Jeb Bush Rules Out Romney VP Running Mate Run
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is adamant that he will not be Mitt Romney's running mate.
During an interview with Charlie Rose on "CBS This Morning," Bush said he's not going to do it and he's not going to be asked.
"It's not going to happen, that doesn't mean that I don't have a voice, that doesn't mean that I won't enthusiastically support Mitt Romney, I intend to do that, but I'm not going to be a candidate with him," said Bush.
"Under no circumstances," asked Rose.
"Under no circumstances," replied Bush.
As for a run for the Oval Office, Bush said he probably should have done it this year.
"I've not made that decision although I think there's a window of opportunity in life for all sorts of reasons and this was probably my time, although I don't know given what I believe, I'm not sure I would have been successful as a candidate either," said Bush. "These are different times than just six years ago when I last ran."
Bush said the main focus of this election between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney should be two issues; the size and scope of government and the role government plays in sustained economic growth.
"President Obama is making a case that economic security trumps everything else and is saying, I thinks it's a false choice, he's saying if we re-distribute wealth more people will benefit through government, receiving the chance to be secure in their economic livelihood," said Bush. "Governor Romney's approach is the one more traditional, which is to say we need to create a climate of opportunity where people succeed and fail with government playing a role in building capacity, with government playing a role in providing security."
Rose noted that Mr. Obama has said he has modeled his foreign policy on his father, former President George H.W. Bush.
"I don't think he's been a good-- as good at it, if it's-- modeled after it," Bush replied.
Bush also had kind words for Obama's education policy.
Bush noted that Obama had chosen the head of the Chicago public school system, Arne Duncan, as his education secretary and they had worked to focus more on school children and less on the adults running the schools.
"Any time an elected official in the world we're in today that appears so dysfunctional challenges a core constituency not of their opponent but of their own political base, I think we should pause and give them credit," Bush said.
The comments came after Rose pointed to comments Bush had made in April praising Duncan and saying the Obama administration had done "a pretty good job" on education policy.
