MILWAUKEE — Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush took a swipe at front-runner Donald J. Trump on foreign policy at the debate Tuesday, saying his idea of letting Russia fight the Islamic State in Syria sounded like he was playing a “board game.”
Mr. Bush went after Mr. Trump for saying the United States can’t keep coming to the rescue for every crisis in the world, including confronting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s moves in Ukraine and allowing Russia to intervene in Syria.
“We have countries surrounding Ukraine who aren’t doing anything. They say keep going, keep going, you dummies,” Mr. Trump said at the debate at the Milwaukee Theater.
He said that wealthy countries such as Germany were sitting back and allowing the United States to do the dirty work.
“We have to accept that we can’t continue to be the policeman of the world,” he said, adding that the U.S. instead must address its massive debt and crumbling infrastructure.
“He’s absolutely wrong on this,” interrupted Mr. Bush. “We are not going to be the world’s policeman but we sure as heck ought be the world’s leader. This is a huge difference.”
He said Mr. Trump’s idea that Putin would take out ISIS was like a strategy from a “board game.”
“That’s not how the real world works. You have to be involved,” said Mr. Bush.
The sharp exchange was once of several clashes between Mr. Bush and other candidates, as he attempted to demonstrate that his struggling campaign was on the mend and that he had mastered the debate format after poor performances in the past.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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