It’s not easy being former Florida Governor Jeb Bush this year. In an election cycle once seen as his, he watched everything go up in flames and was helpless to stop it. His supporters wouldn’t clap for him and his turnout was pathetic. Even after the political legacies of his former President father and two-term President brother, Jeb failed to gain any momentum this year.
Part of the reason why is the fall of the neoconservative movement. The other is the open refusal to again trust the Bush Dynasty. It also has to do with the foreign policy the United States of America has endured for the last decade and a half.
The Iraq War has again become a topic of conversation in recent months, but only escalated more with the appearance of a fallen soldier’s parents at the Democratic National Convention. Democrats, engulfed in chaos, were in desperate need of a moment. Their moment came in the form of Khizr Khan, a defiant father who lost his son in the Iraq conflict. Khan used his primetime slot to politicize his late son’s death in an attack against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Predictably, Trump didn’t back down and instead held his ground. This led to an outcry on the left and the right, with many Republicans not riding the Trump Train still hitching a ride on the #NeverTrump bandwagon.
Among those is Jeb Bush, who lost his shot at glory when the ascension of Donald Trump happened. In a tweet, Bush labeled Trump as disrespectful towards the family.
Were Trump’s comments disrespectful? Like many other things he says, they can be offensive and hurtful. The refusal to acknowledge the boundaries of political correctness and acceptable thought has it’s pros and cons. The obvious benefit is not being beholden to party consultants, donors, and other leaders who prefer controllable candidates. The downside can be politically damaging statements and distracting controversies that force real issues to the side.
But regardless of what Trump could ever say, nothing is more disrespectful to the memory of United States Army Captain Humayun Khan than the fact he is gone and why. Jeb Bush refers to the loss of Captain Khan as the “ultimate sacrifice.” Without a doubt, Captain Khan is a hero, but would he had to have made such a sacrifice had we not been in Iraq?
We’ve recently seen the remaining pages of the 9/11 Commission Report declassified and it paints a disturbing picture. Among the revelations is the fact that Saudi Arabia did indeed have close connections to the suicide bombers that attacked us on September 11th, 2001. Even more disturbing is the fact the Bush Administration covered up this fact and forced America into Iraq.
Arguments about despots and tyrants aside, from a strategic and tactical perspective, Iraq made zero sense. If terrorism is the target and stopping it is the objective of the game, Saudi Arabia made a more suitable focus. Instead, Saudi Arabia utilized its close connections to not only the Bush family, but also the Clintons as well. With the support of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton under President George W. Bush, the United States of America invaded Iraq.
What did Captain Humayun Khan die for? This is a question that Jeb Bush should carefully consider when calling others disrespectful. If it weren’t for his brother using the United States military to fight political battles abroad instead of tackling terrorism, Captain Khan might be alive today.
