In a speech before the nonpartisan Chicago Council on Global Affairs on Wednesday afternoon, Jeb Bush made his first major address on foreign policy before officially declaring his candidacy for President.
One of his main goals, and challenges, is to somehow separate himself and his ideas from his brother, George W. Bush, as much as humanly possible. He coined the phrase, “I’m my own man,” which is making its way through media headlines. But, instead of charting out smooth waters for himself, instead he ended up creating a few ripples - painting himself into a huge corner - that is if you actually listen to what he’s saying. Okay, that’s putting it lightly. He ended up making a huge fool out himself.
Let’s review:
Jeb Bush first takes the stage and mentions that he is a little “intimidated” being at the forum that day. It’s not hard to see why this is the case. He makes a number of key fundamental blunders, not only in stage presence, which is common when your last name is Bush, but more importantly, with the fundamental substance of his ideas and policy proposals.
Truth be told, he didn’t lay out a lot of details. In fact, that was one of the biggest pitfalls of the night. If you’re going to make a speech, have something to talk about. It was all fluff. He laid out a lot of rhetoric, thereby leaving everyone in the room questioning if he even knew what he was talking about.
Pic via Peter Beinart’s Twitter.
In fact, there was so much rhetoric, he didn’t even leave enough time in between sentences as he was reading from the podium to allow for people to applaud. Rosie Gray, of Buzzfeed, tweeted:
He looked like he couldn’t wait for this thing to be over.
As such, the audience was absolutely silent. There was no applause, and its not even sure if there were periods of silence, that they even would have applauded.
In an attempt to distance himself from the line of Bushes, he said:
Just for the record, I love my brother, love my dad, and love my mother as well, if that’s okay. I’m my own man and my views are shaped by my own thinking and my own experiences.
Pic via You tube screen capture. Comments added in.
It’s good to be your “own man.” But, he didn’t mention what those differences were.
The blunders were oh, so apparent. He wasn’t sure how many ISIS fighters there were, saying that there were more than 200,000, but that was a gross exaggeration on what the actual number was. Later a Bush spokesman had to correct him: “He misspoke. He meant more than 20,000.” But, with that aside - all he said about ISIS was that the United States needed to “take them out.”
Big, bold ideas, you have there. What other great idea’s on foreign policy do you have for us?
Jeb said that the Obama administration was in error for trying to negotiate with Iran, since it would endanger Israel and the world by simply managing the Iranian nuclear program - when it should be eliminated, instead.
Let’s fact check for a moment: The Obama administration wasn’t the first to start negotiating with Iran. In fact, George W. Bush was. His administration’s officials conceded during his presidency that “there was no way to reach a deal without Iran retaining at least a face-saving amount of enrichment capability.”
Obama only started the latest round of negotiations after reaching an interim agreement with Iran that it freeze its nuclear program and roll back its stockpiles of enriched uranium - a condition similar in nature to George Bush’s “freeze-for-freeze” requirement in order for them to start formal negotiations - which Obama is now doing.
This just proves Jeb Bush has no idea what he is talking about. He doesn’t even know his own brother’s foreign policy positions.
Pic via Mock Paper Scissors.
Jeb also must not know how much is currently being spent on the defense budget, when he said that the President needs to show leadership by “building a strong defense.” Another idea, with no details.
His exact words:
We are on a path of only spending 2 and a half percent of GDP on our military. This is dangerous. We need a comprehensive review of our military spending to make sure we are living in a secure world.
What planet is he living on? First off, there is a comprehensive review done every single year on defense spending when the budget is created. We spend more on defense than the next 10 top spending countries combined. The military is not asking for any increases in spending, but we want to spend more, anyways? This is recklessness.
In an attempt to have some experience to talk about, he mentioned his travels to Latin America, where he worked on trade deals. He diverted most of his talking about foreign policy to economics, since it was clear that he didn’t have much to speak about.
Perhaps his funniest line of the night was when he said that he had to force himself to take trips outside of the United States, “at least 4 times a year,” to get a better idea of what was going on in the world around him.
Maybe, he should spend more time learning the fundamentals, like reading books entitled: Foreign Policy 101. He can even read it on those long trips, that seem to be working so well for him.
H/T: Chicago Tribune | Featured Image: Jeb Bush
So, basically he’s as well versed as his brother.
BINGO!
You apparently don’t know strategery when you see it.
Wow, you got all that from ONE WORD? You must be some sort of psychic GENIUS!
I’d have thought the “strategery” would have given away the joke.
I was going to say he’s about as well versed as a can of paint.
please don’t insult cans of paint like that!
The sad thing is, half Republicans know that Jeb is an idiot, but do not care, the other half are too stupid to know that Jeb’s knowledge is flawed. They will all vote for a can of paint, rather that vote for the party that has a Black President. Even with Obama gone in 2016, the brainwashing has already been set in with the Republicans.
Well said & sadly true.
When they defend Fox News, George W Bush, the obstruction of Obama by Congress and Sara Palin, they are really defending White Supremacy.
That’s some real bad examples for the white supremacy argument LOL
lol…. so tru.. Im thinking of an educational program for inner city youth where teach them of the Bush’s, Palin’s, Bachmans and Pauls and really drive home you can be anything you want to be. Most of you are severely smarter than several presidents and presidential hopefuls!
VERY true. They’d vote for Satan himself over another Democrat
Let’s hope “W” wasn’t considered the intelligent one.
“The military is not asking for any increases in spending, but we want to spend more, anyways?” My guess is that family friend Dick Cheny’s Stock in the war machine industries is going down. Wow and with 2000,000 ISIS warriors we are going to see the need to send hundreds of thousands of our young men and women off to the Middle East. I see a repeat of a speech to Congress of the “Danger to America” with slightly more than half the Congress jumping to their feet to clap wildly!
Not trying to defend anyone here but I don’t think Cheney and Gdub were on very good terms by the end of the Bush II presidency. Cheney took for himself an unprecidented amount of power for the office he held. He created his own policies that stepped on the toes of George W more often than not. The sad thing is Cheney was rarely called out for his blatant power grabs. He clearly thought he weas more important to the neocon cause than the big dub himself. It’s clear by Dick Cheney’s current behavior he is dillusional and dangerous.
As a liberal…I agree. Bush made plenty of blunders sure, but he definitely loved America. You could see it on his face when he was told about 9/11 in that classroom. Cheney, well, I don’t think so.
Iraq Iraq Iraq ..Jeb I’m not my Brother or Father . .So I’ll bring 21 of their Former Advisors with Me .??
I remember when GW started bringing in all of his daddy’s old buddies. I used to say “out with the old, in with the very old.”
How bout that and satan himself Karl Rove.
The clown car bumbles along ! Never a dull moment !
It was a prediction, not a statement of fact. Geez.
He should stick with the Bush 101 formula and be arrogant,cock sure and ignore questions with arrogance.He fucked up and actually thought about the context of the question and tried to formulate an answer..
he was making fun of Jeb’s assertion that there are 200,000 ISIS fighters…
PRAI$E JEEEE$U$ !!!! VOTE REPUBLICAN
I remember when Obama first ran against McCain, McCain said he wasn’t George W Bush, but he had no exit plan or even a desire to pull out of Iraq even though the majority of Americans wanted us out. Watching Jeb run against whoever the Dems nominate will probably be the same thing all over again
“I’m my own man, Daddy and the Kochs said so.”
all he said about ISIS was that the United States needed to “take them out.”
____
Why do people think this is our problem alone? Recent history has shown that American/European boots on the ground in the ME causes more problems than they solve.
“The military is not asking for any increases in spending, but we want to spend more, anyways?”
The military isn’t asking for an increase but the military industrialists sure the hell are and I’d be willing to bet there’s a few of them throwing a couple of kopeks in his campaign chest.
He wants to go to war and he’s sending the Shit Signal to the MIC for them to rescue him.
Jeb Bush is public enemy number one! Just ask Mr. Schiavo about Jeb and his disregard for marriage vows.
“I’m my own man.” That’s why I’ve hired my brother’s entire 9/11 team.
If he wants to be in the White House so bad, why doesn’t he just take the tour like any good American citizen? I’d be cool with that.
The GOP has made a name for themselves as the Walmart Party of Fools.
Please proceed scooter chair people, please proceed…