Jeb Bush ‘not ruling in or out’ 2008 race

December 12, 2006

The scuttlebutt over the last several days is whether the Bush brothers are split in their 2008 presidential preferences. George W. seems to be favoring John McCain’s candidacy, as evidenced by several top aides moving into the senator’s camp. Jeb, meanwhile, seems to prefer Gov. Mitt Romney, with many of the Florida governor’s team signing up with the Massachusetts governor’s campaign.

So, the writing’s on the wall, right? Maybe, unless Jeb decides to surprise the political world by weighing a race of his own (via Blue Sun Belt).

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush says he is “not ruling in or out” running for president or vice president in 2008.

…”I don’t know what’s going to happen to me next,” Bush said. “I wouldn’t rule it [running for president] out or in. It’s not even on my radar.” Nor is running for vice president.

“I’m kind of excited about not knowing, to be honest with you, just because it’s the first time in a long time in my life where I don’t know what I’m going to do. In all honesty, I’m looking forward to what the future holds, but I just don’t know what it will be.”

I have a very hard time buying into the “not even on my radar” line. Jeb Bush has been asked, repeatedly, about whether he’d consider a run for national office. For months, he’s said he’s not interested. In May, George W. caused a stir by talking up a possible Jeb campaign, but Jeb said he wouldn’t run. In July, U.S. News reported that Jeb was thinking about it, prompting another denial.

And now Jeb says he’s not “ruling in or out” a possible campaign? Unless NewsMax radically misquoted him, or completely mischaracterized his comments, it sounds like the outgoing Florida governor is at least considering the race.

At a certain level, it makes sense that Jeb would mull this over. McCain is hardly loved by the GOP base and is well past his prime. Romney’s new-found penchant for right-wing positions is wholly at odds with everything he used to say. Giuliani is pro-choice, pro-gay rights, and pro-gun control. Newt Gingrich is, well, Newt Gingrich.

Just below the surface, there’s a subtle GOP yearning for a trusted conservative who can raise a lot of money, appeal to a cross-section of the party’s factions, and be a credible general-election candidate. Allen and Santorum could have been the candidate, but they lost their re-election bids. Jeb would have been the go-to guy all along, except he said he wouldn’t run.

And now, he seems to have opened the door, just a crack. His “not ruling in or out” remark hasn’t been picked up in the media beyond NewsMax, but if it does get noticed, expect a flurry of media interest in Jeb’s future plans.

Over the last 30 years, every single Republican presidential ticket has featured someone named Bush or Dole. I was cautiously optimistic 2008 would break the trend. Perhaps not.

Oh GODS, please have mercy on us! First of all, the entire world thinks we’re enough of a joke with out a president named Jeb. Secondly…well, everything else, starting with his last name and working on down the list. And there’s always the chance Krazee Kat Harris might wind up in the Admin. Gaaaa!

Although it would probably suit BushBaby down to the ground to dump Iraq in his brother’s lap. “Heh, heh. Good luck sorting this out Jebbie, I’m off to the ranch to blow up frogs!”

  • So… let me get this straight? There’s a possibility that we may have an election with Bush and Clinton in 2008?

    Please.

    Barack Obama is right when he says we need a breath of fresh air from all the retreads and stale ideas that have brought us to this pass.

  • It’s getting to the point where I’m like that Japanese Monkey who mimicks vomiting when hearing the name Bush.

    Considering that the massive fiscal bomb Bush is leaving behind for the next pres, I seriously doubt that Jeb would survive the primaries no matter how many times Bush 41 cries. As the old saying goes: The vomit doesn’t spew far from the mouth.

  • I would love for Jeb to run – it would totally screw up the GOP race – and it would give the American people a chance to finally put a stake through the heart of the Bush family vampire.

  • Jeb doesn’t have to rule out a run for the Whitehouse. His brother has already done that for him. Who would vote for him at this point?

    btw here is another possible election pair:

    Bush vs Hussein (Obama)

    Marx quotes Hegel as saying that history repeats itself. First as tragedy and then as farce.

  • Yes, I am totally for it. If we can not beat Bush Reduxdux, then we do not deserve to govern a urinal.

    I should watch it, I never though Bush Redux had a chance either, but then again he really didn’t win.

  • Non-starter. With Shrubya’s approval down around 31 percent, if you believe the latest CBS poll, Jebbeh would face the impossible choice of either running away from his brother’s record of astonishing failure, or running *on* it.

    2012? Maybe; people have short memories. (Though, really, God help us all if any more Bushes or Clintons win the White House. We are not a frakkin’ hereditary monarchy; we shouldn’t act like one.) But with the current Bush just counting down the days till he can go home to the Plastic Ranch and drink himself to death, the presumptive next one won’t have any rationale to run.

  • Yeah, I can see America electing as president the brother of the worst president ever.

    Riiiiiiiight.

    By 2008, all the Republicans will be running away from Bush.

  • It tickles me to think that the GOP streak of having a Bush, Nixon, or
    Dole on the ticket, a streak beginning in 1952 and broken only once since, might continue.

    Throw Dewey in there, and you can take the streak clear back to the FDR era.

  • “By 2008, all the Republicans will be running away from Bush.” – RacerX

    Which will leave Jeb an opening. BG2 still has about 30% approval. That’s half of the Republican’t primary electorate. Someone has to run for them 😉

  • And have we heard from Uncle Dick lately? If you ask me, by this time next year it will be Vice President Jeb. He’ll be loyal enough to pardon W. and all of his evil minions after the impeachment.

  • If W was really interested in supporting a family dynasty, he would dump Cheney and appoint his brother as Veep so Jeb could run around the country on Air Force 2 at taxpayer expense and campaign for himself full-time. Without that substantial benefit, how in the hell will Jeb overcome the long shadow of his dad’s lies (“Read my lips, no new taxes.”) and his brother making the family name synonymous with failure, defeat, lying , corruption and … well you get the point. Jeb needs to face facts that W sh*t in the well and the family can’t go back to it.

  • How is it that the Kennedy family (some of it at least) ended up shot yet the Bush family, who is clearly not the Kennedys, is as lead free as a gallon of gas?

  • Wait….what if McCain ran as the “Bush” candidate…..and Jeb ran as the “anti-Bush” candidate?!!!

    Jeb could run saying that he’d correct all the things his brother did wrong. And 41 could redeem himself (in his mind) by backing the smart son!

    Jeb could debate George on the campaign trail! It would be unprecedented! Bush v. Bush! It would suck all the air out of the Democratic race!

    Jeb could campaign saying that the only way to save the Republican party from being associated with Bush is to vote for a different Bush!

    Crazy? Or crazy like a fox……?

  • Not only has every presidential election over the last 30 years had a Bush or Dole, but add Richard Nixon to this and it becomes every election except one (1964) over the last 54 years! Or 13 of the last 14 elections.

  • Not to mention the various targeted public-opinion polls already floated, including Jeb Bush in the coy “who would you support if the election was today?” slate. It’s only his brother’s record as a foreign-policy hand grenade that keeps him from shouting his intentions to the skies. He’d run in a New York minute if he thought he had a serious chance of winning.

  • How is it that the Kennedy family (some of it at least) ended up shot yet the Bush family, who is clearly not the Kennedys, is as lead free as a gallon of gas?

    Not that I’m saying anything, but I’m just saying that Poppy Bush has some deep CIA connections. Want to know where Bush was when Kennedy was shot? You can ask him, but he can’t seen to remember.

  • the entire world thinks we’re enough of a joke with out a president named Jeb. — Taio, @1

    You doon’t know the half… 🙂 In Polish and Russian (possibly in some other Slavic languaes; I don’t know) “jeb” (pronounced “yeb”) is the root of the verb “f**k”… Putin would have a fied day, unless he laughed himself rigid first.

  • Sure it is on his radar, of course he also has to be cursin’ brother George for messing up his chances. The presidency was supposed to be his (Jeb’s) not Georges.

  • America needs another Bush as much as Magic Johnson needs another bush. However, everyone knows if you want a good screw, you gotta have a Bush.

  • IF the awesome power in this Universe has any mercy on us, after 2008 the Bush family will disappear. However, as those who remember this ignominious family die off, and the young,who have no memories of the terrible mess this family almost single-handedly made of the world, all will be forgotten…even forgiven, and the ugly Bush family will rise again to finish off the world.

  • Bush vs. Kennedy? What about Ashcroft vs. Mel Carnahan? (OK, Bush did handpick Ashcroft to be AG after that). In Senator Tim Johnson’s office there is a picture of him standing with Paul Wellstone. In the US vs. Hitler, Prescott Bush funded Hitler and the core industries of the concentration camps. We won’t even mention Bush’s heart attack and cancer programs against the American people or his earthquake and civilian airliner capabilities. There are lots of Bush Deniers out there but no one is more easily suckered by the Bush mafia than the American people.

  • This is a Test TJIWEDNESDAY 20DEC2K6 0726 ESTUSA The Last Shortest Day (FULL DAY). Tomorrow the 21DEC2K6 the days start getting longer again around 7:00PM.
    Anyway has anyone heard about the new 3rd Party in the USA?
    What party is that do you say?
    You can see the signs along the the roads everywhere.
    The party is the American Deer Party (Doe-Buck).

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