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Jeb Bush Has Bigger Problems Than Iraq War Stumble
Townhall.com ^ | May 20, 2015 | Jonah Goldberg

Posted on 05/20/2015 5:14:48 AM PDT by Kaslin

By now everyone has had their say about Jeb Bush's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week. The consensus is that Bush misheard Megyn Kelly's "knowing what we know now" question about the Iraq war. I'm not convinced.

Politicians routinely answer the question they wish they were asked rather than the question they were actually asked. Indeed, those are the only kinds of questions some politicians -- particularly ones with the last name Clinton -- ever answer. The question Fox News' Kelly asked is the tougher one, at least for Bush, so perhaps he opted to answer in a way that let him take a shot at Hillary Clinton, who also supported the war?

But it doesn't matter. Bush should have murder-boarded every possible variant of that question. His team should have run drills on it, as if he were prepping for a presidential debate. And, he should have given a speech specifically about the Iraq war months ago to inoculate himself against all of this.

In other words, the disturbing thing about his response and the awkward effort to clean it up is that it was necessary at all.

With the possible exception of the Adamses, there's no family in American history with more institutional knowledge about how to run for president. And of the immediate Bush clan, almost everybody agrees that Jeb is the savviest.

Which is why it's just so interesting that he constantly seems out of sync and off tempo -- with his own party and with the country. My National Review colleague, Rich Lowry, argues that Bush is a "pre-Obama" conservative -- pre-tea party -- in a post-Obama GOP. That sounds right to me. But maybe Bush simply knows something the rest of us don't?

According to a recent Washington Post account, his chief strategist, Mike Murphy, sought to reassure backers who were "beginning to worry whether [Bush] can excite Republicans in the same way that many of his younger rivals are already doing." Murphy "insisted that the Bush team is patiently playing a long game, one that will not be upended by the actions of his rivals."

Bush adviser Vin Weber told the Post: "We have a plan, and we're on track to achieve all of our goals."

That sounds great, but wasn't the Bush plan to have a lot fewer rivals to begin with? Earlier this year, some Bush donors told me they would amass such a big war chest that they'd scare most of the field out of the race.

In January, Bloomberg Politics' Michael Bender reported on the unofficial Bush campaign's "shock-and-awe" fundraising scheme to "intimidate" rivals out of the race, which is much like George W. Bush's approach in 1999. W's boffo numbers, Bender wrote, had sent a signal to "Elizabeth Dole, Dan Quayle, John Kasich and Lamar Alexander to end their campaigns swiftly or decide not to start one."

Despite raising more money than his brother did, the Jeb Bush campaign has only managed to scare off Mitt Romney.

Meanwhile, the GOP primary season looks a bit like Caddie Day at the Bushwood Country Club in the movie "Caddyshack" -- just about everyone is jumping in the pool.

Bush is understandably reluctant to play armchair general refighting the last war when it comes to Iraq. Maybe he should be equally reluctant to rerun the last campaign, too?

People who've talked to Bush say he's either reluctant or sincerely uninterested in talking about the race in conventional "who's up, who's down?" terms. Bush has publicly said that he wants to run "joyfully." That's a great -- and smart -- attitude. The only thing lacking is much evidence that he's enjoying himself. Mike Huckabee's having a grand time, and it shows. Bush often sounds like he feels inconvenienced.

On the stump, Bush has taken to complaining that Hillary Clinton is held to a lower standard because she's not expected to answer tough questions. His aides press the point even more forcefully.

They're right, of course. But this highlights a problem Bush needs to grapple with: Most Democrats think Clinton is entitled to the nomination; Republicans don't feel the same way about him.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bush
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1 posted on 05/20/2015 5:14:48 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

2 posted on 05/20/2015 5:19:48 AM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Kaslin
By now everyone has had their say about Jeb Bush's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week

Keep on Diggin, Jebby.

3 posted on 05/20/2015 5:20:23 AM PDT by GoldenPup
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To: Travis McGee

I very much hope that an overwhelming majority of my fellow citizens will stay out of the Bushes in the next election.


4 posted on 05/20/2015 5:25:20 AM PDT by basil (2ASisters.org)
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To: GoldenPup

Jeb as the designated clinton loser candidate had better step up his game, hillarys counting on him,


5 posted on 05/20/2015 5:26:40 AM PDT by captmar-vell
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To: Kaslin
Jeb Bush Has Bigger Problems Than Iraq War Stumble

Yeah...like being a Liberal Democrat in a Republican primary.

6 posted on 05/20/2015 5:29:21 AM PDT by montag813 (Pray for Israel)
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To: Kaslin
Just a few of Jebby's 'bigger problems' ....

Jeb Bush-affiliated company paid Hillary $225k for a speech

Here’s What Jeb Bush Said About A Path To Citizenship In 2012 Vs. What He Told Megyn Kelly He Said

Bored to Death: Do Jeb and Hillary Really Want to Be President?

JEB BUSH WILL MAKE YOU FLIP: SAYS HE WILL CONVINCE GOP GRASSROOTS TO EMBRACE COMMON CORE

Megyn prods Jeb: Geller is no hero? Why not tell terrorists we’ll draw whatever we want?

Jeb Bush to Award Hillary 'Liberty Medal' on Eve of Benghazi Anniversary

7 posted on 05/20/2015 5:29:49 AM PDT by Servant of the Cross (the Truth will set you free)
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To: Travis McGee

8 posted on 05/20/2015 5:33:52 AM PDT by xzins (Donate to the Freep-a-Thon or lose your ONLY voice. https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: Kaslin

This is why the GOPe has set up fallback candidates in Walker and Rubio.

Anybody but Ted you know!


9 posted on 05/20/2015 5:35:57 AM PDT by Menthops (If you are reading this..... the GOPe hates you!)
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To: basil

I won’t vote for a Bush or a Clinton, never.


10 posted on 05/20/2015 5:36:16 AM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Travis McGee

Well—actually, I’m sure neither of us would ever vote for liberal, Travis—


11 posted on 05/20/2015 5:40:28 AM PDT by basil (2ASisters.org)
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To: Travis McGee

kelly.
i read the news on the net and then i watch it on kelly a day or two later....only because my wife likes her and usually interrupts a good show like shark tank.......


12 posted on 05/20/2015 5:41:54 AM PDT by zzwhale
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To: captmar-vell
Of the likely R nominee, Jeb is the only one she can beat.

I agree, they are counting on him.

The good news: He's a very bad candidate and it's already showing.

13 posted on 05/20/2015 5:45:53 AM PDT by Lakeshark
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To: Kaslin

Hopefully Bush will be gone by the time Florida has it’s primary...if not he will be finished shortly afterwards.


14 posted on 05/20/2015 5:50:01 AM PDT by rrrod (at home in Medellin Colombia)
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To: Kaslin
That sounds great, but wasn't the Bush plan to have a lot fewer rivals to begin with? Earlier this year, some Bush donors told me they would amass such a big war chest that they'd scare most of the field out of the race.

Somehow, the GOPe thinks that this all can be won with money. But November 2012 wasn't won with money. It was pissed off voters - and conservatives got out and voted, too.

Sure, the Dauphin can throw a lot of green out there, make a lot of ads and can even payoff PACs to get out the grass roots. Problem is that GOPe doesn't have grass roots. They've pretty much scalped that lawn. And the Dauphin isn't anywhere near compelling or charismatic.

He couldn't rouse up ambition in anybody without mass quantities of walking around money, frankly. He's a perfumed prince whose visage is more like a trussed up circus geek. Add his highly misplaced loyalty to this country in the form of a Mexican Imelda Marcos and you have a turd in a punch bowl IMO.

15 posted on 05/20/2015 6:07:23 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Kaslin
Okay, okay. Just to be charitable let's give him a pass on this one.

I have another question for Jeb.

Knowing what we know now, would you have signed the No Child Left Behind Act?

16 posted on 05/20/2015 6:14:21 AM PDT by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all -- Texas Eagle)
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To: rrrod; Lakeshark

I’m not 100% sure at this point that Jeb will ever ‘officially’ enter the race.


17 posted on 05/20/2015 6:15:16 AM PDT by C. Edmund Wright (www.FireKarlRove.com NOW)
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To: C. Edmund Wright
I hope you are wrong, but fear you may be right. I've thought Jeb is a loser of a candidate for a long time, for that reason I kind of like him as the GOPe approved candidate.

If he doesn't enter the race, then Rubio will become a much bigger threat to either Cruz or Walker.

18 posted on 05/20/2015 6:21:43 AM PDT by Lakeshark
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To: Servant of the Cross

I am NOT voting for any more Chamber of Commerce Liberals!!! Forget it GOPe!!


19 posted on 05/20/2015 6:29:42 AM PDT by southernerwithanattitude (New and Improved Redneck!)
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To: Kaslin

The RNC must deiver an amnesty candidate for The Cheap Labor Express.

Jebster was supposed to be that candidate, but they have Rubio as a backup if Jebster completely flames out.

The reason we have so many candidates jumping in is to split the vote to allow the amnesty candidate to squeak through.

They do not want to allow us to elect anyone who would stop the invasion/cheap labor importation/colonization.


20 posted on 05/20/2015 6:41:46 AM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Know Islam, No Peace - No Islam, Know Peace)
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