A foreign policy adviser to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign on Monday blamed former president George W. Bush for the Obama administration’s withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, which resulted in the rise of the Islamic State.
Tony Blinken, who served as deputy secretary of state in the Obama administration, touted the former vice president’s role in overseeing the drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq as a success. CNN anchor Brianna Keilar challenged his argument, saying the withdrawal was responsible for the rise of ISIS. Blinken then attempted to blame the Bush administration for the decision to leave Iraq.
“Listen, I think it was a success in the sense that Iraq wanted its sovereignty back. That was the deal that President Bush had struck with Iraq. We made good on that commitment,” Blinken said. “Biden was the guy who worked to bring together a coalition of more than 65 countries to deal with ISIS. And we did it very successfully.” – READ MORE