On Saturday evening, the Venetian Hotel of Las Vegas was hosting the Republican Jewish Coalition, a large meeting of the wealthiest donors in the nation. The keynote speaker of the event was George W. Bush in what many call a rare occurrence after a long time of avoiding the spotlight of public political life.
At the closed door event, Mr. G. W. Bush addressed his audience in a rather exuberant manner. The themes he approached in his speech shed some light on his opinions regarding the foreign policy conducted by the current administration under Barack Obama’s rule, his brother’s – Jeb Bush – alleged candidacy, as well as the blessings of his private life.
In reference to the foreign policy actions that the Obama administration undertook, Mr. Bush, a convinced Republican walked a thin line between an open criticism and the respect owed to a successor president.
The two themes that were under the spotlight were the Iran nuclear deal struck by the Obama administration on April 2, 2015 in Switzerland after years of sanctions imposed on Teheran, and the war against ISIS.
He commended President Obama for rallying the forces in a bid to overcome this evil and eventually destroy it, as fighting Al Qaeda terrorist group has been a central focus of the Bush administration as well.
However, as far as the Iran deal is concerned, Mr. Bush wasn’t as lenient. He claimed that in a move to ease the sanctions or even erase them fully; the US is prone to losing its leverage on a regime that was only recently showing signs of breaking down.
He added that the political spearheads in Teheran are smooth talkers and the accord that is to be reached by June 2015 between the P5 plus 1 group (the US, the UK, France, China, Russia and Germany) could just as well backfire.
These remarks were highly appreciated as a number of American politicians who back Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have expressed opposition to the potential agreement with Iran under fear of destabilization of the region.
Some attendees to the event understood between the lines that President’s Obama empty threats towards Syria were referred to when Mr. Bush stated that when leading America, one has to mean it and that only a tough and determined approach let the US’s allies and enemies know where the leader of the American people stood.
Referring to the legacy of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, George W. Bush mentioned that the new policies and the retreat of troops from the soil of the two countries was just stumbling along the way and that a vacuum of power in the region was imminent when such a weak approach had been set in place.
Another theme that the former President approached was that of his brother’s possible candidacy for the White House highest seat. Jeb Bush is the heir of a big name in American politics and this might be a detracting factor for him in the presidential run.
The fact that he also alienated some pro-Israel Republicans in preparing his campaign might also prove problematic. Yet, George W. Bush is ready to lend him a helping hand, but not to interfere with his brother’s campaign, as he is aware that his legacy might also prove problematic by alliance.
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