South Carolina Senator and GOP presidential candidate Lindsey Graham isn't impressed with recent overseas trips by some of his rivals to bone up on foreign policy.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie all have made trips in recent months, but Graham noted Sunday on
"Face the Nation" he has been meeting with the parties involved in the Iraq conflict for a decade.
"I don't know what they have been doing for the last 10 years, but for last 10 years I've been busting my butt," Graham said. "I've been to Iraq and Afghanistan over 30 times learning from Bush's mistakes, my mistakes and Obama's mistakes."
No candidate in the increasingly crowded field is better prepared to deal with the Middle East and the world at large than he is, Graham said.
"I'm ready to go on Day One as commander in chief," he said.
Graham has long called on more American troops in the region to "degrade and destroy" the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) and to overthrow Syrian President Basher Assad.
Host John Dickerson challenged Graham, saying that The Washington Post is reporting that military leaders oppose sending in more troops.
"I'm dying to hear from military leadership how we degrade and destroy ISIL with the current strategy," Graham responded.
"If our military leadership thinks that we're on path to degrade and destroy ISIL they need to be fired."
Graham was asked about his announcement speech June 1 in which he said Americans' military sacrifices in Iraq would not be wasted if he were elected president.
Graham said that he does not believe Americans who lost their lives defending against the spread of Islamic terrorism were wasted.
"I'm talking about the sacrifices to make our country stronger," he said. "Iraq and al-Qaida were on their knees, ISIL is stronger than ever, our homeland is at risk, everything we fought for and gained in Iraq has been wasted by Barack Obama's decision to ignore sound military advice" by leaving in a 10,000-strong force rather than pull out virtually all troops.
Graham also said that Republicans will lose the White House again in 2016 if they embrace the "self-deportation" of illegal immigrants as Mitt Romney did in 2012.
"If you pass a criminal background check, I'll allow to you stay here and earn your way to citizenship," he said. "I hope self-deportation is in our rearview mirror. If it is not we will lose in 2016."
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