Has Jeb's Time Come ?
It's one of the more interesting what-ifs of the past few decades. What would have happened if both George W. and Jeb Bush had won their gubernatorial bids in 1994? Which brother would have run for President in 2000 against Al Gore? Late in George W. Bush's second presidential term, I asked his father this question. The senior Bush shrugged, waving off the hypothetical. "Who knows?" he replied. "Didn't happen." Then, after the briefest of pauses, the 41st President added, "If Jeb wants his shot, he should have it. He's done the work, been a governor--a very fine governor, I might add--and if he wants to go for it, I hope he does."
That hope, it is safe to say, endures. No one who knows George H.W. Bush seriously doubts that the former President would like to see Jeb mount a campaign for the White House. Barbara Bush has expressed skepticism. "There are other people out there that are very qualified, and we've had enough Bushes," she told NBC's Today show last April. Asked about 2016 on ABC's This Week last Sunday, Jeb said, "I think we've got a split ballot amongst the Bush senior family. Pretty sure that's the case."
The former Florida governor says he'll make a decision next year. Either way, the speculation about a Bush bid in 2016 tells us a lot about one of the handful of truly influential American families and more than a little bit about the country that family has helped shape.
It's one of the more interesting what-ifs of the past few decades. What would have happened if both George W. and Jeb Bush had won their gubernatorial bids in 1994? Which brother would have run for President in 2000 against Al Gore? Late in George W. Bush's second presidential term, I asked his father this question. The senior Bush shrugged, waving off the hypothetical. "Who knows?" he replied. "Didn't happen." Then, after the briefest of pauses, the 41st President added, "If Jeb wants his shot, he should have it. He's done the work, been a governor--a very fine governor, I might add--and if he wants to go for it, I hope he does."
That hope, it is safe to say, endures. No one who knows George H.W. Bush seriously doubts that the former President would like to see Jeb mount a campaign for the White House. Barbara Bush has expressed skepticism. "There are other people out there that are very qualified, and we've had enough Bushes," she told NBC's Today show last April. Asked about 2016 on ABC's This Week last Sunday, Jeb said, "I think we've got a split ballot amongst the Bush senior family. Pretty sure that's the case."
The former Florida governor says he'll make a decision next year. Either way, the speculation about a Bush bid in 2016 tells us a lot about one of the handful of truly influential American families and more than a little bit about the country that family has helped shape.
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