Cruz: ‘The Solution to ISIS is Not Expanded Medicaid in Iraq’

HEMMER: “It seems like their strategy is changing and for folks like you it may not be fast enough. But for the record, you’re disagreeing with my assessment that you will consider putting troops on the ground in Iraq and Syria, for the record, correct?”

CRUZ: “I have said from the beginning that we should follow the judgment of the commanders. Over a year ago, at a hearing very much like this hearing you’re playing right now, where you had then Secretary Hagel and then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dempsey. I asked at the time, I said, if the objective were to utterly destroy ISIS, not degrade them, not weaken them, but utterly destroy them in 90 days, what would be required militarily in your expert judgment to accomplish that task? General Dempsey responded, and he said, I’m sorry, that’s simply not possible. I said, OK, maybe that time frame is not reasonable time frame. So you tell me, in your expert military judgment if the object is to utterly destroy them what’s required to do so, and what is the right time frame? And the answer that General Dempsey gave, he said, there is no military solution to this problem. The only way to solve this is to change the underlying conditions on the ground, the poverty, so that young people are not susceptible to radicalism. And as I said shortly after that, that was utter nonsense. It was a political answer. The solution to ISIS is not expanded Medicaid in Iraq. You know the State Department spokeswoman said, the answer to ISIS was get them all jobs. No, that’s not the answer. The answer is we need a commander-in-chief that lays out a military objective that if you take up arms and join ISIS, if you wage jihad against the United States of America that you are signing your death warrant.”