Jeb's Iraq Conundrum

++Why is Jeb's Iraq problem so hard to explain? His brother has often said that the success of his presidency would be measured by the war in Iraq. Now your father and brother both waged wars in Iraq. The whole family name is linked to Iraq ,among other things. What probably surprised Jeb was the lack of support he received from Republicans, particularly conservatives when he defended Iraq. He thought he had reached moral equivalency by citing Hillary Clinton's vote for the Iraq War. Then add on that he told the Chicago World Affairs Council that he was his own man and promptly named about a dozen of W's close advisers on Iraq as his foreign policy advisers. What he really didn't understand was that the issue of the Iraq War still burns brightly. As witnessed yesterday by the college student who said that "Your brother created ISIS." She referred to the dismantling of the Iraq army, which has gone on to form the spine of ISIS.

++The only way Jeb could have made a go of it is to repudiate his brother--with whom he said he has very few disagreements. And that lies the problem. He faces a really uphill road in overcoming the animus from tea party types and conservative activists. It's not the message--all major GOP candidates are for war--but it's the messenger.

++Hillary, on the other hand,has repudiated many of her own husband's decisions--same-sex marriage, three strikes you're out. She also has explained post-2008 her mistake in voting for the Iraq War. Jeb didn't and won't get any traction there by targeting Hillary.