The Next President Bush

Eleanor Clift of Newsweek has a column this week that speaks of The Christian Rights Dream Candidate and his name is Jeb Bush.

She writes, "Watching the Republican candidates elbowing each other for position on the right is a classic Washington spectator sport. Nobody quite measures up, and they all look a little craven trying. The prize theyre seeking: theevangelical vote, which is crucial to success in the GOP primaries. Republicans cant win the White House without them, and social conservatives so far have been lukewarm toward everybody in the field. Theres one politician the Christian right could get excited about: John Ellis (Jeb) Bush."

Clift recounts a recent talk at Politics and Prose in D.C. By S.V. D￡te, the Tallahassee bureau chief for the Palm Beach Post and author ofJeb: Americas Next Bush. "Jebs ambition, his intellect and his tenacity have not dimmed. Combine these personal characteristics with his ability to raise money and youve got a potent political force".

D￡te wrote a piece for the Washington Post in January before the State of the Union titled What Would Jeb Do? which is a must read for those that rule out a run by Jeb in the future or even in 2008.

She concludes, "and ultimately, if Jeb is hobbled by the myth or reality of "Bush fatigue," one cure seems certain: Hillary Rodham Clinton. Should the junior senator from New York run away with the Democratic nomination, Jeb would have a ready answer for those who lament a Bush Dynasty.

"We're going to have a dynasty either way," he could respond. "The question is: Which one do you want? My family or hers?"

2008 could take the rise of political dynasties and the political establishment to a whole new place. Hopefully people will find Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? As an alternative vision for how we can not limit our choices to a few families. There are lots of talented new voices that deserve to be heard.