Republican Jeb Bush said on Tuesday that “mistakes were made” in the Iraq war, moving to disavow a controversial statement he made in support of the 2003 invasion ordered by his brother, then-President George W. Bush.
The former Florida governor, who is likely to run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, had told Fox News in an interview broadcast on Sunday that “I would have” authorized the invasion.
The comment fed a narrative pushed by Democrats that Jeb Bush is little different from his brother, who left office in early 2009 with his popularity weakened by the Iraq war and a faltering U.S. economy.
Jeb Bush on Tuesday went on the talk radio show conducted by conservative Sean Hannity to try to quiet the controversy.
“I don’t know what that decision would have been. That’s a hypothetical,” Bush said when asked by Hannity whether he would have ordered an invasion of Iraq.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!