Jeb directed this rhetorical question at the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton, but it's actually a question for his brother, George W. Bush.
In prepared remarks Jeb Bush is scheduled to deliver today, the "smart one" will point the finger at President Obama and Hillary Clinton for creating ISIS.
"Why was the success of the surge followed by a withdrawal from Iraq, leaving not even the residual force that commanders and the joint chiefs knew was necessary?" Bush will ask in prepared remarks. [...]
"That premature withdrawal was the fatal error, creating the void that ISIS moved in to fill — and that Iran has exploited to the full as well," Bush is expected to say, emphasizing ISIS grew from U.S. disengagement.
The "success of the surge" was not achieved by the use of force, it was achieved by the use of the national credit card. But I digress.
In case you've forgotten, the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that called for total withdrawal from Iraq was agreed to by the George W. Bush administration. To the chagrin of liberal critics, the Obama administration sought to reach a new agreement with the al-Maliki administration that would have left some American forces in the country, but the former Iraqi government would not agree to give legal immunity to American troops.
Personally I would oppose leaving a permanent force in the country, but if we're going to assign blame for a particular historical event, we should at least get it right.
As for the idea that withdrawing from Iraq created ISIS -- Jeb says a void or power vacuum in Iraq led to the creation of ISIS and the rise of Iran, and he's right about that, but he's wrong about who created the power vacuum.
Invading Iraq, deposing its ruler, and disbanding the Iraqi military will be seen as an epic blunder for all of recorded history and George W. Bush is responsible for all of it.
Jeb's apparent belief that he can blame someone else for Iraq without making the country collectively cringe is a testament to either his ignorance or arrogance.
Jeb Bush will never become president.