2020 Democratic hopeful Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) used the phrase regime change war nine times during Tuesdays presidential primary debate in response to a question about Americas involvement in the Syrian civil war.

The phrase is meant to signal to those on the left that shes not like the warmongering establishment politicians who think all problems can be solved by sending a few thousand troops to exert Americas will abroad. Its meant to remind voters that she, a veteran of the ill-fated regime change war in Iraq, knows better.

But regime change war is an inaccurate description of Americas role in Syria: U.S. involvement has been haphazard and inconsistent but neither President Barack Obama nor President Donald Trump has tried to overthrow Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. The slaughter in Syria was not, as Gabbard claimed, entirely prompted by U.S. troops, but by Assad, who has responded to popular protests by killing those who oppose his rule.

Decrying the regime change war in Syria is also a convenient obfuscation of Gabbards own foreign policy , which is more aligned with Trumps views than with those of the progressive voters she was appealing to on Tuesday.

As a member of Congress, Gabbard has joined Republicans in excoriating Obama for declining to describe members of the so-called Islamic State, also known as ISIS, as radical Islamic terrorists a decision clearly meant to avoid linking Islam with terrorism. Gabbard also aligned with the GOP in supporting a 2015 bill to freeze the admission of Syrian refugees fleeing ISIS an effort Trump would later implement through executive action.