Jeb Bush went for the jugular in an op-ed blast at President Barack Obama Wednesday, writing the administration's foreign policy "indulges our enemies and attacks our friends" with "schoolyard antics" that have left the world "more dangerous."
"Instead of projecting American determination and leadership, he has either withdrawn from the stage or chosen to trust our enemies," writes Bush — who is expected to announce a White House bid and is running at or near the top of a crowded field — in
National Review.
Bush uses the examples of Iran, Israel and the Islamic State (ISIS) to
drive home a point he first made before the Chicago Global forum a month ago.
"I argued that the Obama administration’s foreign policy could best be summarized this way: weak and uncertain," he writes. "The administration indulges our enemies and attacks our friends. In the weeks that followed that speech, the problem has gotten worse and the world has only become more dangerous. "
When it comes Israel, the White House should celebrate America's strongest ally's elections, Bush says.
"Yet instead of recognizing Prime Minister Netanyahu’s reelection and the achievement of Israel’s multi-party, multi-ethnic democracy, the White House issued half-hearted congratulations," he complains. "Then Obama threatened to downgrade the U.S.-Israel relationship and permit a series of anti-Israel resolutions to pass the United Nations Security Council without firm American opposition."
"This is no way to treat an ally," he writes. "This is no time for schoolyard antics."
The op-ed strengthens
Bush's rejection Tuesday of former Secretary of State James Baker's criticism of Netanyahu.
On Monday, Baker, to whom Bush has turned to for foreign policy advice, blasted the prime minister's "diplomatic missteps and political gamesmanship," adding "settlement construction has continued unabated" despite Netanyahu's "rhetoric."
As for Iran, Bush slams the Obama administration for believing a nation "that has waged a relentless campaign of terror and war-by-proxy against U.S. troops and American allies for more than three decades … will become a responsible partner for peace once it signs up to a deal that largely leaves in place its nuclear infrastructure."
Even faced with "evidence of treachery… the Obama administration turns the other way," he argues, noting the administration has accepted "cheating on previous agreements related to its nuclear program" as a mere "mistake."
"It always believes Iran’s excuses, but never its threats," Bush writes.
And with ISIS, the president has threatened action but "delivered little support to those fighting against this menace," he writes.
Related Stories:
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.