Steep learning curve

Carson defends foreign policy ‘learning curve’

By Jon Prior

Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson on Sunday defended his handling of foreign policy issues as the campaigns for the White House have centered on the recent terrorist attacks abroad.

“I hope everybody is on a learning curve,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”

The retired neurosurgeon has been criticized by some of his own advisers for failing to grasp the complexity of issues in the Middle East and elsewhere. And, on Sunday, he deflected questions over his expertise by drawing a connection to continuing medical education for doctors.

“It recognizes the fact that things are always in the process of changing,” Carson said. “And if you stay stagnant and you say, 'Well, I'm up on it, and now I'll go relax,' you're not going to be very competent. And the same thing applies with being commander in chief. The world is a rapidly changing place. All kinds of dynamics going on.”

A CBS News poll published Sunday showed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has pulled ahead of Carson in Iowa in the race for the GOP presidential nomination. But Carson said he isn’t concerned.

“Well, you know, it's a marathon, it's not a sprint,” Carson said. “So, there's going to be ups and downs as we go along the way. That's why we have an elongated process rather than just a week or two.”

Carson attracted a fresh round of criticism for comparing some refugees fleeing the violence in Syria to “rabid dogs." On Sunday, however, he reiterated his comments that the U.S. should be monitoring mosques.

And after rival Donald Trump said he would bring back waterboarding in the wake of recent terrorist threats, Carson said he wouldn’t rule it out.

“I agree that there's no such thing as political correctness when you're fighting an enemy who wants to destroy you and everything that you have anything to do with,” Carson said. “And I'm not one who is real big on telling the enemy what we're going to do and what we're not going to do.”