One of President Obama’s biggest critics in his handling of what was once considered to be a war on terrorism turns out to be a Democrat from Hawaii, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, according to an interview in The Hill.
Gabbard, 34, is a Captain in the Hawaii National Guard “with two deployments under her belt, including a year in Iraq, where she served in a field medical unit.”
She later served in Kuwait as a platoon commander for a military police unit that accompanied a brigade running convoys. Those experiences have shaped her views on the fight against ISIS and given her credibility as a member of the House Armed Services Committee.
Unfortunately, it seems Obama hasn’t had time to meet with her himself, so her criticism, if he’s even aware of it, has been issued second hand.
Gabbard has taken the administration to task for refusing to use the term “radical Islam” and called for the White House to be more aggressive.In an interview with The Hill, Gabbard said she has spoken to the White House about her criticism, though she has yet to speak with Obama himself.
“The president hasn’t called me. I’ve had a number of ongoing conversations with different people in the administration about some of these issues, both one-on-one, as well as in smaller, classified group settings,” she said.
Like many, she believes Obama is leading America in the “wrong direction” when it comes to the battle against Islamic extremism.
The Hawaii Democrat said she believes it’s important to speak her mind and not look at the issue through a partisan lens.
“If we’re headed in the wrong direction, it’s our responsibility to call that out and try to right the course and bring us back on track,” she said.
“I think it’s unfortunate — and people in both parties are guilty of this — when a blind eye is turned sim ply because it’s your friend or your party who is in a position of power,” she said.
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