Carson is struggling to grasp foreign policy, advisers say

Foreign-policy experts and journalists questioned this analysis. What is unusual is the candor of those who are tutoring him about his struggle to master the subject. Aides said that often Carson can be dismissive of questions he thinks are irrelevant and needed to understand that viewers and voters could see such dismissiveness as lacking knowledge. Last week, he wrongly claimed that China had intervened in Syria.

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said he would cut down on illegal immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border by cutting all benefits that he says attracts illegal immigration. “You don’t get to determine what you answer”. “Mr. Clarridge’s input to Dr. Carson is appreciated but he is clearly not one of Dr. Carson’s top advisors”. He was a longtime C.I.A. officer, serving undercover in India, Turkey, Italy and other countries.

So to sum up: Before the Carson campaign brain trust dismissed Clarridge as a nice old fellow who really doesn’t know what he’s talking about, it proffered him – and only him – as Carson’s foreign policy “mentor” and gave the Times reporter his phone number.

Carson supporter Paige Mitts, a Georgia financial planner who worked previously in health care administration, said Carson’s statements do not worry her. “He’s trying to solve complicated problems”, she said. Clarridge added that Carson required weekly foreign policy briefings so “we can make him smart”.

When asked about his opinion regarding President Barack Obama’s decision to leave troops in Afghanistan and send out 50 special ops forces to Syria in the Fox Business News debate in Milwaukee, Carson’s response was weak and mistaken.

In a 2012 book, “America the attractive”, he cited his Christian faith – “every time Jesus arrived in a new area, he first healed the sick” – in arguing that society “perhaps” should “make sure that the basic needs of the most helpless among us are taken care of”.

The NY Times, however, said that the 83-year-old Clarridge was referred to the Times by Armstrong Williams, who is one of Carson’s closest friends.

“Dr. Carson is making wonderful progress, a few say he’s had his stumbles, but he’s getting there”, Williams said.

“I’d say he’s 75 percent of the way there”, Williams said.

After this article was posted online, the Carson campaign issued a statement saying The NY Times took advantage of Clarridge, “an elderly gentleman”.

NY Times reporter Trip Gabriel saw an opening: What are Carson’s foreign policy advisers telling him? With him are Donald Trump (left) and U.S. Sen.

But the stress of his ascent has revealed an inexperienced political operation and a lack of connections to informed and respected advisers. “To call himself my adviser would be a great stretch”.

Beyond his incoherence, though, the fact that one of Carson’s primary military and foreign policy advisers is a retired General who seems dedicated to imbuing the American military with a quasi-religious mission that is both utterly insane and completely inappropriate.