ClydeR
08-20-2015, 09:41 PM
You may be surprised by Trump's views on Iraq.
Is Trump right? Should Bush apologize?
Donald Trump spoke at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday, taking direct aim at GOP rival Jeb Bush, who he called a "puppet" whose recent defense of the Iraq war is "one of the dumbest statements I've ever heard."
DONALD TRUMP: Jeb Bush is a puppet to his donors, there's no question about it; he's got lobbyists, I know them, and he made statements over the last couple of days that were incredible, trying to justify the war in Iraq.
It can't be justified. And then he said "skin in the game." I don't know if you saw his recent statement. The U.S. has to prove to Iraq that we have "skin in the game."
We spent $2 trillion, thousands of lives lost, wounded warriors all over the place, and he said we have to prove that we have skin in the game. I think it may be one of the dumbest statements I've ever heard.
"Skin in the game?"
We don't have to prove anything. First of all, the Iraqi leaders are a bunch of crooks. If there even is an Iraq, which I don't think there is. Iran is taking over Iraq. It was one of the dumbest things ever. And I think what happened, because I understand psychology, I think his brother said 'you're killing me.'
That was his war, and he looks very bad, so Jeb Bush tried to push back, but when he said to Iraq that was have to have skin in the game, when we spent all those lives and all that money. I think he should apologize to the families of the people.
More... (http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/08/16/donald_trump_puppet_jeb_bush_should_apologize_for_ defending_iraq_war.html)
I went looking for Bush's "skin in the game" comment so that I could see it in context. He made it from the famous soapbox at the Iowa fair.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BUSH: First of all, the Iraqis want our help. They want to know that we have skin in the game, that we're committed to this. We don't have to...
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: They booted us out in 2011.
BUSH: Excuse me?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: We had to get out in 2011.
BUSH: We didn't have to get out in 2011.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: Your brother signed the deal.
BUSH: It could've been modified and that was the expectation. Everybody in Iraq and everybody in Washington knew that this deal could've been expanded and now...
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: Your brother signed a bad deal.
BUSH: ...Now - now we need to do something else.
More... (http://www.npr.org/2015/08/14/432280592/iowa-state-fair-goers-grill-jeb-bush-on-brothers-role-in-iraq)
To round out the Iraq debate, Bush should respond to Trump's recent comments that we were better off with Saddam Hussein in power.
The United States was better off with Saddam Hussein in power in Iraq than it is today, Donald Trump said on Newsmax TV’s "America's Forum."
The outspoken billionaire founder and CEO of Trump Corp. explained that "whether you liked him or not, all [Hussein] did was kill terrorists."
"He would kill them, like, in two seconds. And frankly, we were a lot better off with him than the situation that you have going on right now. It's a disgrace. So, we spent $2 trillion, we lost thousands and thousands of lives, not to even mention the probably millions of lives lost on the other side.
"We have absolutely nothing for it, and now they've raided us, they've taken our equipment, they're killing soldiers, they're executing everybody that's in their way."
More... (http://www.newsmax.com/Newsmax-Tv/Donald-Trump-Saddam-Hussein-Iraq/2014/06/18/id/577820/)
The next debate on Sept. 16 may well be even more exciting than the first. Bush is sinking in the polls. If he does not attack Trump at the next debate, if not sooner, then his campaign may be irrecoverably lost. But he also faces great risk in attacking Trump, because Trump has years and years of experience with verbal insults and defenses. If Bush were paying me to advise him -- if he were, he'd be in much better position than he is now, you can be sure -- then I would tell him that he would be better served by a series of speeches prior to the debate in which he explicitly distinguishes his policies from those of Trump.
Is Trump right? Should Bush apologize?
Donald Trump spoke at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday, taking direct aim at GOP rival Jeb Bush, who he called a "puppet" whose recent defense of the Iraq war is "one of the dumbest statements I've ever heard."
DONALD TRUMP: Jeb Bush is a puppet to his donors, there's no question about it; he's got lobbyists, I know them, and he made statements over the last couple of days that were incredible, trying to justify the war in Iraq.
It can't be justified. And then he said "skin in the game." I don't know if you saw his recent statement. The U.S. has to prove to Iraq that we have "skin in the game."
We spent $2 trillion, thousands of lives lost, wounded warriors all over the place, and he said we have to prove that we have skin in the game. I think it may be one of the dumbest statements I've ever heard.
"Skin in the game?"
We don't have to prove anything. First of all, the Iraqi leaders are a bunch of crooks. If there even is an Iraq, which I don't think there is. Iran is taking over Iraq. It was one of the dumbest things ever. And I think what happened, because I understand psychology, I think his brother said 'you're killing me.'
That was his war, and he looks very bad, so Jeb Bush tried to push back, but when he said to Iraq that was have to have skin in the game, when we spent all those lives and all that money. I think he should apologize to the families of the people.
More... (http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/08/16/donald_trump_puppet_jeb_bush_should_apologize_for_ defending_iraq_war.html)
I went looking for Bush's "skin in the game" comment so that I could see it in context. He made it from the famous soapbox at the Iowa fair.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BUSH: First of all, the Iraqis want our help. They want to know that we have skin in the game, that we're committed to this. We don't have to...
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: They booted us out in 2011.
BUSH: Excuse me?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: We had to get out in 2011.
BUSH: We didn't have to get out in 2011.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: Your brother signed the deal.
BUSH: It could've been modified and that was the expectation. Everybody in Iraq and everybody in Washington knew that this deal could've been expanded and now...
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: Your brother signed a bad deal.
BUSH: ...Now - now we need to do something else.
More... (http://www.npr.org/2015/08/14/432280592/iowa-state-fair-goers-grill-jeb-bush-on-brothers-role-in-iraq)
To round out the Iraq debate, Bush should respond to Trump's recent comments that we were better off with Saddam Hussein in power.
The United States was better off with Saddam Hussein in power in Iraq than it is today, Donald Trump said on Newsmax TV’s "America's Forum."
The outspoken billionaire founder and CEO of Trump Corp. explained that "whether you liked him or not, all [Hussein] did was kill terrorists."
"He would kill them, like, in two seconds. And frankly, we were a lot better off with him than the situation that you have going on right now. It's a disgrace. So, we spent $2 trillion, we lost thousands and thousands of lives, not to even mention the probably millions of lives lost on the other side.
"We have absolutely nothing for it, and now they've raided us, they've taken our equipment, they're killing soldiers, they're executing everybody that's in their way."
More... (http://www.newsmax.com/Newsmax-Tv/Donald-Trump-Saddam-Hussein-Iraq/2014/06/18/id/577820/)
The next debate on Sept. 16 may well be even more exciting than the first. Bush is sinking in the polls. If he does not attack Trump at the next debate, if not sooner, then his campaign may be irrecoverably lost. But he also faces great risk in attacking Trump, because Trump has years and years of experience with verbal insults and defenses. If Bush were paying me to advise him -- if he were, he'd be in much better position than he is now, you can be sure -- then I would tell him that he would be better served by a series of speeches prior to the debate in which he explicitly distinguishes his policies from those of Trump.