Top GOP presidential contender Jeb Bush speaks at Reagan Library

Bush has tried to separate himself from his brother’s legacy by explaining his foreign policy will not mirror that of George W. After struggling with criticism, Jeb recently admitted he wouldn’t have invaded Iraq, calling it a mistake.

Mr Bush asked the crowd in Simi Valley, California.

BEINART: I don’t want to suggest that the Obama administration is blameless, but I think the Obama administration’s bigger failure was that they were not diplomatically engaged enough when former Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki, the Shia prime minister of Iraq, started alienating his Sunni population so deeply. He called for a no-fly and “safe” zones over Syria, the removal of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, increasing support for Iraqi Kurds and greater co-ordination between US and Iraqi troops. Bush’s 2016 presidential bid has been flawed because of his responses to questions on the topic.

He added: “ISIS grew while the United States disengaged from the Middle East and ignored the threat”. Firing back, Bush defended his brother, saying the “opposite occurred” and that Obama created a “void” that was filled by ISIS. Bush says that he knows how to win and that is a reason why he should be voted, but while that might be true, it doesn’t change the fact that every presidential candidate knows how to win in their own way. Republicans “cannot be allowed to escape responsibility” for the problems caused by former President George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq, said Jake Sullivan, the campaign’s senior policy adviser, to reporters on a conference call. Hillary Clinton appeals to our sense of morality and justice, Trump is using our frustration on the current situation as his asset and Jeb Bush says that we should be happier.

“We do need to convey that we are serious, that we are determined to help local forces take back their country”, he said.

The remarks follow a speech Tuesday in which Bush called for a more muscular approach to eradicating Islamic State terrorists from Iraq and Syria.

He said she must share the blame for the rise of so-called Islamic State militants. He said, “I believe we need to rebuild our military to make sure that our fighting force is protected and Americans remain protected”.

Clinton then “fixed” his graphic for him, citing an “F” grade Florida was given for college affordability under Bush.

In laying out a broader foreign-policy vision, Bush also acknowledged parallels between his policy and his brother’s doctrine.

Bush said a President Bush-ordered U.S. troop surge in 2007 brought stability that would have been extended if Obama had negotiated a U.S. residual force for Iraq.

“The reality is that radical Islam has been spreading like a pandemic? across the Middle East, throughout Africa and to parts of Asia, even in the nations of the West, finding recruits in Europe and the United States”, he said.

“The key issue is not how many times the plane touches down at the airport”, Sullivan said; it’s “how effective” an official is.

He said he would be willing to consider a small increase in US troops, some of whom he would embed with Iraq forces.