Bushes name Mitt Romney as their 2012 favorite

The Hill ^ | 11/23/2010 | Emily Goodin

[Qbert]

Former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush named Mitt Romney as their favorite Republican for the 2012 presidential nomination.

"If you asked me, who was the nominee be, I couldn't tell you. We like Mitt Romney. We know him well and like him very much," Bush said in an interview with CNN's Larry King.

The former president then joked about his support, saying: "Don't want to kill him off."

"He's a reasonable guy. A conservative fellow, which is good. But, no, I think he'd be a good president, a very good president," Bush said of the former Massachusetts governor.

The former first lady echoed Bush's words when she was asked her favorite.

"I'll go with George. Mitt Romney. I like a lot of them. But I like people who feel that you can respect other people's ideas. I like that a lot," Barbara Bush said.

The Bushes were asked if their son, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, was thinking about a presidential run.

"I don't think he is. In fact, I know he's not. But, would he be a good president? Absolutely. Don't just take that from a father prejudice view. I mean, he's a good man. He performed as governor. He's well spoken. He is not an extremist. He's not a wild guy that attributes bad motives to those that disagree with him, and he's good. And people that know him and hear him say the same thing. So, I think the bottom line is he just doesn't want to try, doesn't want to do it," the former president said.

The interview aired Monday night on "Larry King Live." It got attention over the weekend when CNN previewed it, airing a clip that featured Barbara Bush saying she hoped former Gov. Sarah Palin stayed in Alaska.

"I sat next to her once, thought she was beautiful," the former first lady said. "And I think she's very happy in Alaska, and I hope she'll stay there."

[SwinneySwitch]

H.W. and Barbara’s picture comes down today!

Sarah’s, with her M-16, stays up.