Posted on 03/12/2005 4:39:27 AM PST by billorites
WASHINGTON -- Nationally prominent Republicans are talking to each other about the possibility of getting Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to accept the vice-presidential nomination in 2008 since he has ruled out running for president that year.
Bush probably would be the front-runner for the party's next presidential nomination if he only had a different last name. GOP politicians agree that five Bush presidential nominations out of the last six campaigns would be one too many for the country to take. But second place on the ticket might be acceptable to voters.
A footnote: Florida Republican leaders still hope that Bush might change his mind about not running against Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson's bid for a second term in 2006. Nelson is considered vulnerable, but no strong Florida Republican has indicated an interest in running against him.
STATE-DEFENSE HARMONY
The new deputy secretary of state, Robert Zoellick, has met four times this year with his counterpart at the Defense Department, Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. That quadruples the number of meetings between Wolfowitz and Zoellick's predecessor at State, Richard Armitage, during the past four years.
The lone meeting between the State and Defense deputies was a one-on-one luncheon at the State Department hosted by Armitage. Wolfowitz failed in efforts for a return meal at the Pentagon. This year Zoellick met with Wolfowitz once even before Zoellick was confirmed by the Senate.
Wolfowitz and Armitage both served in the Reagan administration's Defense Department as assistant secretaries. But during George W. Bush's first term, they disagreed on broad strategy questions -- including the attack on Iraq.
MAJORITY LEADER LOTT?
While Sen. Trent Lott has not decided whether to seek re-election from Mississippi in 2006, he is seriously considering an attempt to win back the post of Republican leader that he lost two years ago, if he does run.
Lott was forced to resign the leadership when opposition snowballed in reaction to his praise of Strom Thurmond's pro-segregation 1948 presidential campaign. He has recently been prowling the Senate floor, engaging in friendly chats with fellow Republicans.
Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee, who replaced Lott, is not running for re-election in 2006 under self-imposed term limits. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the current assistant leader, would have a clear path to succeed Frist unless Lott opposes him.
GETTING JOE TO GO
A "Time to Go Joe" website in its first 10 days raised $25,905 to find a candidate to defeat Sen. Joseph Lieberman for the Democratic nomination to the Senate from Connecticut next year.
The site, featuring pictures of President Bush giving Lieberman his famous embrace at the recent State of the Union address, lists the times this year in which he voted with Republicans. That includes support of Condoleezza Rice for secretary of state and Alberto Gonzales for attorney general, and backing for tort reform and bankruptcy reform.
"He is a DINO (Democrat in Name Only)," the site says of the party's 2000 vice-presidential nominee, "and is as much a part of the Bush administration as Dick Cheney."
SURPRISING THE DONORS
Conservatives who had contributed generously to the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) were stunned at the think tank's recent black-tie banquet to hear left-wing social views expressed by Peruvian writer and political thinker Mario Vargas Llosa.
Accepting AEI's annual award, Vargas supported "liberals like me who are agnostics as well as supporters of the separation between church and state and defenders of the decriminalization of abortion and gay marriage." He said that what "was called fascism and communism" in the past, now "is known as nationalism and religious fundamentalism."
Starting with Gerald R. Ford in 1977, the AEI's annual award has gone mainly to conservatives such as Robert Bork, Ronald Reagan, Antonin Scalia, Thomas Sowell, Irving Kristol, Richard Cheney, George Will and Clarence Thomas. Last year it was won by conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer.
Its not just Democrats that won't tolerate dynastic moves.
Jeb is actually a stronger candidate than George W. was.
.....Thought it was the voters who got to decide.....
Sirhan Sirhan
....if these guys were named Kennedy and were Democrats the media would be falling all over themselves to promote "Camelot"......
They aren't named Kennedy. The reverse is true. The cities will revolt if Jeb is nominated.
All this has nothing to do with his abilities or record. His obstacle is his name.
I like the man and would vote for him
Do you think there is a state W. won in the last election that would ignore the Jeb Bush record and vote for the Dem candidate who undoubtedly is far less accomplished? I really just don't think it would happen. Bush would win every southern state, his Hispanic wife and charismatic son would swing the majority Hispanic vote to Bush, that helps in California and Colorado as well as New Mexico. Jeb Bush would win and probably in a land slide.
Actually, it's the delegates in the Electoral College who decide......
Yes, but Jeb isn't electable in 2008. It would be perceived as "too many Bushes in a row", and I agree with that perception. It WOULD be "too many Bushes in a row".
All things considered, he is the best candidate for President. He has proven himself outside of the name Bush and is a better candidate than W. was in 2000. He is actually a better candidate than Clinton, Gore, W. Bush, Dole and Kerry were. Would he be a better president than W.? Who knows, but as candidates go he is very good.
I say this because so many Senators from both parties seem to be phonies after a few years in the Senate.
How about Jeb Bush/Rick Santorum for 2008??? That would shore up FL and PA electoral votes for sure. Certainly the media would go ballistic w/ 2 practicing Catholics on the ticket...
And neither will I.
Not only no, but HELL no!
Thats my dream ticket, and I'm not even Catholic.
Guiliani--but he's too liberal for me.
It makes me sick to read garbage with no basis in reality. There is ZERO reason another "Bush" cannot run for president. Are they afraid people can't tell them apart? If so that's fine, because this one just won.
I dislike family dynasties of any flavor. The US has plenty of qualified folks without getting into the "hereditary leader" schtick.
Bush would be the front runner except only for the fact he keeps saying he won't run. Period. Gee, he's a highly successful governor who got positive press during the hurricanes, and because he's the Prez's brother, and he isn't viewed as wanting the presidency as an inheritance.
And there's that little matter of the state of Florida being crucial to any victory.
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