Jeb Bush: I'm a Washington outsider, family name doesn’t matter
Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush has tried to distance himself from his family name, insisting that he is a Washington outsider.
The former Florida governor hit the stump Friday in Iowa, where he was pelted with questions about the legacy of his brother, former president George W. Bush, and his father, George H.W. Bush, another former president.
“I got that. I got the family thing. That's definitely true. I'm blessed with a great family, but my record of success is something people yearn for in Washington, DC,” Bush told reporters at the Iowa State Fair when pressed on the fact that he comes from a family of Washington insiders.
When asked whether his family name would make it harder or easier for him to address national security issues, he said, “It doesn’t matter.”
“I’m the first candidate to have a view on this with enough detail for people to see what the world would look like if I’m president,” he added.
Bush also dismissed questions about his connections with Paul Wolfowitz, an architect of the Iraq war, who advised the administrations of both his brother and father.
The former governor, who has steadily lost traction in Iowa polling, acknowledged that he receives advice from Wolfowitz.
"Paul Wolfowitz is providing some advice. I get most of my advice from a team that we have in Miami, Florida -- young people that are gonna be either not assigned or they have experience either in Congress or in the previous administration," he said.
Observers say that Bush’s ideas on foreign policy and national security are remarkably similar to those of his brother.
Bush has defended his brother’s invasion of Iraq, saying the “mission was accomplished” in Iraq by the time George Bush left office because security had been restored.
He has repeatedly blamed Democrats for the rise of extremist groups in Iraq and Syria.
Bush has also refused to rule out the use of torture in the interrogation of terrorism suspects.
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