thinks that those mistakes took place as well? George W. Bush,” Bush 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 CNN notes, Clinton did vote to support the Iraq War resolution in 2003, a point that current President Barack Obama made throughout the 2008 campaign. Perhaps bringing Clinton up is a way to help Bush keep his brother’s legacy out of the forefront by reminding voters that President George W. Bush wasn’t the only person who supported the war in Iraq.
Bush still hasn’t officially announced plans to run for the GOP nomination in 2016, but he is likely to do so. The race already includes Senators Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
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