Unfortunately, Bush is loved in Florida. People here still think that Bush is the 2nd son of God, not of GHWBush. When he runs, he'll win.

Can't they just leave us alone for a while?

Not gonna happen. The Tories of the Republican party just lovvvvvvve the Bush royal family. And yet they call themselves patriotic citizens of America, a country founded in rejection of a monarchy. Go figure.

Admittedly I'm speaking from an uninformed viewpoint, since I haven't followed Baby Bush's career, but I always saw him as somewhat of a moderate in a family of nutty extremists. It's true that the last thing the world needs is another Bush in politics, but you don't want to slam the door on every talented politician because of his origins. I believed, naively perhaps, that he was popular for a good reason. Maybe he's a guy who can get things done.

A Bush is going to be thoughtful and methodical about a decision-making process?

This *is* news!

i can now think of another top priority for the Obama Administration--federally banning all future Bushes from public office.

Wait, have they already forgotten about Jeb putting state investment fund moneys into Lehman right before he started working there, and the investments tanking?

http://www.forbes.com/2007/11/30/florida-bush-lehman-biz-beltway-cx_mb_1130florida.html

I can't find any followup articles (though there were quite a few from a year ago), but wasn't it kind of a big scandal that should stick to him?

Coming at it from the other direction, I think that the only reason an attractive, articulate and successful former governor of a swing state hasn't been mentioned as Republican presidential candidate for either '08 or '12 is exactly because of his last name.

A predication based purely on that disfunctional family's twisted dynamics:

Little bro went from gubnah to preznit - no way jeb could swallow the humiliation of having to settle for the senate, stepping stone or not.

Jeb's gonna wait for 2012, even if it means taking on Palin, Huckabee and Romney.

JEB! may be a lot of things, moderate isn't one of them.

He pals around with Luis Posada Carriles, an airline bomber- what would Sarah think?!

See also JEB! and Terri Schiavo, if you still think he is a moderate.

I know lots of Republicans that believe Bush has been a GREAT president. That won't change. The things that are important to us don't matter at all to them, or they are not even on their radar.

They see Bush's last push to screw up everything he hasn't tainted yet as a positive, and would welcome another Bush to complete the tasks the first two haven't destroyed yet.

So, yes - the 48% who voted for McCain (more Bush) wouls love to see Jeb in office. In the Senate - or in the White House.

"...If he runs, Republicans clear the field for him; he would have no trouble raising considerable funds for an expensive statewide campaign (Florida has seven major media markets); and he would go into the race as the odds-on favorite..."

And if all else fails, just bring in some more contrived 'felon' voter purge lists and there you have it.

Who do the Dems have to compete against JEB?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!
(sound of knashing teeth and pounding fist)
A vile duplicitous conniving motherf**cker. He consistently tried to subvert the will of the people in Florida trying to do end runs around voter approved initiatives such as class size amendments. Cut from the same cloth as GW only smarter and more evil. I just hope the Bush name is still poison in '12. He would be a shoo in for that senate seat. Never ever underestimate the stupidity of Florida voters , trust me I live in a part of Central Florida that went 60-40 for Gramps and Caribou Barbie.

Nice salvo, John R. Jeb was caught a few times on tape making statements he later denied, including the one about the amendment on classroom sizes. If I remember correctly, he said even if it passed (which it did), it would never be enforced, ha ha. Did he not also borrow money from the state teachers' pension funds to achieve a constitutionally-mandated balanced budget?

Jeb never met a tax cut he didn't like nor did he ever fail to support any program that would entitle the rich to more of the same. Yes, he's full of the entitlement his name has come to imply. The danger of Jeb is that he is smarter than his brother, thus able to do even more lasting damage. And, he's a shoo-in to win an election in FL. H.L. Mencken was right: no one ever lost money underestimating the intelligence of the populace.

Jebbie was supposed to ascend to the top in 2000, but lost his first governor's election, which he won the second time in 1998. The timing was then bad for him to run ifor president in 2000, which is why we got the Decider. Jebbie, however, certainly wants it very badly, but given Bush fatigue he was dead in the water for 2008. We can only hope that fatigue lasts a long time.

He is no moderate, and what's worse is he's much smarter than his older brother. Therefore, he's a double menace. Oh that we will be spared another Bush.

Is it possible to force sterilization of the Bush family?

Just throwin' that out there.

Okay, I'm sold. He's not a moderate, and his decision-making process is indistinguishable from GOP Pillars of Social Deconstruction models. That's the kind of analysis I was looking for, thanks.

And contrary to Steve's analysis, as a Floridian I can tell you that he is deeply unpopular with the thinking people in this state.

The bad news is that the Florida Dems are neutered by gerrymandered districting here, and have party leaders that are even more stupid than the general population.

Yeah, I think Jeb would win. The Corp Media loves them some Bushes, and that alone puts him over the top in this low-information, racist, redneck state.

Yellow Dog, what makes you think he would be "settling" by running for the Senate? It would just be a springboard for a presidential run in 2016 - I believe he is 6 years younger than W, so he would only be 64 then, plenty young enough. By then, his son George P. Bush should have had the Texas governor's seat purchased for him, and the whole cycle will start over again.

There will come a time when Bush senior will need to apologize to the American people for creating so many worthless politicians.

So, yes - the 48% who voted for McCain (more Bush) wouls love to see Jeb in office. In the Senate - or in the White House.

Well, it was 46%, not 48%, and quite a lot of them went for McCain/Palin while loudly asserting that their administration "wouldn't be like Bush's." How they managed to convince themselves of this while McCain was bending over backwards to be Bush III is a mystery. A lot of Republicans want absolutely nothing to do with the Bushes ever again while simultaneously insisting that there's nothing wrong with the Republican brand. I don't think he'll have widespread national support.

Having said that, Floridians would put Jeb into the Senate. Oh, yeah. They'll do it.

considering that the gop voted strongly for a convicted felon is this last cycle...why would anyone be surprised that somebody named "bush" could snag lots of votes too?

Clinton Tyree For Senate.

Be prepared for Senator Bush in '10 and presidential candidate Bush in '12. He's going to be pushed hard on this and he wants his shot at redeeming the Shrub family name and making a better showing than Poppy or Big Dumb Bro. It was always supposed to be Jebbie in the O.O. rather than Georgie anyway. So Jebbie still has a turn coming up. It's his birthright for some demented and inexplicable reason.

The United States of Bush. How f'n depressing. We aren't finished with them, nor are they finished with us.

Skink for Senate? I'm in.

Y'all didn't think he wanted to be governor of Florida JUST to be governor, now did ya?

Palin vs. ShrubII in '12

http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/chambliss-dynamite-palin-turned-out-the-vote-2008-12-03.html

Just remember: Jeb Bush is the smart brother.

Of course, it's not as if he has much competition,
-Z

Sorry, but why *wouldn't* he consider running? It's what he does.

Don't Republicans every go to jail when they do illegal stuff? Jeb got caught moving state money to a firm he was going to work for, Stevens almost won his reelection, Delay is still out there jockeying for position in the GOP resurrection, Rove is still working in the White House to salvage W's reputation, and Novak is still writing in spite of outing CIA agents and running over people with his car. Colson is still active and so is Ollie North. I guess we are reduced to shunning and even that won't work, since most people are just sheeple.

Oh hell no. No more Bushes. Everytime one enters the whitehouse, the democrats have to clean up their mess.

NO MORE BUSHES. NO MORE BUSHES. NO MORE BUSHES.