Clinton Surrogate Jeremy Bash: 'We Could Have All Done Better' With Libya

The Obama administration, the United States, and its allies "could have all done better" in Libya following the ouster of late leader Muammar Gaddafi, Hillary Clinton surrogate and former Department of Defense Chief of Staff Jeremy Bash admitted Thursday.

"Our country and allies could have done better, but it was incredibly important to give support to the opposition in Libya because he was threatening to annihilate the civilian population there," said Bash on CNN's "New Day" program.

"Our allies were going to engage in a military campaign, so I feel very strongly that what we did in Libya to support that effort was very important."

Bash, who served in the Obama administration as DOD staff chief from 2011-2013 and as chief of staff for the CIA under Leon Panetta from 2009-2011, was on the program to discuss Clinton's plans to tout her "strong record as secretary of state" in a major policy speech later on Thursday.

He went on to repeatedly slam GOP presumptive nominee Donald Trump on several foreign policy matters and on his temperament. Further, he ridiculed Trump, who polls over Clinton when it comes to dealing with ISIS, as having "no idea what is required" to take on the Islamic terrorist organization.

"As I've talked to Pentagon leaders and military officials, intelligence professionals and people across the national security world, they're really concerned here, because they're concerned that Donald Trump has not got the right temperament for the job," Bash told CNN's Alisyn Camerota.

And when it comes to ISIS, Bash said, "we have to intensify our military effort, as Secretary Clinton has laid out. We have to engage with our allies in the region. We have to engage in cyber space, we have to intensify our air campaign against ISIS' command and control.

"Donald Trump has no clue on Earth what it takes to defeat terrorism. He has no clue on Earth it takes to get our allies together to work on a terrorist threat."

Bash also countered contentions about Clinton's failure to rebuke President Barack Obama for calling ISIS a "JV team," saying she had laid out plans in speeches going back to the attacks in Paris, San Bernardino and Brussels and will lay out further plans "in sharp contrast" to Trump.

"I think she's going to put out a positive vision about America and he's going to talk about we're a third-world country and the world is laughing at us," said Bash.

"He fundamentally thinks America is weak, and she is going to lay out a very strong positive message about what America can achieve on the world stage to protect our interests here at home."

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