Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) joined the pile-on of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) on the Iraq War and said he would not have authorized an invasion with the information available today.
Walker, in a statement passed to TPM by his political team, did however say that any president would have done what then-President George W. Bush did. Here’s the statement:
Any president would have likely taken the same action Bush did with the information he had, even Hillary Clinton voted for it, but knowing what we know now, we should not have gone into Iraq. President Bush deserves enormous credit for ordering the surge, a courageous move that worked. Unfortunately, President Obama and Secretary Clinton hastily withdrew our troops, threw away the gains of the surge, and embarked on a broader policy of pivoting away from the Middle East and leading from behind that has created chaos in the region.
The statement was first reported by Jennifer Rubin’s Right Turn blog.
A day earlier, Bush said given what we know now, he would not have authorized an invasion of Iraq. That comment was a 180-degree stark turn from Monday when Bush said he would have authorized an invasion.
Other likely and declared candidates all said they would not have authorized an invasion. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who’s declared his bid for the White House, said that he would not have gone into Iraq with the information available now, and that President George W. Bush wouldn’t have, either.
