Presidential Election Speeches Are High On Rhetoric About 'Competent' Leadership

The Brussels bombing has hit an unexpected quarter---the Presidential election campaigning in the U.S. The frontrunners from both parties are fighting to assure voters that they are the best candidates to protect America from the Islamic extremist threat.

Trading wins against their chief rivals on Tuesday in the primary contests in three Western states, both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump had a lot to say after the Islamic State group took responsibility for the Brussels blasts, which left dozens dead and a lot more injured.

"This is about not only selecting a president, but also selecting a commander-in-chief," Clinton said in Seattle as she slammed Trump, denouncing him for his embrace of "torture and hardline rhetoric" targeting Muslims. "The last thing we need is leaders who incite more fear."

On the other hand, Trump called his rival "Incompetent Hillary" even as he talked about her stint as secretary of state. "Incompetent Hillary doesn't know what she's talking about," the billionaire businessman said. "She doesn't have a clue."

Meanwhile, the former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who had already left the race in February, supported Cruz. He tweeted Wednesday that "Ted is a consistent, principled conservative who has shown he can unite the party."

He added another comment on his Facebook page, pointing out that Republicans "must overcome the divisiveness and vulgarity Donald Trump has brought into the political arena" or risk losing to Hillary Clinton.

Trump and Clinton had both bagged the biggest prize of Arizona, even as Democratic challenger Bernie Sanders won caucuses in Utah and Idaho and Republican Ted Cruz managed to win the caucuses in Utah.

While the Sanders and Cruz wins did help to keep the front-runners from swaying over in the election night, they could both manage to keep a comfortable lead in the race for delegates who would decide the presidential nominations.

However, the foreign policy decisions figured significantly in their talks.

"We don't build walls or turn our back on our allies," Hillary said. "We can't throw out everything we know about what works and what doesn't and start torturing people."

Even Ted Cruz added grist to the mill when he pointed out Trump's inexperience.

"He doesn't have the minimal knowledge one would expect from a staffer at the State Department, much less from the commander in chief," he said. "The stakes are too high for learning on the job."