Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's position toward the 2003 Iraq war is exactly the one GOP presidential campaign rival Jeb Bush should have firmly taken – and stuck to, according to talk show host Larry Elder.
In a panel discussion with "Newsmax Prime" host J.D. Hayworth on
Newsmax TV Monday, the Newsmax contributor defended the Florida Republican's position – outlined in a tough interview Sunday with Fox News' Chris Wallace.
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"Marco Rubio gave the answer that Bush should've given assuming Bush properly heard the question and that is: Given what you know now, would you have gone in?" Elder said.
"And if the answer is, 'If there were no stockpiles of [weapons of mass destruction] and the intelligence said there were no stockpiles … of course I wouldn't have gone in because I wouldn't have gotten congressional approval.'
"That's what Marco Rubio said and that's what Jeb Bush should've said."
Elder blasted Bush for not appearing to be prepared for being quizzed on one of the most significant foreign policy decision of his brother's administration.
"Wouldn't you think that'll be the first question someone would ask him: 'Jeb, what about your brother's war? Do you support that?'" Elder noted. "[H]e hadn't thought that through? And the answer is hell yes, I would've supported it given what we knew at the time. … I don't know what other choice any viable president would've had at that time. That's the right answer."
Ari Rabin-Havt, host of "The Agenda" and onetime adviser to former Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, told the panel every presidential candidate should face the Iraq War question.
"I don't think it should be restricted to Republicans," he said. "It's the most fundamental part of foreign policy issue of the past decade. Of course, every single candidate should have to answer that question and I'd like to thank Jeb Bush for making the Iraq war a campaign issue."
Elder pointed out that Hillary Clinton belatedly answered in 2008, conceding "that her vote for the Iraq war was a mistake."
"It took her a while to get there, but finally she basically said she was duped, misled and the vote was a wrong vote," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, that's not a winning argument, but that's her position."
Another issue every Republican should be clear on is the states-right issue of same-sex marriage, Elder said.
"There's no other issue that a viable Republican could have," he said. "The Supreme Court ought not force all 50 states to abide by same-sex, dictate if they don't want them and that's a perfectly legitimate position and defensible position and again, from a practical standpoint, there's no other position any viable Republican could have."
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