Posted on 05/10/2006 3:19:27 PM PDT by LouAvul
ORLANDO, Fla. - Could there be a third President Bush? The current chief said Wednesday that younger brother Jeb would make a great one, too, and has asked him about making a run. The first President Bush likes the idea as well.
Jeb Bush the Republican governor of Florida, has one asset that his presidential brother doesn't right now — approval from most of his constituents. While George W. Bush's approval ratings are in the low 30s, some 55 percent of Florida voters surveyed last month by Quinnipiac University said Jeb was doing a good job.
The governor has repeatedly said he won't be a candidate for president in 2008, but that doesn't stop his family from encouraging him to go for it some day.
"I would like to see Jeb run at some point in time, but I have no idea if that's his intention or not," the president said in an interview with Florida reporters, according to an account on the St. Petersburg Times Web site.
He said his brother would make "a great president" and that he had "pushed him fairly hard about what he intends to do."
"I truly don't think he knows," Bush said.
Jeb Bush, 53, will end his second term as governor in January. His brother George ends his second presidential term in January 2009. Neither can seek re-election because of term limits.
The governor got the buildup from his brother on the same day that he got some bad news out of Tallahassee. Florida House Speaker Allan Bense said Wednesday that despite personal appeals from the governor, he will not challenge Rep. Katherine Harris (news, bio, voting record) for the party's nomination for U.S. Senate.
Jeb Bush has said he doesn't think Harris, the former secretary of state famous for her role in the 2000 Florida recount that clinched George Bush's presidential bid, can win the seat.
The Bush name could hurt as well as help in national politics right now. But because of that familiar name and family connections throughout the country, Jeb Bush has the luxury of being able to wait and decide if he wants to run while other candidates have to get to work early.
"Right off the bat, if he decided to run, he's got the advantage over many of the others who might be contenders," said Republican political consultant Rich Galen, who has known the family since George H.W. Bush was vice president. "He doesn't have to establish his name. He's got it."
And, Galen points out, Jeb Bush has dealt with a lot of high-profile issues including hurricanes, immigration and sprawling development in one of the most important political states.
His own father says no one believes him when he says he's not interested in running at some point. Former President Bush told CNN's "Larry King Live" last year that he would like Jeb to run one day and that the son would be "awfully good" as president.
The Florida governor laughed when asked about his father's comments last June and said, "Oh, Lord." He simply shook his head no when asked if he was running.
The brothers Bush appeared together Tuesday during the president's visit to the Tampa area. Gov. Bush was waiting on the tarmac when Air Force One arrived and greeted the president with a politician's handshake and "Welcome to Florida." The president brushed aside the formality and playfully adjusted his younger brother's necktie.
Jeb Bush introduced his brother at a retirement community in Sun City Center. They had a private lunch together with political supporters, then visited a fire station and appeared together before television cameras to express concern about wildfires that were blazing across the state. The governor was not with the president during his visit to The Puerto Rican Club of Central Florida in Orlando Wednesday — George W. Bush's final stop on a three-day trip to the state. But the president was sure his brother still got some attention.
"Yesterday I checked in with my brother," President Bush said as he took the stage. "Make sure everything's going all right. I'm real proud of Jeb. He's a good, decent man and I love him dearly."
You all are missing the point, my friends.
The whole point of bringing up Jeb Bush is to DRIVE THE WACKY LEFT POSITIVELY INSANE.
The only thing worse to them than having another Bush as PResident would be to elect the CEO of Halliburton as President.
So I say: Every time the lefties bring up Hildebeest or Even RUSS (Surrender Now) FEINGOLD as candidates, IMMEDIATELY COUNTER WITH: WELL, WE ARE GONNA NOMINATE JEB BUSH!!!
And watch them foam at the mouth, go bersrek, and if you're really lucky watch their heads explode !!!!!!
How many conservatives have decried the Clinton or Kennedy dynasty. I, for one, decry any more additions to the Bush dynasty. It's time for new ideas and a fresh name. This is not Bush bashing but simply Bush fatigue syndrome. Enough already.
I'm with you, in hoc.
And that lame rhetoric about "no more dynasties" is just that - lame.
The difference being that the Kennedy 'dynasty' is rotten to the core. They were raised to believe they were the privileged ruling class and that they were above rules and morals and with no respect for other peoples rights or even life....We see the ongoing legacy and the stark difference.
the Bush family has a long legacy of being raised to face responsibility for their actions, to be honest and just towards others - i.e., living Christian morals, not just mouthing them.
there is a BIG difference between a corrupt "dynasty" and a moral one...If Jeb ever does run, at least we know who he is - there wouldn't be any surprises - anything untoward in this family would long ago have been ferreted out.
WE also have his record to go on - we know he's capable and honest...how many presidents have we had in our lifetimes can fit that bill? (They seem to heavily on one side of the political spectrum. Gee, do ya think character really does matter?)
With the whole immigration fiasco I'd rather elect an effective conservative instead of worrying about what will drive the left nuts.
Me too; I just changed my tagline minutes ago.
I'm all for making FR a conservative site again!
GOOD one!
Thanks for the chuckle
Yeah, Speaker Pelosi and President Leahy will be great!
For Islam.
Hey come on now. Think about this way. What could a third Bush do that the other two haven't already done to, I mean, for us. Seriously.
Geeze - yeah!
That alone would be worth it.
NO MY POINT IS VERY RELEVANT
since all these threads tend to be Bush Bashing, and since this one has many posts codemning a legacy of such...and W being part of that...it has merit.
but, hey, u feel that way...fine be blind to my point.
The name Governor Bush has a real nice ring to it.
This is not a news story - what are they going to say, "No, I don't think my son would be a good president." "No, I don't think my brother would make a good president." Stupid story, really. I don't know why this has gotten so many articles printed.
Sure glad to hear it - for a while now I've kept checking to see if I were logged into FR or somehow slipped in the DU site
I'm 150% for it if it will shut up the newsbabe on MSNBC who stated that the Kennedys were the "First family of American politics!" Of course, it won't, but I'd vote for JEB just to spite the LSM and dems
Take that back!
:o)
Some things are too scary to be be funny
Tired of the Bush Bashing.
Yeah, and I get tired of all the FReeper bashing because we don't agree with his open borders policy. Bush made his OWN record. Unlike him, MOST OF US ARE CONSERVATIVES!!
There are PLENTY OF CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICANS who would make a great President. Just because we disagree with Bush DOESN'T MEAN THAT ANY OF US WILL VOTE FOR HILLARY!
I wish you'd take you a$$ to one of the 100 bush-bash threads already running - maybe on the way you can give your spell check a nudge (abandones/abandons, scrath/scratch ?)
Anyone that knows anything about the Bush family knows that HW and Babs expected Jeb (aka The Smart One) to be president. George was not on the family radar.
As a former rabid BushBot and native Texan I'm personally pretty tired of the whole Bush family. It's the getting rich off the government thing that I've had enough of. The whole lot of them have made substantial bucks off their government connections. Which is a good deal if you can get it I suppose but if anyone thinks any of the Bush family has a e "serve the people" thing going on they are insane.
Even Babs has no shame in the way she pumped Neil's toy for the schools thing recently in Houston. A toy that's back-end funded by the Arabs. And it's pretty common knowledge that HW or even Babs will get involved in a company and lend their name to it for some cash or stock. Same with the rest of the family.
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