Jeb Bush: Obama has left America ‘less influential in the world’

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Wednesday will slam an Obama administration he says has lost the confidence of friends and no longer inspires fear in enemies.

“The great irony of the Obama presidency is this: Someone who came to office promising greater engagement with the world has left America less influential in the world,” Mr. Bush says in prepared remarks for an address to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

He says the administration’s actions are not living up to its words.

“Our words and our actions must match — so that the entire world knows we say what we mean and mean what we say,” he says. “They draw red lines … then erase them. With grandiosity, they announce resets and disengage. Hashtag campaigns replace actual diplomacy and engagement. Personal diplomacy and maturity is replaced by leaks and personal disparagement.”

The possible presidential contender will also acknowledge that his views will often be held up to those of his father and his brother, two former presidents, and says he loves them and admires their service to the country and the difficult decisions they had to make.

“But I am my own man — and my views are shaped by my own thinking and own experiences,” he says.

Indeed, Mr. Bush’s last name in the context of foreign policy could call to mind for voters the legacy of the second Iraq War left by his brother, the 43rd president. The conservative base was also not thrilled with the bank bailouts started under President George W. Bush and continued under President Obama or federal programs like No Child Left Behind.

“Each president learns from those who came before — their principles… their adjustments,” Mr. Bush says. “One thing we know is this: Every president inherits a changing world … and changing circumstances.”

Mr Bush also calls for a robust U.S. military and says that “weakness invites war … and strength encourages peace.”

“America does not have the luxury of withdrawing from the world — our security, our prosperity and our values demand that we remain engaged and involved in often distant places,” he says. “We have no reason to apologize for our leadership and our interest in serving the cause of global security, global peace and human freedom.”