Carson: Iraq Wasn’t a Threat, We Could’ve Caught Bin Laden Sooner

Carson says we shouldn’t have gone into Iraq, Energy Independence Could Have Helped Capture Osama Bin Laden

 

Ben Carson started in an interview with George Stephanopoulos that the failure of the US to become energy independent had serious consequences to US foreign policy and security. He stated that energy independence would have allowed then president George W Bush to leverage Arab states into cooperating in bringing them man behind the September 11th, 2001 terror attack to justice.

“I think they would have been extremely concerned if we had declared — and we were serious about it — that we were going to become petroleum independent, because it would have had a major impact on their finances,” Carson told Stephanopoulos. “And I think that probably would have trumped any loyalty that they had to people like Osama bin Laden.”

The host challenged Carson, implying the Arab states were not loyal to bin Laden and had not protected him. But Carson pushed back.

“I think they would have known where he was,” Carson said. “You know, there were indications, for instance, during the Clinton administration that — that they knew exactly where he was but didn’t necessarily pull the trigger. If we could tell where he was, I’m certain that they knew where he was.”

“But at that point, we had some idea but we didn’t know for sure. I simply don’t understand how you think this would have worked,” Stephanopoulos said.

Carson responded by bringing up the quagmire in Iraq.

“Well here’s the point — here’s my point. My point is, we had other ways that we could have done things. I personally don’t believe that invading Iraq was an existential threat to us. I don’t think Saddam Hussein was an existential threat to us. It’s a very different situation right now. Now, we have global jihadists who want to destroy us and our way of life,” he said.

Do you agree with Carson, would energy independence make America safer?

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