1. Marco Rubio
On CNN’s The Lead last September, Rubio made it clear ground troops would “likely be needed” to “finish the job” on ISIS. He said, “The chances of local forces alone being able to defeat ISIL, or any group for that matter on the ground is dubious at best… It’s important for the President to be honest with the American people that at some point in the future, this might require some element of U.S. ground power in order to finish the job.” The Florida Senator quickly earned the respect of the hawkish wing of the foreign policy establishment, especially the neocons that got us into Iraq for spouting the right bellicose talking points. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to know that Iran – despite being a favorite punching bag of this same neocon set – is a mortal enemy of ISIS, not in alliance with it.
2. Rick Santorum
The former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator, Christian evangelical, and winner of the 2012 Iowa Caucuses wants to send the troops back to Iraq: Santorum is straddling the fence between the GOP’s “small government” Tea Party and the “Muslims are coming for us all” tension at the heart of the current GOP foreign policy orthodoxy. He’s called for Obama to “double” the amount of “advisers” to Iraq to look tough without offending libertarians who are weary of war.
3. Ted Cruz
Texas Senator Ted Cruz is trying to thread the same needle as Santorum. He’s a Tea Party favorite, where 86% think ISIS can launch a “major attack” on U.S. soil. His solution: set the table for ground troops in Iraq and Syria “if need be” to “accomplish the mission.”
4. Chris Christie
Like Rubio, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has been ingratiating himself with the more traditional, neoconservative wing of the party, recently calling for an expansion of the military and a defense of bulk data collection by spy agencies. In April, he told the Military Times that he would take it one step further, rejecting the Obama White House’s efforts to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran and opening up the door for more ground troops in Iraq.
5. George Pataki
“Who?” you may be asking, about the most recent entry into the GOP’s 2016 field. Former New York State Gov. George Pataki left professional politics in 2006 - the same year our current President was elected to the Senate. None the less, he’s running for President, has some old-school Rockefeller Republican support, and wants to send our largely poor military class to fight ISIS.