America
India 'hungry for American leadership', says Bobby Jindal
Washington, July 7
Keeping up his tirade
against President Barack Obama, Republic presidential candidate Bobby
Jindal has suggested that "non-aligned countries like India and Vietnam
are desperate and hungry for American leadership.
"From my
perspective, it's a complete failure," said the Indian-American
governor of Louisiana, who prefers to be called only "American", of
Obama and his presidency showing a complete ignorance of the changed
political realities of today.
"In seven short years, we no longer
stand with Israel. In seven short years, we're on the verge of
allowing Iran to become a nuclear power, starting a potential nuclear
arms race in the Middle East," he told Fox News.
"After winning
the Cold War, we're about to allow (Russian President Vladimir) Putin
to continue to threaten Eastern Europe. He's already in the Ukraine.
"We've
allowed ISIS to grow in the void that he created in Iraq and now could
be creating, is creating in the rest of the Middle East, including
Afghanistan," he said.
"China's rising. We've got countries that are looking for American leadership."
Asked what he would do, Jindal said he would put two brigades in Eastern Europe.
"But
right now, it's not clear to me we've got the resources to do that
because he keeps -- this president keeps -- hollowing out the military.
"And
China, we would work not only with our allies, like Japan and South
Korea and Taiwan. We'd work with non-aligned countries like India and
Vietnam that are desperate and hungry for American leadership," he said.
But
"it starts with a vision of America as playing a unique role in the
world. This president -- I think when he leads from behind, when he
criticizes America, he doesn't embrace American exceptionalism.
"We understand that America is different, America is special," said Jindal.
"We
are unique, and we're unabashed to say so. It's not arrogance to say
that we are a special country and that we are going to protect our
interests and our allies."
Accusing both Obama and Democratic
frontrunner Hillary Clinton of trying to divide America, Jindal said:
"I'm tired of this president and Hillary trying to divide us. You're
exactly right. It's by class, gender, race, everything.
"I'm
tired of hyphenated-Americans. We're not Irish-Americans or
Indian-Americans or African-Americans or rich Americans or poor
Americans. We're all Americans," Jindal said for the umpteenth time,
distancing himself from his Indian heritage.
He also agreed with
the interviewers suggestion that a recent Washington Post story "saying
as an Indian-American that you had abandoned the Indian-American
community" was a "racial comment".
"Absolutely. Look, they can't
fathom the fact that you can be conservative and smart or that you can
look a different way and still be a Christian."
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])