http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=747D22AD-C343-4DDD-B6DA-9EBDEA641081 Son: George H.W. Bush wants Jeb to run
By: Maggie Haberman
April 24, 2014 09:43 PM EDT
Barbara Bush may believe her son Jeb should pass on a 2016 bid because there have been enough Bushes in the White House already. But her husband, former President George H.W. Bush, disagrees and thinks Jeb should go for it.
So revealed Jeb’s younger brother, Neil Bush, in an interview with CNN on Thursday that shed additional light on the conflicting sentiments within the former first clan about another potential Bush presidential run. Neil Bush spoke about his father’s desire to see another son seek the White House and said Barbara Bush’s cautionary words won’t affect Jeb Bush’s decision.
The comments from Neil Bush came amid feverish speculation about what the former Florida governor will do and were among the most candid, on-the-record assessments from someone inside the close-knit family.
Neil Bush described the reaction from his family when his mom said ahead of an event at the George W. Bush presidential library in Texas that there had been “enough Bushes” in the White House.
“We’re sitting in the waiting room of the hotel waiting to go to the Bush library event, and mom said that, we were all watching Jeb standing over in the corner nervously, just, like, what’s your response to that?” Neil Bush, an investor, said. “But it’s not going to affect Jeb’s decision. If you ask dad, if you ask dad the same question, should Jeb run? He’d say yes.”
When CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger asked if he’d asked his dad that, Neil Bush replied, “I’ve heard him answer that question.”
Neil Bush also insisted that the Bush “name and brand to me shouldn’t be a handicap.”
“So it’s not like it’s automatically a benefit to have a famous name, but it clearly gets Jeb off the starting blocks much quicker,” he said.