On Thursday night, Fox News’ “Special Report” panel took on Jeb Bush’s evolving answers on whether he would have invaded Iraq given what he knows now.
After initially telling Fox’s Megyn Kelly on Monday that he would have authorized the Iraq invasion, Jeb Bush walked his answer back and claimed he misheard the question.
Then, after refusing on Wednesday to answer the question or discuss “hypotheticals,” Bush on Thursday said that he would not have authorized the invasion of Iraq.
On Thursday night, NPR correspondent and Fox News contributor Mara Liasson said she was “stunned” by Jeb Bush’s inability to answer the question about the Iraq War.
“This is going to be a bigger problem than I expected it to be,” she said. “The only explanation that I have heard that makes any sense is, after 13 years since he has run for election, he is really rusty. And he’s just not as good a candidate as we thought he was going to be.”
Fox legal analyst Andrew Napolitano said that Jeb Bush’s confusing response about the Iraq war had seriously hurt him in the primary.
“If the Republican base gets the impression in these primaries that Jeb Bush is going to answer questions or make decisions in order to make his brother look good, rather than what he honestly thinks a president should do, he’s shot himself in both feet. I think this is almost irreparable damage to him,” Napolitano said.
Fox’s Chris Wallace reminded Napolitano that it’s still early in the presidential race.
Napolitano agreed but said that Jeb Bush is “viewed very differently today than he was seven days ago, and it’s entirely his own doing.”
Watch the clip below via Media Matters: