WASHINGTON — Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Wednesday addressed the debate over vaccinations, an issue that has tripped up several of his potential presidential rivals in recent days.
“Parents ought to make sure their children are vaccinated. Do we need to get into any detail on that?” Bush said bluntly in a speech before the Detroit Economic Club. “Parents have a responsibility to make sure their children are protected. Over and out.”
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), both possible candidates for the Republican nomination in 2016, have been criticized for saying earlier in the week that parents should have some choice about whether to vaccinate their children.
–
On foreign policy, Bush faulted Obama for being disengaged on the world stage, and blamed the U.S. withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan for contributing to the rise of the Islamic State in the Middle East.
“Being engaged doesn’t have to mean launching attacks, but it does mean that engagement creates the possibly of dealing with this in the long haul,” Bush said.
