John Kasich: Criticizing Iraq war, but advocating another conflict?

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – "If I had known," Gov. John Kasich said, he wouldn't have authorized troops to invade Iraq in 2003.

The 2016 presidential candidate on Monday clarified recent comments he made criticizing a past war, even as he defended the rationale for what could be the country's next war: taking on the Islamic State extremist group.

Kasich had supported the Iraq war in 2002, but told CNN in an interview that aired Sunday: "I would never have committed ourselves to Iraq." That spawned the CNN headline "Kasich revises history" and left the Ohio Republican to clear things up after speaking at an hour-long forum on national security in this early-primary state.

"Based on what we knew, that's one thing. But if there hadn't been any reports on whether there were weapons of mass destruction, of course I would have been against it," Kasich told reporters. "You do a hundred interviews, and people take things out of context or whatever. It's just all part of the game."

Kasich's support for sending American ground troops back to the Middle East to fight IS appears to have strong support among Republicans in early voting states. He got applause on the topic several times from the 150 who came to the forum hosted by the hawkish nonprofit Americans for Peace, Prosperity and Security.

Still, the approach raises concerns after what some feel are drawn-out, frustrating and sometimes seemingly futile conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. As moderator Jeanne Meserve, a longtime CNN correspondent asked Kasich: "How do you make sure history doesn't repeat itself?"

Kasich disputed the notion that Americans don't want to see more American troops in the Middle East.

"I think Americans understand what this threat is," he said. "As long as we're not going to be over there in some nation-building capacity … go, take care of the problem and come home."

The Ohio governor, a former member of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, says the U.S. must work to convince Western allies to help fight IS. But: "It's not just a war on the battlefield. It's a war of ideas."

The world's religions, he said, should band together to broadcast a message.

"'If you think killing innocent men, women and children is going to get you to paradise, you're dead wrong.' … Can you believe we have a movement now in the world that says if you rape a 12-year-old girl, you're getting closer to Allah?"

Sandra Lucas-Hyde of Myrtle Beach said she liked Kasich's "hard line" approach.

"We've got to have someone who will stand up to the rest of the world," she said.

That's a line often used by supporters of the presidential bid of billionaire Donald Trump, who is leading the field of 17 Republicans in polls.

Trump and Kasich top the short list of candidates for Lucas-Hyde and her fiancé, Joe DeFeo.

"In a more subtle way, John Kasich is a little like him. When he talks, he really speaks what's on his mind," DeFeo said.