Ben Carson to visit Syrian refugees in Jordan

Republican presidential candidate, Dr. Ben Carson speaks at a rally, Monday, Nov. 23, 2015, in Pahrump, Nevada. Carson is expected to visit a clinic and hospital, where he will distribute soccer balls and Beanie Babies to children.

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson is reportedly spending his Thanksgiving weekend in the Middle East.

Carson says the risk of terrorists entering the country through the refugee process – which takes 18 months to two years to complete – is too great and that the USA should instead establish “safe zones” in the Middle East and Syria where refugees can find protection.

While he’s on the ground, in addition to learning more about the living conditions for Syrian refugees, Carson also said, in an interview with Breitbart Thursday, that he would like to “get a better impression of why Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE – why are they so resistant to integrating Syrians into their populations?” But his relatively inartful choice of verbiage raised eyebrows, nevertheless.

“If there’s a rabid dog running around your neighborhood, you’re probably not going to assume something good about that dog”. According to the Times, Carson’s advisers said his trip to Jordan was part of an effort to enhance his understanding of the refugee crisis. That has been attributed partly to the perception that he is not the strongest candidate on foreign policy, a weakness that was accentuated by the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris. Carson rose to prominence in the tea party movement after repudiating the president’s health care law in front of Obama during the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast.

Carson, a retired neurosurgeon with no experience of foreign policy, has repeatedly stumbled on the issue.

Representatives for Carson’s campaign could not be immediately reached for comment. According to The Daily Beast, Clarridge also told the New York Times that Carson requires weekly foreign policy briefings so that staff “can make him smart”. He did not specify which camps were on Carson’s schedule and said Carson was due to leave the region on Sunday.