Presidential hopeful Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) delivered a scathing repudiation of the Obama administration’s handling of foreign policy in the Middle East in front of the Republican Jewish Coalition Thursday morning. His remarks included his worldview on the fight against what he called "radical apocalyptic Islam."
"We face a very fundamental choice. Either they win or we win," Rubio said to a cheering audience. "There is no other possible outcome."
In his 20-minute speech, Rubio accused Obama’s foreign policy of lacking "moral clarity."
"Our president has placed his own legacy ahead of our mutual security," Rubio said.
He repeatedly hit the president for turning his back on Israel.
"Now, we have a president who leaves our allies feeling betrayed, and our adversaries feeling emboldened," Rubio said. "And there is no better example of that happening then what is happing now in the Middle East."
A large majority of Americans disapprove of Obama’s handling of the Middle East a poll taken before the Islamic State terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 130 people found. Even 63 percent of Democrats do not believe his strategy to fight ISIS is working.
Rubio, a prominent member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, brandished his foreign policy credentials at a time when events overseas are grabbing the majority of national headlines. The young senator’s speech was well-received in Washington D.C., where Rubio promised there would be no space between the U.S. and Israel when he is elected president.
"Today, Israel stands on the frontlines of our civilizational struggle against radical apocalyptic Islam," Rubio said.
Rubio has surged to second place in the most recent national poll.