Former Florida governor and potential Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, who has been clumsily defending his brother's widely-discredited decision to invade Iraq in 2003, on Wednesday was schooled by a university student for "spouting nationalist rhetoric to get us involved in more wars."
During one of his much-publicized town hall meetings in Reno, Nevada, 19-year-old Ivy Ziedrich gave Bush a history lesson that was caught on video.
"It was when 30,000 individuals who were part of the Iraqi military were forced out—they had no employment, they had no income, and they were left with access to all of the same arms and weapons," she said. "Your brother created ISIS."
Seemingly unsure of how to respond, Bush replied in a dismissive tone: "All right, is that a question."
Ziedrich's response: "You don't need to be pedantic to me, sir."
"Why are you saying that ISIS was created by us not having a presence in the Middle East when it's pointless wars where we send young American men to die for the idea of American exceptionalism?" she demanded. "Why are you spouting nationalist rhetoric to get us involved in more wars?"
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"We respectfully disagree," retorted Bush.
Ziedrich, who said she is a member of the Young Democrats at her school, reflected on the exchange in a phone interview with ABC News. "I think he’s telling the truth as he understands it," she said. "I think it’s important when we have people in positions of authority we demand a dialogue and accountability."
The exchange can be viewed in the video below.
