Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, lamented the “isolationist” foreign policy of President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that led to the uprising of the Islamic State on Thursday.
In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Mr. Rubio wrote that the president’s strategy could prove effective, but said there is a risk that it “could lead to the continuation of what has been the most disengaged presidential foreign policy in modern American history.”
But, Mr. Rubio said, Democrats were not the only ones to blame for the administration’s foreign policy failures, pointing to “neo-isolationist” Republicans in a possible nod to Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.
“Not too long ago, some neo-isolationists even claimed that America has no significant national interest in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, and that American support for the Syrian opposition fueled the growth of the Islamic State,” Mr. Rubio said.
He blasted Mrs. Clinton for failing to convince the president to intervene in Syria.
“Some former Obama administration officials, notably Secretary Clinton, have tried to argue that they advocated internally for a different approach, that they saw the train wreck coming. But the fact of the matter is that when they were in positions of responsibility, they failed to prevent the situation that now exists,” Mr. Rubio wrote.
Mr. Rubio, who is considering seeking the 2016 presidential nomination, said Americans should reject further isolationist policies and not underestimate the coming challenges with the Islamic State.
“America and the Islamic State are on an unavoidable collision course — and there will be a price as we finally confront this challenge,” Mr. Rubio wrote. “We should not think this struggle will be quick or risk-free. But every American should know that the price of further disengagement now would be a greater sacrifice later.”
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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