Jeb Bush: Parents "split" over my potential 2016 bid
Whether or not Jeb Bush will seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 has created a house divided for the onetime first family, the former Florida governor said Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
"I think we've got a split ballot amongst the Bush senior family," Jeb Bush - who likely would enter immediately into the top tier of candidates - said of his father, 41st President George H.W. Bush, and mother, former first lady Barbara Bush. "Pretty sure that's the case."
Barbara Bush in April said that though she believes Jeb would be "by far the best qualified" contender, she maintains that "we've had enough Bushes" in the White House, including her husband and another son, 43rd President George W. Bush.
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"I really don't" think he'll run, she said of Jeb at the time. "I think it's a great country, there are a lot of great families, and it's not just four families or whatever. There are other people out there that are very qualified."
That same month, George W. Bush expressed a very different sentiment, advising his younger brother to "run," and licking his chops at the prospect of a "fantastic photo" op should Hillary Clinton also decide to jump in on the Democratic side.
The most senior Bush, who celebrated his 89th birthday last week by encouraging festively themed socks across the country, evidently harbors the same hope, Jeb suggested Sunday. In a nod to Father's Day, he extolled his dad as "the best dad, and the best man, I've ever met.
"I've met a lot of people now that I'm 60," Jeb said. "So that's - I'm not kidding. The guy's unbelievable, and he keeps coming back for more."
