As Jeb Bush Leaves Office, Big Role Awaits Him as Party Power Broker

[question everything]

(This is pretty nauseating, but, as a political group we need to be aware of this)

The Wall Street Journal

As Jeb Bush Leaves Office, Big Role Awaits Him as Party Power Broker
By CHRISTOPHER COOPER
December 4, 2006; Page A1

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Republicans pondering a political shift to the middle after their losses in midterm elections might consider the example of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush before setting their course. Mr. Bush, who is stepping down this month because of term limits after eight years in office, has a track record as one of the nation's most socially and economically conservative politicians, yet he enjoys a nearly 65% approval rating in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans. His brand of conservatism -- a mix of conservative political stands and activist governance -- has paid off for him in a way it hasn't for his brother in the White House... The younger Bush has said he has no plans to seek the presidency in 2008. But he hasn't been as assertive in batting down persistent speculation among his closest backers that he might consider the No. 2 spot on a presidential ticket.

(snip)

Governors control the political levers that help deliver a state's vote to presidential candidates. But as Mr. Romney and other Republican hopefuls begin fanning out across the country in the next few months, they will find their network of statehouse allies has shrunk since President Bush won re-election in 2004. The November elections left Democrats holding a majority of governorships for the first time in a dozen years. Democrats held on to big states in the East and Midwest and picked up Ohio, which has had a Republican governor for 16 years. In 2004, President Bush's narrow victory in Ohio was viewed as pivotal to his re-election. Now, with electoral-vote heavyweights like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and New York in Democratic hands, a Republican victory in 2008 is likely to depend on Texas and Florida, states where the Bush name continues to play well.

Florida is considered a must-win for Republicans; shortly after Election Day, the party tapped Florida Sen. Mel Martinez to be its general chairman. Florida's importance for 2008 is clear to early presidential hopefuls: Messrs. McCain and Romney along with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani all visited the state during the 2006 election season. Mr. Romney, as head of the Republican Governors Association, gave the state's party $1 million.


(snip)

In 2003, Mr. Bush dispatched Florida troopers to raid the hospice where brain-damaged Terri Schiavo lay in a "persistent vegetative state" and, over the objections of her husband, whisk her away to another hospital, where she could be fed through a tube. After Ms. Schiavo died in 2005 following a protracted court battle, Mr. Bush asked a state prosecutor to investigate her husband's role in the 1990 incident that caused Ms. Schiavo's condition. Mr. Bush later dropped the investigation, bringing to an end a series of moves that even people close to the governor considered risky political overreach.

(snip)

Mr. Bush also draws respect from the other side of the aisle. Jim Krog, a former chief of staff for Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles, said Mr. Bush deserves accolades for changing one of the weakest governor seats in the country into one of the strongest. "I've never seen a governor as tireless as him, and I doubt I ever will again," Mr. Krog said. "He breathes it. He lives it. And you know what? Jeb Bush in the White House wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen." Mr. Krog said that from a political handicapper's standpoint, Mr. Bush "could announce for president tomorrow, and make a helluva run at it." In a recent interview, Mr. Bush, formerly a commercial real-estate developer, said he intends to return to private life after leaving office. Mr. Bush said he probably will remain involved in issues that interest him, such as school vouchers.

(snip)

URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116520302535739711.html (subscription)

[fladonkey]

1. Sorry folks.....

Bush has been a disaster for Florida. Good riddance!

[Mich Otter]

2. The Bush name is so badly tarnished now,

I doubt anyone would want to touch a Bush with anything other than a ten-foot firestick.

[monmouth]

3. Agree - This is why Poppy was crying. It's over, over and done.

Put a fork in it, this nation has Bush fatigue and the Bush's have been a pox on the nation. Good riddance is right..