Ben Carson likens ISIS to U.S. patriots

On Thursday, at a Republican National Committee meeting in San Diego, former neurosurgeon and popular conservative speaker and author Ben Carson made a link between America's founding patriots and the Islamic State.

During a luncheon speech, Carson praised Revolutionary War–era fighters (which he dubbed "rag tag militiamen") for giving up their lives for their beliefs, The Associated Press reports, and then brought up ISIS. "They got the wrong philosophy, but they're willing to die for what they believe, while we are busily giving away every belief and every value for the sake of political correctness," he said to applause. "We have to change that."

After his speech, Carson said it was "ridiculous" to say he was comparing the Founding Fathers to ISIS. He also said it was too soon for him to say whether or not he would run for president in 2016. "I don't see the urgency," he said. "Let everybody else get in if they feel urgent, but I would have a tendency to do things the way they feel right to me."

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