Free Republic

W. TO JEB: RUN!

Former first lady Barbara Bush said her son George W. Bush should be the last in the family line of presidents, rejecting the idea of a White House run for her other son, Jeb Bush. “There are other people out there that are very qualified and we’ve had enough Bushes,” she told TODAY’s Matt Lauer on Thursday from inside her son's presidential library. When asked whether she expects Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, to make a presidential run, Mrs. Bush said there are many worthy candidates.

CNN anchor Erin Burnett during an interview with former first lady Laura Bush that aired Monday posed a bit of a head-scratcher: Should we “accept” anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism “when we want to make change” in the Middle East? See for yourself [courtesy NewsBusters]: “An Egyptian woman, her name’s Samir Ibrahim, and she’s done a lot of things, courageous things. She’s also been criticized for sending tweets that are anti-Semitic, anti-American,” Burnnett said during a segment on the George W. Bush Institute’s Women’s Initiative Fellowship Program. “Does the U.S. need to accept that when we want to make change? You have...

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush told Chris Wallace on FOX News Sunday that there is no Bush fatigue in America. Chris Wallace: Do you think there would be any Bush baggage? Do you think that would be a problem? Jeb Bush: No. I don’t think there is any Bush baggage at all. I love my brother. I’m proud of his accomplishments. I love my dad. I am proud to be a Bush. And, if I run for president, it’s not because there is something in my DNA that compels me to do it...

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, who has remained on the sidelines since his older brother left the White House with dismal ratings four years ago, has jumped back into the political fray this week with a new book, wall-to-wall television interviews and a round of public speaking engagements. His appearances mark a change in approach for Bush, 60, who has operated as more of a Republican elder statesman since leaving Tallahassee in 2007 but is now clearly considering a run for the White House.

Former first lady Laura Bush, who is one of three prominent Republicans featured in a new ad supporting same-sex marriage, has asked the spot's creator to remove a clip of her espousing support for equal marriage rights. "Mrs. Bush did not approve of her inclusion in this advertisement nor is she associated in any way with the group that made the ad," Anne MacDonald, a spokeswoman for the former first lady, wrote in a statement Thursday. "When she became aware of the advertisement Tuesday night, we requested that the group remove her from it." The ad, from the Respect for...

U.S. former first lady Laura Bush has requested that her spot be removed from a pro-gay marriage advertisement that launched this week. The ad is part of a $1 million print and broadcast media campaign by the Respect for Marriage Coalition. "Mrs. Bush did not approve of her inclusion in this advertisement nor is she associated in any way with the group that made the ad," Anne MacDonald, a spokeswoman for the former first lady, told The Dallas Morning News Thursday morning. "When she became aware of the advertisement Tuesday night, we requested that the group remove her from it,"...

Her sister may be married and expecting a baby, but Barbara Bush is just as happy with her long-term boyfriend, graffiti artist Miky Fabrega - despite the fact he has been an outspoken critic of her family. The willowy 31-year-old has been quietly dating the Panama-born artist, 37, for the past two years - and the couple have kept their romance out of the public eye. But in this first glimpse of the pair, it is more than clear they are smitten as they pose with their arms wrapped around each other. Miky has made it clear he dotes on...

She has become a hit on the Today Show with her warm on-air presence, but Jenna Bush Hager will be taking time off from the small screen to have her first child, MailOnline can reveal. The daughter of former President George W Bush is expecting a baby with her husband Henry Hager - and debuted her bump on the NBC show on Tuesday morning. The pretty blonde, 31, looked blooming as she showed off her fuller figure as she joined her twin sister Barbara at the UNICEF Snowflake ball in Manhattan last month. And as she returned to her New...

Former U.S. first lady Barbara Bush said on Thursday that she's ready to move beyond this year's campaign season, in comments that came at an Austin conference the week after President Barack Obama's re-election. "I'm tired now of the elections," Bush, who had endorsed Republican Mitt Romney, said at a forum on America's first ladies. "People spoke. Move on, get on with it. I want to do other things and not to be ugly." Bush, sporting a double strand of her signature pearls, joined former first lady Laura Bush on a panel for the Enduring Legacies of America's First Ladies...

It turns out the calls for a stronger Hispanic voice in the GOP — more urgent than ever after Barack Obama’s massive support among the demographic Tuesday — were heard loud and clear in North Texas. George P. Bush, son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and nephew of former President George W. Bush, has taken his first step toward running for office by filing an “appointment of a campaign treasurer” with the Texas Ethics Commission, according to The New Republic.

How many Commanders-in-Chief can you get in one family tree? When it’s former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s family tree, the answer is six. According to Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, Romney’s family tree connects him to Franklin D. Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin Pierce, Herbert Hoover, and both George H.W. and George W. Bush. Romney is connected to Presidents George W. Bush (10th cousins, twice removed), George H. W. Bush (10th cousins, once removed) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (8th cousins, twice removed) through Ann Marbury Hutchinson, a key figure in the development of religious freedom in America and...

ormer Florida Governor Jeb Bush endorsed Mitt Romney after Romney’s lopsided win in Illinois Tuesday night. The former Florida Governor – a Republican heavyweight – called on members of the party to coalesce behind Romney. “Congratulations to Governor Mitt Romney on his win last night and to all the candidates for a hard fought, thoughtful debate and primary season,” said Bush in a statement. “Primary elections have been held in thirty-four states, and now is the time for Republicans to unite behind Governor Romney and take our message of fiscal conservatism and job creation to all voters this fall. I...

Former president George H. W. Bush offered an informal endorsement of Mitt Romney in remarks published Thursday, saying that Mr. Romney “is the best choice for us.” The former president told reporters for The Houston Chronicle that he supported Mr. Romney because of his “stability, experience, principles. He’s a fine person,” Mr. Bush, 87, said. “I just think he’s mature and reasonable – not a bomb-thrower.” The paper reported the comments, made this week, on its Web site Thursday afternoon. A spokesman for Mr. Bush confirmed the accuracy of the comments and said they fully reflect the views of the...

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush warned the Republican presidential hopefuls against ideological intransigence and knee-jerk opposition to President Barack Obama on Tuesday, saying they risk turning off middle-of-the-road voters. Asked by Fox News host Neil Cavuto if some Republicans go too far in their criticism of Obama, Bush said flatly, “I do. I think when you start ascribing bad motives to the guy, that’s wrong. It turns off people who want solutions.

It is a truism of political dynasties that there is a chosen heir - the one who should or would or could have been next. It is certainly apt of the Bush family. Jeb Bush is the son who was groomed for the presidency. He was the one most Republicans expected to succeed his father into the Oval Office. And today, looking at their, let's be frank, lacklustre field, many Republicans still wish he would do just that. "It's very flattering to be asked that regularly," Jeb tells me in his office at the Coral Gables Biltmore Hotel. "I don't...

Former first lady Barbara Bush said on Greta Van Susteren's "On the Record" this past week: "We've got a real problem in public schools. ... This is a national crisis. It's as bad as anything in our country." When Van Susteren was pointing out from Bush's own op-ed piece that "Texas (is) 36th in the nation in high-school graduates (and) 3.8 million Texans don't have a high-school diploma," Bush said, "No more, you're killing us." Bush was commendably protecting Texas pride as she told Van Susteren not to cite any further degrading statistics about the state of Lone Star education,...

Bush Child, in a Break, Endorses Gay Marriage By MICHAEL BARBARO The Bush dynasty is no stranger to generational conflict: father and son differed over deposing Saddam Hussein, raising taxes and the role of the United Nations. Barbara Bush in her video statement. Now it is father and daughter who find themselves at odds over a weighty issue. Barbara Bush, one of the twin daughters of George W. Bush, will endorse same-sex marriage on Tuesday, publicly breaking ranks with a father who, as president, pushed for a constitutional amendment banning such unions. Ms. Bush, 29, has taped a video calling...

(CNN) – Former President George W. Bush's daughter Barbara is appearing in a new web video in support of gay marriage. The 20-second spot released Monday is sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights organization that works to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. "I'm Barbara Bush and I'm a New Yorker for marriage equality," Bush says. "New York is about fairness and equality and everyone should have the right to marry the person that they love. Join us."

Prescott S. Bush Jr., the brother of one president and uncle of another, and a retired insurance executive who tried but never made it far in the family business — politics — died Wednesday after a long illness. He was 87. Mr. Bush’s death was confirmed by Tracey Bergonzi, a spokeswoman at Keohane Funeral Home in Hingham, Mass., a town where Mr. Bush had lived for several years. The cause of death was unclear. Besides being the uncle of one president, George W. Bush, and elder brother of another, George Bush, he was the son of a wealthy senator, Prescott...

Link only, per FR posting rules

Must have been all that love from the left…

Three generations of Bushes descended on a Brickell area church Saturday for a wedding and Memorial Day weekend family reunion of the Republican Party's most enduring dynasty. The two former presidents -- George Herbert Walker Bush and George W. Bush -- were on hand, along with the former first ladies to watch as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's youngest son, John Ellis Bush Jr., 26, known as ``Jebby,'' married Coral Gables resident Sandra Algudady.

Barbara Bush will speak out about the extreme disparity in health care between the world's rich and poor at a National Press Club luncheon on Wednesday, May 26 and describe what the non-profit she heads is doing to improve public health in underserved communities here and abroad. Bush, 28, is the president of the Global Health Corps (www.ghcorps.org) , a group she helped found two years ago with input from her sister Jenna. The organization places recent college graduates in yearlong fellowships aimed at improving health care access. The first 22 fellows were assigned to 12 project sites in East...

Former first lady Laura Bush has broken with her husband on the premier social issues of his administration and said she backs gay marriage and abortion. After more than eight years of silence on the controversial issues, Mrs. Bush said in an interview with CNN's Larry KingTuesday, that gay marriage and abortion were points of contention with her husband, former President George W. Bush. Mrs. Bush in recent weeks has been promoting her memoir "Spoken from the Heart," in which she writes about her life both before and after becoming first lady. In response to a question about gay marriage,...

Talk privately to just about any leading Republican about the 2012 presidential race, and you’ll often hear a sentence that starts with: “If his last name were ...” They’re talking about the former two-term governor of one of America’s largest states who is a reformer, a policy wonk and a savvy pol who left office on good terms — and whose last name happens to be Bush. Were he not the brother of a recently departed and unpopular president, there is little doubt that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush would be an obvious, and formidable, White House prospect for the...

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is speaking out against the new hard-line immigration law in Arizona, becoming the first prominent national Republican to do so. "I think it creates unintended consequences," he said in a telephone interview with POLITICO Tuesday. "It's difficult for me to imagine how you're going to enforce this law. It places a significant burden on local law enforcement and you have civil liberties issues that are significant as well."

HOUSTON – Former first lady Barbara Bush was hospitalized Saturday in Houston to undergo routine tests but doctors don't suspect anything serious, a family spokeswoman said. Bush, 84, was being treated at Methodist Hospital and should be released in a day or two, spokeswoman Jean Becker said late Saturday. "She hasn't been feeling well for about a week, and the doctors thought she should come in and undergo a battery of tests," Becker said. "It's not serious. She just hasn't been feeling herself and they're just trying to figure out why." Becker declined to provide details, but said former President...

Breaking on Fox.....

Jeb Bush is finally endorsing in the big GOP primary, but it's not the primary we've been waiting for. Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) reelection campaign announced Wednesday that Bush will back him over former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.). We'll continue to wait and see whether Bush feels the need to weigh into the GOP primary in his home state. At this point, though, he'd really just be piling on by endorsing Marco Rubio over Charlie Crist. Here's Bush's statement: "As we continue to face tough challenges both at home and abroad, America needs leaders like Senator John McCain in the...

NAPLES — The Bush brothers packed the house at the Naples Grande Beach Resort. Former President George W. Bush and his brother Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, spoke Tuesday night as part of the Naples Town Hall Distinguished Speakers Series. They talked issues _ everything from health care and the Iraq war to budget deficits and Social Security reform. George W. Bush, the 43rd U.S. president, has stayed out of the spotlight, limiting his face-time in public since leaving the White House about a year ago. He and his brother – the state’s 43rd governor – addressed a...

The capper came Thursday when, at the top of the 7 o'clock hour, right after Vice President Joe Biden, Bush made a rare network television appearance on NBC's Today Show. The intensely private Bush's interview with the overly familiar Matt Lauer rattled Florida political circles. Was this the beginning of a Jeb juggernaut that would culminate in a 2012 presidential bid? http://www.mcclatchydc.com/310/story/83386.html

They're kicking up their heels at the Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation for Family Literacy offices with announcement that former vice presidential candidate, Fox News commentator and author Sarah Palin will be among the published writers of note to make presentations at the Celebration of Reading. Politics notwithstanding, those who've seen Palin in person report that she is a charismatic figure not to be missed. And if you loved Palin going rogue on the campaign trail, we bet you'll love her even more as she comments on her life and reads from her book, Going Rogue. Mark your calendars for the...

Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have joined President Obama to spearhead American relief to victims of Haiti’s devasting earthquake. During a Saturday interview for "Face the Nation" at the White House, the two politically opposite former President’s admitted how close a relationship they actually have. Moderator Bob Schieffer asked both men if they consider one another good friends. “Yeah I do,” Bush replied. “Me too,” Clinton echoed. “My mother…calls him my fourth brother,” Bush admitted. “The black sheep of the family,” Clinton joked. President Bush admitted that on occasion he would call his predecessor while in the White...

As Florida Republicans struggle to define their future, a towering figure from the past has returned to call the shots. Former Gov. Jeb Bush retreated from the public spotlight when he left office in 2006, becoming almost reclusive. But in the last six months, Bush, revered by the party's conservative base, has reasserted his influence and is helping remake the state's political landscape more to his liking. In the process, Bush has dimmed the star of Gov. Charlie Crist.

Jeb Bush is unique in that he is both unknown and known. He can certainly win a GOP primary, and can raise the money to compete with frontrunners Palin and Romney. I think Jeb will be getting more involved over the next several months, starting with the Florida senate primary. I also think Cheney is a Jeb proxy, and that his attacks are meant to undermine Obama while moving the country back into the Bush/Cheney policy direction, awaiting a new leader to take the torch from the former Vice President. Remember, Cheney earlier this year, unprompted, suggested he would support...

George P. Bush, or "P" as he's known to some, is thought to be the biggest hope for a fourth generation of Bush family political leaders, with some suggesting that he might run for statewide office in Texas at some point in the next four to eight years. But, as The Daily Beast points out today, any future George P. Bush political ambitions will have to be put on hold as his Navy Reserve unit is set to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan in the coming weeks. Lt. Junior Grade Bush, 33, joined the Navy Reserve in 2007 as...

George P. Bush, or "P" as he's known to some, is thought to be the biggest hope for a fourth generation of Bush family political leaders, with some suggesting that he might run for statewide office in Texas at some point in the next four to eight years. But, as The Daily Beast points out today, any future George P. Bush political ambitions will have to be put on hold as his Navy Reserve unit is set to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan in the coming weeks. Lt. Junior Grade Bush, 33, joined the Navy Reserve in 2007 as...

PARIS, France (CNN) -- Former first lady Laura Bush praised the performance of her husband's successor Monday, breaking with many Republicans in telling CNN that she thinks President Obama is doing a good job under tough circumstances.

NBC's Today Show has hired someone with White House experience as a new correspondent---former First Daugher, Jenna Hager... The daughter of former President George W. Bush will contribute stories about once a month on issues like education to television's top-rated morning news show, said Jim Bell, its executive producer...

WHEN it came to protecting Jenna and Barbara Bush, the Secret Service truly had its hands full, with President George W. Bush's wild and crazy daughters doing everything in their power to escape them, a new book reveals.

George Herbert Walker and son, George W., Bush help Obama's service to government... Washington D.C) -- President Obam a called on all Americans to help in our nation's recovery by volunteering in their communities this summer in a video message released today by the White House and the Corporation for National and Community Service. The President's call to summer service launches United We Serve, a sustained effort to expand the size and impact of volunteer efforts in addressing tough challenges facing the nation. The United We Serve initiative kicks off on June 22, and runs for 81 days through a...

Jeb Bush will be back in DC this week to present a Council on Foreign Relations-sponsored report on immigration policy that calls for a path to legalization for illegal immigrants -- a position shared by his brother, former president George W. Bush. The task force -- co-chaired by Bush and Mack McLarty, former President Bill Clinton's chief of staff -- argues that "the failure to reform immigration laws and procedures threatens to harm America's economy, jeopardize its diplomacy, and weaken its national security." The report urges Congress and the Obama administration to undertake a new effort with three central components:...

President George H.W. Bush is set to soar through the heavens yet again. The octogenarian former Commander-in-Chief and 41st U.S. president will strap on a parachute for a tandem skydive June 12 to celebrate his 85th birthday. Bush will leap out of an aircraft with the U.S. Army’s Golden Knights parachute team in the skies above Kennebunkport, Maine, joined by Robin Meade, a news anchor with HLN, the cable news channel affiliated with CNN formerly known as Headline News.

Former President George H. W. Bush rides tandem with Sgt. Michael Elliott of the Army Golden Knights parachute team as he celebrates his 85th birthday with a parachute jump, Friday, June 12, 2009, over Kennebunkport, Maine. Former President George W. Bush, left, and his wife, Laura, wave to spectators before watching his father, former President George H. W. Bush make a parachute jump to celebrates his 85th birthday, Friday, June 12, 2009, in Kennebunkport, Maine.

What an incredible year in the life of President Bush. From the highs of inauguration and the passage of the tax cut, to the lows of the China plane incident and Septemeber 11th, these pictures tell all. So sit back and enjoy a year in the life of President Bush. Oh, and be patient! This will take a while!!!

~ USS GEORGE HW BUSH (CVN 77) ~ PRE-COMMISSIONING 090108-N-7656T-023 NORFOLK, Va. (Jan. 8, 2009) Former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara Bush, walk across the hanger bay of the aircraft carrier Pre-commissioning Unit George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) at Naval Station Norfolk. Bush, the ship's namesake, is aboard to participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the official opening of the George H.W. Bush Tribute Room aboard the carrier. George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) will be commissioned Jan. 10 at Naval Station Norfolk. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael Tackitt/Released) Canteen Mission...

Discussing the Republican listening tour conducted by Former Governors Jeb Bush (FL) and Mitt Romney (MA), radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh said they are "embarrassed" by Sarah Palin. Limbaugh said the underlying issue of these speaking engagements is that Bush and Romney "hate" and "despise" the Alaska Governor and former running-mate of John McCain. Limbaugh added they have "presidential perspirations" and called their tour an "early campaign event." Rush concluded this "need to praise" President Obama leaves him "wanting."

DALLAS -- The new couple at 10141 Daria Place accepted an invitation to a neighborhood dinner party last month. The guest list totaled eight. The main dish was chicken potpie. George and Laura Bush left their cul-de-sac in the back of a dark sedan, exited through a Secret Service checkpoint and rode down streets bordered by lawn signs adorned with gigantic Ws to welcome them home. It had been a bad week for the country. President Obama spoke on television about the burdens he had inherited in office: anti-American sentiment, two wars, a recession. But it had been a good...

Barbara Bush had open-heart surgery. She's fine. This should be of interest to you however. As soon as we get the Democrat's nationalized medicine your chances of getting open-heart surgery at her age will be somewhat similar to my chances of waking up tomorrow with a full head of hair. Commissar Obama is really pushing this nationalized medicine thing. Remember .. in Obama's mind America's greatness comes from government - on only government can provide us with a great health care system. Private sector? Forget it. If there are any certainties in our life - one would be the certainty...