Ted Cruz on America's Newsroom

Texas senator Ted Cruz is running for president on the Armed Services Committee with me now to Washington senator how are you and welcome back here to

America give bill good morning good with here is the quote from our folks in the Pentagon the first time it happened we thought the Russians got lucky

that it happened two more times how dangerous is the center I look at it is extraordinarily dangerous and and the tensions between Russia and America are only escalating and

and and sadly and this is a direct manifestation of of the weakness %HESITATION

of the Obama Clinton foreign policy leading from behind this is what it produces and

and we've got a a reality now that lad Amir Putin not only doesn't respect the president the United States but he considers him a laughingstock and and that is profoundly dangerous for America and the world and and

and we're seeing that the chaos and Syria and the chaos in Iraq and it

tried we failed have at it you'll be there for a long time is he right about that look of course she's not an and this is what happens you know if you look at leading from behind is one of the most honest

characterizations of the Obama Clinton foreign policy America recedes and so Russia is stepping in and taking advantage you

know I'm reminded of former democratic senator scoop Jacksons characterization of the old Soviet Union he

characterized them as a burglar who walks down the halls of the in a motel jiggling the door handles to see what's open and

to go in and rob in this instance potent as being opportunistic there's an opportunity to go Syria

to strengthen his position to become a dominant force in the Middle East and that's possible only because America

is so weakened that that that it's created the opportunity for them to do so and and unfortunately

what we're saying he is our friends and allies are getting the message that that president Obama is not a reliable ally and at least Putin you'd you know what you're getting in our enemies are

bad for America deal with what's happening right now %HESITATION we can debate decisions of yesterday what

should our role be now and what should our role be in cooperation perhaps with rush are

we now finding ourselves moving toward that direction or not now I I don't think so at all that no one in their right mind would believe Putin's assertion that he's there to help go after the terrorists you know Obama did but

it's only because he's hopelessly naive listen Putin is supporting Iran Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism there

is it was sadly to the surprise of nobody that Putin's military began bombing the so called moderate rebels that we spent hundreds of millions of dollars training ok

because his intention is to boost and to prop up a side who is a puppet for Iran and

and and that is not furthering U. S. interest now you ask bill what should we be doing we should stop engaging in the fiction of trying to find these moderate rebels and support them we

should stop the fiction of trying to to bring together the Sudanese in the shears to to to put down their arms and embrace like brothers and instead we should defend US

national security interest and do what works to defeat isis now what would that mean that would be number one using

overwhelming air power to target and destroy isis but number two we are I mean the hurts the current here on the ground there fighting the peshmerga the