Opinion

Marco Rubio: The Commander-in-Chief We Need

Josh Mandel State Treasurer of Ohio
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As a Marine Corps veteran who served two tours in Anbar Province, Iraq, I have seen the great challenges and great rewards of advancing American security interests around the world, and I remain immensely proud of what men and women in uniform have achieved and continue to achieve. Yet today I join many other Ohioans and Americans who are deeply troubled by the direction of our nation’s foreign policy, as more of the world slips into chaos and global threats to American security grow unchecked. I believe that all of us who wish for stability, safety and prosperity in the 21st century should support Marco Rubio for president in 2016.

I originally got to know Marco through hours of windshield time criss-crossing Ohio, discussing family, football and foreign policy. I was impressed by his strategic and decisive approach to the complicated foreign policy challenges we face as well as his sound judgment and clear vision on how to protect America and advance American values. As a United States Senator serving on the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Marco has been a strong and thoughtful leader on the foreign policy and national security challenges facing our nation.

From the rise of ISIS, to the negotiation debacle with Iran, to the disastrous concessions to Cuba, Marco Rubio has been vocal and active when others have been timid and unsure. He possesses a clarity in his message and a confidence in his convictions that is not just needed in America, but in the world.

Marco has proven that he will lead when popular and, more importantly, when not. He will never neglect our allies such as Israel, and will never ignore our enemies such as radical Islam. He will protect our nation and advocate our core principles of freedom, justice and human rights.  He will advance our interests wherever they need advancing – which, in our globalized world, may often be far from our shores.

He has shown that he understands the human costs of defending America’s interests, recognizing those brave warriors who’ve paid the ultimate sacrifice so we may live free. Just as importantly, he also understands the costs incurred when America fails to defend those interests, costs that can be devastating for both our people and the values that we hold dear.

As Treasurer of Ohio, I am as confident in Marco’s fiscal policies as I am in his foreign policies. Though, as he sometimes says, “In the 21st century, foreign policy is domestic policy.” I believe he is right. In the 21st century, there are hardly such things as remote problems. The economic interests and physical safety of families in my home state of Ohio are often tied to the security of cities, villages and countries a world away.

We cannot afford to elect another president who fails to realize this. America needs strength in the White House. America needs Marco Rubio as its Commander-in-Chief and I proudly endorse his candidacy for president.