Clinton: 'George Bush Was Right' on Islamophobia

Hillary Clinton praised former President George W. Bush on counterterrorism.

ByABC News
December 15, 2015, 8:07 PM

— -- Hillary Clinton on Tuesday praised former Republican President George W. Bush for his position regarding Muslims following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

"I want to remind us, particularly our Republican friends, that George Bush was right,” the Democratic presidential frontrunner said during remarks at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. "Six days after 9/11, he went to a Muslim community center and here's what he said:

"'Those who feel like they can intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger don't represent the best of America, they represent the worst of humankind and they should be ashamed of that kind of behavior.’”

Clinton, a former secretary of state, made the remark after assailing the current Republican field for inciting anti-Muslim rhetoric in the wake of the ISIS-inspired shooting in San Bernardino, California.

“We must all stand up against offensive, inflammatory, hateful anti-Muslim rhetoric,” Clinton said, referencing Donald Trump’s latest policy proposal to ban Muslims from entering the Untied States, "You know, not only do these comments cut against everything we stand for as Americans, they are also dangerous.”

During her speech, Clinton laid out a “360-degree strategy” to combat domestic radicalization and foreign-inspired attacks here at home, including shutting down the terrorist network's recruitment efforts online, stopping would-be jihadists from getting training overseas, preventing foreign fighters from coming into the U.S., discovering plots before they can be carried out and supporting law enforcement officers who respond to such attacks.

Clinton also called for empowering Muslim-American communities here in the U.S.

“To all of our Muslim American brothers and sisters, this is your country, too,” she said, "And I'm proud to be your fellow American.”