Jeb Bush visits Auschwitz on European tour

Trip meant to boost Bush’s foreign policy credentials ahead of expected launch of 2016 presidential campaign

Times of Israel

Jeb Bush made an unannounced visit to Auschwitz during a European tour.

The former Florida governor, who is visiting Germany, Poland and Estonia ahead of his expected formal announcement next week of his run for the Republican presidential nomination, visited the former Nazi concentration camp on Wednesday, Bloomberg News reported.

Bush, who toured the site with his wife, Columba, did not announce the visit so reporters would not accompany them, “out of respect for the site and those affected,” Bloomberg reported.

Bush’s European trip comes at a key time. He will return Sunday to the US, a day before kicking off his campaign with an event in Miami, fresh from a journey he hopes will show he’s ready to step onto the world stage.

“A Republican doing a listening tour of American allies, that makes sense,” said William Inboden, who served as senior director for strategic planning with the National Security Council under President George W. Bush. “But you’re also wanting to demonstrate the ability to be proficient in personal diplomacy.”

Bush’s six-day trip began with a speech in Berlin on Tuesday to the economic council of the Christian Democratic Union, the conservative party led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. A mix of public and private events there and in Poland and Estonia followed.

The early days of the GOP campaign suggest much of the party’s presidential primary debate will focus on foreign policy, given the ongoing unrest in Iraq, civil war in Syria and a preliminary agreement — deeply unpopular among Republicans — between Iran and the US and five allies aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program.

There’s also the prospect that next year the party’s nominee will face Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was secretary of state in President Barack Obama’s first term.

Bush’s early discussions about foreign policy have often drifted into his brother’s decision to invade Iraq in 2003, which some critics cite as the cause of regional unrest that helped lead to the rise of Islamic State.

Jeb Bush’s effort to avoid publicly criticizing his brother led him into a twisted series of answers about whether he would have made the same invasion decision, making for his roughest political week since he expressed interest last December in running for the White House.

“Jeb will need to take strong stands on the pressing issues of today, such as Iran, ISIS, Syria, Russia and China,” said Ari Fleischer, communications director in George W. Bush’s first term. “The more he defines himself on today’s issues, the less he’ll need to define himself on the basis of yesterday’s issues.”

Aides said Bush aims to underscore the early themes of his approach to global affairs during his visit, namely that the US ought to reinforce its relationships with its allies and demonstrate solidarity with the democratic success stories in Eastern Europe.