Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Senior Policy Adviser Jake Sullivan Addresses Jeb Bush's Wrongheaded Foreign Policy Attacks

This afternoon, Hillary For America senior policy adviser, Jake Sullivan held a press call to address Jeb Bush's forthcoming foreign policy attacks on Secretary Clinton.

Below is a transcript of his remarks:

I'm here to offer some comments in response to Governor Bush's false attacks on Secretary Clinton.

Let me start by saying that it's curious that Governor Bush is choosing Iraq as the place he wants to engage the foreign policy debate.

This is a pretty bold attempt to rewrite history and reassign responsibility. And we've seen similar things from other Republican candidates. They cannot be allowed to escape responsibility for the real mistake here. They might hope we'll all forget, but the American people remember.

We remember that they ignored the advice of the Army Chief of Staff by sending too few troops to secure the country. We remember that they installed a new Iraqi government that opened the door to greater Iranian influence. We remember that they disbanded the Iraqi army and banished Sunnis who soon became insurgents.

And this last point is especially important. Let's remember where ISIS and its leadership came from. It is simply wrong to assert that ISIS arose in the vacuum after American troops left. ISIS grew out of Al–Qaeda in Iraq. And where did AQI come from? It didn't exist before the invasion. It emerged in no small part as a result of President's Bush's failed strategy. And it gained strength by signing up former Sunni military officers – officers from the army that the Bush administration disbanded.

It was President Bush who set the withdrawal date for Americans from Iraq, not President Obama. President Bush signed an agreement that required us to be out by the end of 2011. The Obama Administration urged Maliki to approve our leaving a residual force behind. But Prime Minister Maliki, who the Bush Administration had pushed to the front in Iraq, made it clear that he could not get the Iraqi parliament to do that. Not even for five- or ten-thousand troops.

American boots on the ground cannot fix Iraq. Only Iraqis can fix Iraq, with our support but not with our combat boots on the ground.

Democrats have learned that lesson. We'll never shy away from using military force to protect America when absolutely necessary. And should that time come, we'll ensure our troops have the overwhelming capabilities and the numbers they need to fight and to win.

As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton worked tirelessly to restore American leadership and relationships around the world after eight damaging years.

And as for her record on Iraq, Secretary Clinton is proud of the work she did to strengthen the partnership and support our ally.

She met multiple times with Prime Minister Maliki, with her counterpart, Foreign Minister Zebari, and with President Talabani.

She chaired a joint coordinating committee to implement the US-Iraq strategic framework, covering the full range of shared interests between our two countries.

She directed her deputy to chair a weekly secure video conference with the embassy and key US government officials to monitor progress and shape events.

She regularly briefed President Obama on developments in Iraq.

And her State Department led the transition to a fully civilian mission in Iraq, executing a complex and ambitious strategy with thousands of civilian personnel.

Secretary Clinton also rallied the world to build a new global counterterrorism platform that could invest in our partners and coordinate action against terrorist groups.

She set up a new strategic communications center to take on the terrorists online.

So she welcomes the opportunity to debate how to deal with ISIS and other terrorist groups.

Now, a word about the future. After excoriating the Obama administration, what does Governor Bush propose for Iraq and ISIS? He appears to propose doing pretty much the same thing that President Obama is doing. What is he suggesting we do differently? More boots on the ground?

If that is what he wants – more American boots on the ground in combat in Iraq – he should come out and say so.

Secretary Clinton has made clear that we need to use all the tools at our disposal, in an integrated fashion, to defeat ISIL and take on other terrorist groups. And she'll have more to say on this in the weeks and months ahead.