Bolton: ‘We are losing’ to ISIS

Former Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said on Sunday that the Obama administration is getting beaten by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

{mosads}“We are losing, there’s no doubt about it,” Bolton told host Chris Wallace of “Fox News Sunday.”

“I think they’ve been in denial about the war on terror for the last six-plus years,” he said of the Obama administration.

“I think they’re blinded by their own ideology,” Bolton added. “They think this will inevitably lead to our involvement overseas.”

Bolton charged that the U.S. could avoid committing troops abroad by better engaging potential allies in the ISIS fight.

“I think that Turkey and the Arab states nearby have a huge state in working with us to destroy ISIS,” he said.

“The Arab states and the Turks can’t do it alone,” he said. “It’s wrong to say, ‘It’s their problem, let them deal with it.’”

“They need American leadership,” he added.

Bolton additionally said President Obama is also coming up short in the debate over the National Security Administration (NSA) and its bulk, warrantless collection of phone records for countering terrorism.

“I think there’s a lot of hype and hysteria about this program,” said Bolton, who supports its extension by Congress.

“It’s compounded by a basic distrust of Barack Obama,” he said.

“There’s a lot of demagoguery going on here,” he added. “Even many members don’t appreciate how this program works and what protections are built into it.”

Bolton concluded that protecting America’s national security was the most important trait for measuring 2016 presidential candidates next election cycle.

He said that Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is the GOP field’s least impressive contender so far.

“The candidates have to demonstrate that they understand in their guts their No. 1 priority is protecting the homeland,” Bolton said.

“There’s one candidate moving away from that direction and it is Rand Paul,” he said.

“I don’t know where he’s going to stand on any one day,” Bolton added. “His ambitions seem to outweigh his beliefs.”

Bolton’s criticisms follow his decision earlier this month not to seek the White House in 2016.

“You have to be a realist,” he said of the move.