Sen. Rand Paul Joins Wolf Blitzer on 'The Situation Room'- May 13, 2015

I think Jeb bush's controversial comments on the war in Iraq those comments drawing fire from both Republicans and Democrats here's

what he originally said in an interview with fox news earlier this on the subject of Iraq yeah I think very controversial knowing

what we know now would you have authorized the invasion I wouldn't so so what Hillary remind everybody and so would have almost everybody that

was confronted with the intelligence they got I don't think it was instant in retrospect the intelligence that everybody saw that

of all I guess I was talking about given would you have done knowing what we know now so in other words if you in

twenty twenty hindsight you would make a different decision yeah I don't know what that decision would have been a hypothetical

but the simple fact is what the stakes were not Republican presidential candidate senator rand Paul is joining us now live Capitol

Hill and always a potential rival of yours for the Republican presidential nomination senator what's your reaction so

what are the former Florida governor potential Republican presidential candidates have to say about his brother of the war and

what he would have done knowing what he does you know I think it's a really important question and I don't think it's just hypothetical because

we seem to have a recurring question in the Middle East whether or not it's a good idea to topple secular strong manner secular dictator and

got chaos in the rise of radical Islam and I think we're more threat now but I think the same is true of Saddam Hussein I

think Iran is now stronger and in bold in many ways Iraq is sort of a vassal state to Iran we

worry about Iran getting a nuclear weapon so I think we're a lot worse off with Hussein gone there's a civil war going on there we

were also making mistake I think to try to degrade Assad because as we degraded the strong man assault isis

for so I think there's a consistent theme here that every candidate should be asking that is is it a good idea to

go into the Middle East topple governments and hope that something better rises out of the chaos because recent history seems to serve you

know what we're not getting something better we're getting something worse I guess the point does a lot of the %HESITATION Jeb

CIA director the secretary of state they all come to you and they said Mr president to our intelligence shows that

Iraq has stockpiles weapons of mass destruction remember this is not that long after nine

you a dire assessment like that now we know we know now was wrong but at the time the president presumably believe that intelligence is well

the thing is is we could also say the same for a Saudi until about it two years ago he had stockpiles of chemical weapons the

question is there ability to use the weapons there %HESITATION proclivity to use the weapon and

originally the top was saying that chaos would ensue afterward and sure enough it still did happen after Hussein was gone the

country's chaotic it's more aligned with Iran Iran is more of a threat so I think even at the time invading Iraq was steak