Bush: Clinton a ‘focus group’ politician on ISIS

Jeb Bush dismissed Hillary Clinton as a “focus group” politician in her strategy towards fighting terrorism, saying she’s trying to make popular statements while ignoring the reality at hand.

The former Florida governor said the U.S. needs to show a firmer stance towards fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and argued that Clinton would continue President Obama’s weak approach to the region.

{mosads}“They are at war with us, and we need a strategy not to contain them but to destroy them,” said Bush on ABC’s “This Week. “This president hasn’t had a strategy.”

Bush argued that Clinton is taking a focus group approach to the issue, focusing on popular sentiment in the moment but unwilling to offer up a coherent strategy. Clinton appeared earlier on the program and pushed for more robust air attacks against ISIS and a boost in special forces.

Bush went on to say that Obama had hamstrung military efforts in the region, arguing that an overabundance of caution was leading to U.S. air forces being unwilling to drop ordnance on ISIS targets out of fear for civilian casualties.

“We have to take the lawyers off the war-fighters’ backs and let them do their job,” said Bush. “The United States will always adhere to the international standards of war, but this administration has created even more challenges.”

Bush also went on to broadly criticize Democrats for failing to be direct in challenging radical Islam.

“The left has a hard time recognizing what this is. This is a fight for Western civilization. They’ve declared war on us,” he said.

The GOP presidential candidate also blasted Democratic efforts to boost gun control in the wake of shootings in California and Colorado. He opposed efforts to bar people who are on the government’s “no fly” list, calling it too indiscriminate.

“The first impulse of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is to have gun control,” said Bush.

However, he suggested openness to some restrictions to individuals that have come under more intense scrutiny by U.S. authorities.

“If you’re tracking someone that you believe is a terrorist, of course you shouldn’t be able to buy guns,” said Bush.