O'Malley: Don't use phrase 'boots on the ground'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Martin O'Malley criticized his fellow Democratic presidential candidates for using the term "boots on the ground" Saturday during the second primary debate.
O'Malley described meeting the mother of a military service member in Iowa who encouraged him not to use the term "boots on the ground" when referring to military strategy.
"My son is not a pair of boots on the ground," the former Maryland governor said the mother told him.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"These are American soldiers, and we fail them when we fail to take into account the day after a dictator falls," the former Maryland governor added.
O'Malley said the country must use a "whole of government approach" when choosing to get involved in a foreign conflict, including "sustainable development" and "diplomacy."