Count me among those who think the Bush name is too toxic for Jeb! to ultimately overcome. But what you can’t prevent is the hindsight — not just speculation about the future — that inevitably accompanies any Bush family scenarios and subplots.
Jeb!, as we know, was the anointed one. The one who was Phi Beta Kappa, fluent in Spanish, an accomplished debater and an absolutely wonkish quick study. Plus, there was no alcohol or drug-abuse baggage. He was, as Paul Begala once said of Bill Clinton, typically the “smartest person in the room.”
Had he not been edged by Lawton Chiles in 1994 – Jeb! would have been in position (as a re-elected governor of a critical swing state) to make the 2000 race against Al Gore. Instead, it was his older brother George W., who had upset Ann Richards in ‘94 to become governor of Texas, who won the GOP nomination.
Had Jeb Bush run and won in 2000, say this: Ideology notwithstanding, he would have been smart enough, confident enough and egotistical enough to not outsource his opinions and judgment to any senior cabinet members. Especially when it came to the security and defense of the U.S.