Jeb Bush defends Palin: "She doesn't come from fancy pants Washington"

Former Gov. Jeb Bush defended John McCain's vice prez pick at a forum in Texas Tuesday night, saying Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has the experience to take over as president, though "she doesn’t come from fancy-pants Washington.

"She doesn’t pass the test, that annoys the elite," the Fort Worth Star-Telegram quotes Bush as saying. "I think she’s shown under pressure that she has the right stuff."

Jeb says McCain has the "reformer's zeal"

Speaking to a crowd of McCain supporters Monday at Jacksonville’s Veteran’s Memorial Arena, former Gov. Jeb Bush offered three reasons why John McCain should replace his brother:

1. His "zeal for reform" The world is "moving at warp speed and the things our government needs to rely on our government needs to reform." That includes education, energy independence and pork barrel spending.

"I want a president  that understands that every child has been given a god given ability to learn a year of knowledge in a year’s time. It’s up to us to change the system so that that happens and John McCain is that reformer.

2. "We’re living in perilous times. This is a perilous world. It’s much better to have someone who sits in the oval office who undestands how the world is who doesn’t coddle dictators and doesn’t want to discuss anything at anytime' with despot leaders.

3. "Integrity and courage." Bush said "who knows  what  will come in the next 8 years" but McCain "has been tested he will put our country first.''

Jeb weighs in on ballot: Vote Yes for kids

Breaking his silence on a local election issue, former Gov. Jeb Bush is urging voters in a 30-second TV ad to Vote Yes on the Miami-Dade primary ballot to continue the publicly-financed Children's Trust.

"The Children's Trust has improved the quality of life of thousands and thousands of children and families in our county,'' Bush says in the Spanish language ad. The trust is a special taxing district that uses about $100 million a year in property taxes to finance 300 programs and agencies designed to help underserved children in Miami Dade County.

In the ad, the anti-tax governor also attempts to assure doubters that the money is used wisely.  "The Children's Trust has been efficiently and honestly administered,'' he says. "Not one dollar has been misspent. The Children's Trust has won our trust. Now it deserves our support.''

Jeb: I would've supported drilling at $4.30 a gallon

Former Gov. Jeb Bush tells the Florida Keys' Keynoter this week that "if he'd known while he was Florida's governor that oil would spike above $4.30 a gallon in the Keys, he would have been in favor of drilling for oil off Florida's coast.

In an e-mail to the Keynoter, he wrote that "had I known that gas was going to be $4.30 per gallon, as I stated, I would have supported a lifting of the moratorium with proper safeguards."

The paper notes his disclosure came the same day his brother, President George Bush, announced he was lifting the executive ban on offshore drilling in the United States.

George P. Bush: "He's our John-John"

The Dallas Morning News profiles former Gov. Jeb Bush's eldest son, George P., calling him "the likely heir to a political dynasty and perhaps even the future of the Republican Party.."

"He's our John-John," one woman told the paper as Bush posed for pictures with young Republican donors, casting his appeal in "Kennedyesque terms."

The story says Bush says he's not yet considering a run for public office. "If anything, he talks more about having children than mounting a campaign.

"I like to think I'm establishing my own identity and own brand," he said during an interview with The Dallas Morning News. "I'm just fortunate to be born in an incredible family and learned the lessons that they have learned over the years."

"Retirement ruckus": Regier resurfaces

Former Gov. Jeb Bush's controversial DCF chief Jerry Regier, is again making headlines -- this time in Oklahoma where two state senators are calling on a state agency to remove Regier from his latest job.

According to an AP story in today's Tulsa World, Sens. Debbie Leftwich, D-Oklahoma City, and Harry Coates, R-Seminole, said they believe that the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board gave Regier a job to qualify him for drawing a $1,236 monthly retirement check.

Regier, who caused a stir in Florida when Bush hired him as DCF chief, resigned in 2004 after an auditor's report detailed favors he received from a contractor who did almost $2 million in contract work with DCF.

Jeb's oil alternative: drill but preserve the buffer

Former Gov. Jeb Bush, who negotiated the federal-state compromise to keep drilling away from Florida shores, said in an email to the Miami Herald that he supports drilling off Florida with restrictions. His suggestion: reviving the 2006 compromise to create a deep buffer around Florida while lifting the moratorium on domestic oil and gas drilling.

"I support the president's continued advocacy to develop domestic sources of oil and gas with a sense of urgency," Bush said. "This does not diminish the long term need to conserve and develop alternative sources of energy.

"I would encourage Congress to reconsider the common sense plan that Congressman Pombo and I worked on in 2006. The proposal would have provided a 100 mile buffer of permanent protection around the state from Jacksonville to Pensacola and, at the same time, would have opened up millions of acres in the energy rich Central Gulf for new exploration."

See today's Herald on the rising Republican rift over oil driling, and the nuts and bolts questions surrounding drilling off Florida's coast.

End of Bush dynasty? Not with Jeb, prez says

In an interview with British television's Sky News, President George Bush is asked about whether this is the end of the Bush dynasty and responds, not with Jeb around.

More precisely, the quote was: "Well, we've got another one out there who did a fabulous job as governor of Florida, and that's Jeb," he said. "But you know, you better ask him whether or not he's thinking of running. But he'd be a great president."

Auditors: Jeb played no role in SBA meltdown

Suspicions former Gov. Jeb Bush played a role in steering the State Board of Administration into toxic investments seemed to be put to rest at an early morning meeting of the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee on Tuesday.

In a quick review of an audit seeking to explain how the SBA-administered Local Government Investment Pool sparked a $16 billion a run on the fund in November, auditor Tom Heseltine, with accounting firm Clifton Gunderson, was succinct when answering a question from Republican Rep. Carl Domino, the alternating committee chair.

Domino asked whether Bush, who sits on the board of investment bank Lehman Brothers which sold some investments to the SBA, had any influence on the decision to purchase certain securities.

Said Heseltine: "We were aware that was a concern. We made inquiries of management. We looked at certain documentation. We have no indication that would reveal that that was any issue."
       --Monica Hatcher

Jeb at the Broken Spoke Ranch for western White House wedding?

President Bush hosts a reception tonight at his Broken Spoke Ranch in Crawford with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and his wife, Columba among the attendees.

With Bush's parents in town as well, the press was led to speculate that there might be "some family wedding planning going on." Bush's daughter, Jenna, is engaged to be married.

But press spokesman Scott Stanzel was mum on the impending nuptials.

"I would refer you to the First Lady's office for all things wedding planning," he said.

Jeb on Heston: Without you, "it's safe to say my brother may not have been president of the United States."

The Associated Press, chronicling the late Charlton Heston's considerable success in the gun-rights movement, notes a 2003 tribute from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, speaking as Heston stepped down after five years as president of the National Rifle Association.

"Were it not for your active involvement," Bush told the actor/gun rights activist, "It's safe to say my brother may not have been president of the United States."

The story notes that it was in the 2000 campaign that the NRA went after Al Gore "with a vengeance.

"As he had once lifted Moses' staff in 'The Ten Commandments,' Heston held a musket above his head and dared Gore from afar to pry it 'from my cold dead hands.' "

"Gore lost blue-collar votes to Bush in an election so close any setback was perilous," the story notes. "The key finding from 2000: About half of voters were from gun-owning households, and they voted for Bush by 61 percent to 36 percent. Voters from households without guns backed Gore 58-39.

Ever since, Democrats in presidential and many congressional and governors' races have scrambled to establish their bona fides as hunters, if they can, or as admirers of firearms or the Second Amendment if they can't."

Jeb finds Democratic do-over proposal "ironic" in the wake of 2000 battle

Former Gov. Jeb Bush has weighed in on the Democratic Party do-over dilemma in Florida, as well as several other topics, in an interview with Florida Baptist Witness.

Given the anger over the 2000 vote and the mantra of "count every vote,'' Bush said he finds it "ironic beyond belief" the battle over the Florida vote and said the Democratic Party created a hole of "their own doing."

"My thoughts are filled with irony that every vote should count," Bush said with a broad smile. “I mean this brings back memories of hyperbole and anger, mock anger …. It was a political circus for several years running, people trying to stoke the anger of a group of voters."

He also said that John McCain can rally conservative voters to his campaign for president if he lays out a "21st Century version of conservative thinking" and he contrasts his proposals with those being offered by either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. In expressing a theme he himself advocated in the waning days of his time as governor, Bush repeated that being conservative doesn't mean just being against things but it also means "pro-actively advocating" reforms.

Rubio has heard from Bush about education shakeup

House Speaker Marco Rubio said Friday that he has talked with former Gov. Jeb Bush about a proposed constitutional amendment that would return Florida to an elected education commissioner and undo the authority of the Board of Governors.

Rubio, who has been seen as a successor to Bush's conservative tradition, said he understands the governor's concerns that it would weaken the power of the governor and politicize education. Rubio, however, said "I think it's an idea that warrants serious consideration and lots of debate."

But Rubio was quick to add: "It doesn't mean it's going to pass, it means there will be debate." Rubio also brushed aside any idea that the House may be moving along the measure as something that can be traded for something else since it is a top priority for Senate President Ken Pruitt. Rubio noted that an amendment takes a three-fifths vote and it can't be traded for just another bill. When then asked if it could be traded for a property tax amendment, Rubio said the House "doesn't work that way" and that the two issues have nothing to do with each other.

Rubio's comments came right after the House Schools and Learning Council voted 9-6 to approve the amendment largely along partisan lines. Rep. Bill Proctor, a St. Augustine Republican and former president of Flagler College, joined with Democrats in opposing the measure.

Jeb urges a no vote on Pruitt's amendment

Marking the first time he has waded back into the thick of Tallahassee issues since leaving office, former Gov. Jeb Bush told The Miami Herald that he is opposed to a sweeping education constitutional amendment being proposed by current Senate President Ken Pruitt and sponsored by Sen. Lisa Carlton.

Bush's Foundation for Florida's Future is already urging members of the Senate Education PreK-12 Committee to vote against the measure when it meets later Wednesday, or strip the amendment of the provisions opposed by Bush's organization.

The Foundation does not like the idea of returning to an elected commissioner, saying it will weaken the power of the office of Governor, politicize education, and give the Legislature less control over education policy. Read the Foundation position on the amendment here: Download sjr_2308.doc

This now marks a second opponent to the amendment, which on Tuesday drew criticism from the Board of Governors who said it would be bad for the state's university system because it strips the appointed panel of its power. But the Foundation position paper makes it clear that the former governor and his allies are not taking a position on that part of the legislation.

Dave Barry's encounter with Barbara Bush

The Herald columnist was in Washington this week and at an event just blocks from the White House, the Washington Examiner reports,  "let attendees in on his favorite story about the president’s mom.

"When he first met Bush family matriarch Barbara Bush," the newspaper wrote, "His brain apparently lost control of his mouth and he blurted out, 'I shop at the same supermarket as your son Jeb!'

"She looked at me and said, 'I don’t give a [expletive deleted],' " recounted Barry. "With her eyes, of course. Not her mouth."

Check out the Examiner for Barry's takes on Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Jeb comes back to talk about education

Former Gov. Jeb Bush will hold a national summit on education this coming June in Orlando where for two days there will be "provocative discussions and debates on topics important to the future of education in America."

The keynote speakers include Barbara Bush, journalist John Stossel and Pennsylvania State Senator Tony Williams, a Democrat. The national summit marks for now the former governor first's big initiative inside his home state since he left office. Bush has spent much of the past year criss-crossing the globe and making speeches outside of Florida.

The announcement of the summit coincides with the official unveiling of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, a non-profit organization whose executive director will be former top Bush aide Patricia Levesque. This foundation is planning on giving cash awards to as many as 100 teachers at a ceremony this fall.

Louisiana gov picks Jeb's wonk as health secretary

Alan Levine, the health care policy wonk under former Gov. Jeb Bush who rocketed to the top job at the North Broward Hospital District in 2006, has taken the job as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals under Gov.-elect Bobby Jindal.

It's an interesting move for Levine, who is now likely to abandon his key committee chairmanship on the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission. He'll take a cut in salary, down from the $550,000 he now makes. He'll be filling the post Jindal once held, and he'll take the helm of a hurricane-tattered health care system in a cash-strapped state with 21 percent of its residents uninsured and a fiscally conservative governor. Sound familiar?

Levine, 40, has always enjoyed a challenge, and the spotlight -- and he's likely to find himself in it often as he helps rebuild the $7.7 billion agency.  Here's the AP story.

Jeb makes Christmas-time visit to Holy Land

According to the Jerusalem Post, former Gov. Jeb Bush, his wife Columba, and his children are arriving Monday in Israel. The visit comes two weeks before older brother President George W. Bush is scheduled to make his first trip to the country since he became President.

The Post describes the trip as a "private visit" that will include stops in Massada, Nazareth and a tour of the northern border with Deputy Chief of General Staff. Maj.-Gen. Dan Harel. Bush is scheduled to meet Monday with Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik and a number of Knesset members.

Health care chief puts brakes on Bush Medicaid fix

The head of the Agency for Health Care Administration has just said that he is not recommending the expansion of the Medicaid reform pilot program beyond the five counties it is currently running in. Former Gov. Jeb Bush pushed through the ambitious effort to overhaul the entitlement program, but the Florida Legislature was reluctant to give Bush the ability to install the program statewide.

"We will continue to monitor the progress of the pilot and communicate with stakeholders in the program to gather the information necessary to make sound recommendations to Governor Crist and the Legislature,'' said Dr. Andrew Agwunobi.

Jeb joins board of another financial firm

CNLBankshares, a privately held, Orlando-based banking company, has announced it has named former Gov. Jeb Bush to its board of directors. The company has seven branches, all in Florida.

Earlier this year, the former governor joined the boards of Tenet Health Care and Lehman Brothers.

Kick their a---- out Part II?

Former Gov. Jeb Bush was the featured speaker at the Union Club in Manhattan this afternoon where he was given the "urban innovator award" by the Manhattan Institute, but the press wasn't allowed to listen to the event at the time. It turns out that while the Manhattan Institute invited reporters to listen to Bush, club leaders demanded that the reporters be removed, according to a posting on the N.Y. Times website. Read more about this here.

Of course Bush once demanded that reporters be removed from the office of Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan after then Sen. Kendrick Meek and Rep. Tony Hill staged a sit-in to protest Bush's end of affirmative action. Bush was caught on camera saying "kick their a---- out."

But the Manhattan Institute wound up posting audio from the entire speech.

During his introduction, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg joked that he and Bush were spending quite a lot of time together, including even on the golf course. Bloomberg wondered whether Jeb would be willing to give up the "alligators" and "mosquitoes" for NYC. "So long Boca, hello Brooklyn," Bloomberg quipped.

Bush spent his time talking mostly about his education initiatives while governor and it included many of the classic Bush lines about "rising student achievement." But he then outlined nine steps that he said needed to be undertaken in order to continue reforming education, including offering a "literacy based voluntary prekindergarten" program, expanding school choice, and paying teachers and principals for performance.

But Bush also spent time on a subject he did not talk a lot about while he was governor: The role of higher education. Bush criticized universities for not doing more to graduate students in four years, saying the current graduation rates are a "bad outcome" and he questioned the supremacy of U.S. universities. "MIT is the best in the world, Johns Hopkins perhaps may be the best in the world, the University of Miami's football team used to be the best in the world, but general universities are not the best in the world anymore." Bush also complained universities are not producing the types of professionals needed in the workplace.

And in a nod to the ongoing battle over tuition, Bush also wondered how universities could have a 375 percent increase in tuition the last 20 years and yet complain "they are not getting enough money."

Jeb to conservatives: knocking immigration is dumb and stupid

In a fascinating interview with Peter Robinson of the Hoover Institute, former Gov. Jeb Bush explains his theory on conservatism and his term as governor. Bush says the key to his success was "that I had the courage of my convictions" and came into office with a mandate.

He predictably uses the amorphous word "liberal" as if it means the same thing to everyone and is, by his implication, evil. He does a better job of explaining the nuances of conservatism. He admits his conservatism is a practical conservatism: "Political ideology needs to be tempered with the need to get stuff done.'' He talks about how he was more conservative than the Florida electorate and says "that gave me great joy" because it "got the liberal press."

On immigration: Asked about Samuel Huntington, Harvard professor, who says the in-flow of Hispanic immigrants to the nation and Florida becoming two cultures and two people? His answer: "Prof. Huntington needs to get out of the zip code of Cambridge. So does (U.S. Rep.) Tom Tancredo and so do politicians that use this as a wedge issue. It's a loser, and if you believe in conservative principles and you want conservaitves to win, to totally 'dis' on a group that is the only group that is growing in our country and is as American as any other group, we do it as our peril. It's wrong and it's stupid, and the combination of being incorrect and stupid is very dangerous in politics."

On education: "We're going to get our clocked cleaned by places not far off from here,'' so "you have to temper this idea of federalism with the notion this has to be a top priority."

On vouchers: "You can't acheive everything you want but we've achieved more in Florida than any other state so far."

On war in Iraq: "Here's where conservatism has kind of vectored off...Do we sit back and wait 'til we're attacked again before we respond again. Talk about naive idealism. That's just naive. Most people today believe we are safer today than we were on Sept. 11, 2001 and what we do in Iraq is producing results."

Bush gives Bloomberg an 'A'

Talk of former New York City Michael Bloomberg running for president has died down since he became an independent four months ago, but he gets some good PR from conservative standard-bearer Jeb Bush in today's New York Post.

The former Florida governor and business news magnate have joined forces several times over the past year to tout their school accountability mantra. Bush's column is here.

Jeb in South Carolina -- shades of his Foundation and 100 Ideas?

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush continues his busy schedule on the lecture circuit, this time making an appearance at a fundraiser for South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford who has launched a campaign there to reform state government. More here.

According to The State in Columbia, Bush was the headliner speaker at three $500-a-head fundraisers for Reform SC, a nonprofit group that plans a multimedia advertising campaign. The goal is to "create a network of voters discussing the need to change state government'' in time for next spring's General Assembly elections.

The nonprofit group, the campaign-like attempt to promote reform, and the apparent disdain for press coverage, all have shades of Jeb in Florida -- from Jeb's Foundation for Florida's Future, which he used to launch his education reforms. Sanford's populist push for a reform platform, financed by party and wealthy donors, is also very reminiscent of House Speaker Marco Rubio's 100 Innovative Ideas for Florida's Future, which the speaker used as a fundraising and political platform for his term.

Jeb gets a shout-out from POTUS

President George W. Bush, about to deliver remarks on free trade in Miami, started off with a quip about his brother, the former governor of Florida.

"I've been looking for my little bro,'' he said as the crowd chuckled. "He must have finally found work.'' He added: "Just kidding Jeb."

Jeb watch: Bush headed to Seattle to get award

Former Gov. Jeb Bush is headed to Seattle later this month where he will be the 2007 Columbia Award recipient at the Washington Policy Center's annual dinner on Sept. 27. Washington Policy Center bills itself as a  "non-partisan, free-market state based think-tank," but it appears the group gets a lot of praise from conservatives such as George Will and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Jeb to help out Gov. Sanford in South Carolina

Former Gov. Jeb Bush has apparently agreed to appear at a fundraiser on Oct. 16 on behalf of ReformSC, a group started up by South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford whose goal appears to be to focus on legislators who have been opposed to Sanford's legislative agenda, which includes widening school choice programs and restructuring state government.

An e-mail from Sanford's chief of staff, and reprinted by a South Carolina political website, says that Reform SC's "sole purpose is to provide information _ through television, direct mailings, radio etc. _ in the belief that if people understand what is truly happening in Columbia, then they will have a greater reason to demand things change.''

Another corporate board for Jeb

Dow Jones reports today that Lehman Brothers has appointed Jeb Bush to its private equity advisory board in what is seen by some in the financial world as an attempt to influence Congress and the president as the company joins others in the fight over regulation of private equity issues.

This will be the second mega board that will seat the former Florida governor. Tenet Health Care announced in March it had named Bush to its board, paying him a hefty annual compensation of $450,000 a year. No word yet on how much the securities company is going to pay him.

Letterman: What could be more fascinating than Jeb?

Former Gov. Jeb Bush made David Letterman's list last night of the top 10 "good things about marrying into the Bush family."

The list comes on the heels of presidential daughter Jenna's engagement announcement.

Florida's former governor came in at No. 4: "What could be more fascinating than learning what makes Jeb tick?"

The other 9 here.

Jeb in Maine: "I don't have ambition in politics."

Speaking in South Portland before a conservative think tank, the former Florida governor sidestepped questions about his political future - even after a suggestion that he consider running for governor, of Maine.

"Have you ever had a dream? I actually had one that came true. It just ended," Bush said, referring to his two terms as Florida governor. "I don't have ambition in politics. I love policy, the advocacy of ideas. I love to implement big ideas. I love dysfunctional things and making them work."

Read more of the article in the Portland Press Herald  here

Rove redux for Jeb Bush in 2012?

Presidential adviser Karl Rove, described in today's Wall Street Journal as President Bush's political alter ego, tells the paper he's got "no specific job plans" after he leaves the White House at the end of the month.

So will the man who engineered Bush's election and re-election return to back another Bush?

"Asked what about Jeb Bush in 2012," the Journal reports, "Mr. Rove first says with a tone of skepticism, 'Ask Jeb.' Then he adds, 'You better get a younger man. My wife would kill me.' "

Jeb: Jesus was my best political advisor

Former Gov. Jeb Bush, according to LifeSiteNews.com told an Atlanta crowd this summer that "Jesus was my best political advisor" and that on Election Night 2000 "I prayed in the governor's mansion at 2 o'clock in the morning when it was total chaos," he said as the crowds broke into applause.

Bush made his remarks at the 11th Annual Youth and Family Conference sponsored by the Catholic group Regnum Christi. He also told those assembled that "I don't think you can separate your personal faith from your public actions, and I don't think you need to. I think transparent, openly expressing your faith is a good thing." To read more about it, go here.

Dismantling of One Florida?

Buried deep in the proposed budget cuts submitted this week by the Department of Management Services is a proposal to slash by 33 percent the Office of Supplier Diversity, a move that would cut 7 jobs and $442,000.

This is the office that was set up by Gov. Jeb Bush to help shepherd his controversial One Florida plan _ which ended affirmative action in university admissions and ended preferences for minority vendors. In order to rebuff critics about the move, Bush established the office, whose job is to recruit and register minority vendors and to link them up with state contracts. During his tenure as governor, Bush pointed to the growing number of minority contracts that grew up under his watch as proof that affirmative action was not needed.

Gov. Charlie Crist has kept Bush's executive orders on One Florida intact since becoming governor. But one of the criticisms leveled by state lawmakers such as then Sen. Kendrick Meek was that the safeguards lauded by Bush to help minorities would eventually be dismantled once he left office.

Jeb does his Jamaica thing

Former Gov. Jeb Bush was in Jamaica on Wednesday, talking about radical transformation, capitalism, and of course, education. The president's brother also said it's important to have a "healthy disrespect" for the status quo.

According to the Jamaica Observer, Bush said: "A lot of times, the way we do things is because we have been doing it that way before, not because it is rational, not because it improves the human condition or creates the chance for people to pursue their dreams, but because we have been doing it that way. So in a world where change is happening a lot, whether the government is changing or not, it is important for leadership to have a healthy disrespect for the status quo."

Read more here

Jeb and Columba to speak at Catholic youth encounter

Another addition to the calendar of former Gov. Jeb Bush. The Catholic archdiocese of Atlanta has announced that Bush and his wife Columba will be the keynote speakers on July 28th at the 11th annual Youth and Family Encounter that will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The conference is organized by priests of the Legionaires of Christ and members of Regnum Christi, an apostolic movement of lay people, deacons and priests established by the order.

More globetrotting with Jeb

Former Gov. Jeb Bush is keeping up a busy travel schedule. Since stepping down from office in January, he's been to South Korea, Chile, Brazil, and he also attended a formal white tie dinner for Queen Elizabeth II in the White House. Next stop: Jamaica.  The Jamaica Observer reports that Bush will speak at the fourth annual Scotiabank Lecture Series being held July 18 in New Kingston. Bush will speak on "confronting radical change to bring future economic rewards."

Jeb: Still in demand

The University of Mobile scrapped plans for syndicated conservative columnist Cal Thomas to speak at a scholarship banquet when it found out Florida's former governor was available, the Mobile Press-Register reports.

Last month, the private, Baptist-affiliated school said Thomas would speak at the banquet. "But when university officials learned last week that Bush was available, spokeswoman Kathy Dean said, they 'jumped on' the opportunity.

"While Cal Thomas would be a great draw," Dean was quoted as saying, "Jeb Bush would be an even greater draw for us."

She wouldn't say how much the school is paying the former governor.

Lil' Jeb and the fridge

The Washington Post pans a new Comedy Central series, Lil' Bush, that depicts President Bush as a "rascally little boy living in the White House..."

The characters include the president's brother, former Gov. Jeb Bush, "depicted as an absolute idiot prone to getting his head stuck in the freezer..."

The Post finds few laughs.

Jeb and Columba, the face of gay marriage?

A coalition of groups that support gay marriage is using pictures of prominent couples like the former Florida governor and his wife to bolster its argument that marriage should be available to everyone.

The ads mark the 40th anniversary of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that dropped restrictions on interracial marriages. A backer of the governor, who supports a gay marriage ban, calls the ads "silly."

See the ads and read more about them here

Discuss at fellow Herald blogger Steve Rothaus' Gay South Florida.

Jeb defends FCAT and A+ plan

Responding to his week's revelations by the Department of Education that there were problems with the 2006 FCAT scores, former Gov. Jeb Bush is using his own website to defend the high-stakes test and his A+ reforms that he put in place in 1999.

Bush, who set up the Foundation for Florida's Future to promote his education reforms, says in his message that a "one year problem" is not a reason to junk the accountability measures included in the A+ plan. The A+ plan uses scores from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test to reward high-performing schools and sanction low-performing ones.

"The question before Floridians today is, do we want to go back to the way it was before accountability? Bush asks.

Bush continues that "Florida is now headed in the right direction" and that "success requires continual reform."

Crist tackles Bush legacy in the end zone

Drop and give me 20 -- and maybe you'll do better in school, lose weight and worry a little less about the FCAT. Read Beth Reinhard's column here about Gov. Charlie Crist's bill-signing ceremony at the Miami Dolphins training camp for a new law requiring elementary schools to offer 30 minutes of PE every day.

Jeb: Working out, losing weight and not talking about Charlie

Former Gov. Jeb Bush, looking tan and leaner than his Tallahassee days, gave a lengthy interview to Eliott Rodiriguez of CBS 4 in Miami that aired last Friday. Bush used the opportunity to talk primarily about ethanol, but he also spoke about his adjustment to domestic life, his own political future, and property taxes.

On domestic life: "I'm in charge of the dry cleaning." Bush also said he has lost weight because he works out every day now, including playing golf and jogging. He joked that he has told friends  "it's easier to gain weight when you don't have to cook it yourself."

On his political future, Bush says he has no plans to run for anything. He said his main project right now was trying to "find the right job." On state politics, including Gov. Charlie Crist, he was mostly mum: "It's not healthy. It's not fair to the new guy, either, but it's not healthy to me."

However, Bush did say that he liked House Speaker Marco Rubio's original proposal to swap a higher sales tax for getting rid of property taxes on homestead property. Bush said he thought it would create "a huge economic surge for the state." (The interview was done before Rubio unveiled his new plan that no longer calls for the swap.)

Nice work and Jeb can get it

Former Gov. Jeb Bush was officially elected yesterday to the board of Tenet Healthcare, a part-time job that will reap more than $450,000 a year. Read the full story here.

A columnist at TheStreet.com calculated that Bush would earn $36,500 a day for 13 hours of work a year.

How do those Gershwin lyrics go again?

Jeb meets the Queen

Former Gov. Jeb Bush and his wife, Columba, will be among the 134 guests at tonight's state dinner at the White House in honor of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip.

The dinner is said to be the social event of the governor's brother's tenure - white tie and all.

Other guests include former First Lady Nancy Reagan, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, golfer Arnold Palmer and violinist Itzhak Perlman. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also made the cut.

Jeb and Graham weigh in on prop tax debate

Former Gov. Jeb Bush has broken his silence on Florida government since he left in January and tells the Herald that of all the plans out there to revamp Florida's property tax code, he likes the one being pushed by the House.

"It would be a great boost to our economy. It would help with our economic development efforts. It would provide relief to homeowners and property owners in general,'' Bush said. That should come as no surprise since most of the key budget and tax advisors to the former governor are now employed or on contract with the House.

Former Gov. Bob Graham has another approach. He thinks completely eliminating property taxes as a revenue source is a bad idea. Read more here.

Jeb Bush joins Tenet board of directors

In his first publicized business activity since leaving office in January, former Gov. Jeb Bush is joining the board of Tenet Healthcare, the national hospital that has been working to clean up its image and performance since dealing with widespread allegations of fraud.

''As I researched Tenet, I have been very impressed by the company's commitment to improving patient care as well as the board's commitment to strong corporate governance and transparency,'' Bush said in a prepared statement released by Tenet Thursday morning.

``I care deeply about the future of healthcare in this country, and I'm delighted to be affiliated with Tenet, a leading company in this field.''

The hospital chain has been struggling to emerge from a series of legal and financial problems. Earlih, it paid $10 million to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into Medicare fraud allegations. Last year, it reached an agreement with the federal government to pay $900 million to settle allegations of Medicare fraud.

Bush earlier announced he was teaming with other civic leaders to form the Interamerican Ethanol Commission, to support development of the fuel, but that group is considered an advisory organization, not a business.

  ~ By John Dorschner

After UF snub, House stands up for Jeb Bush

Weeks after the University of Florida faculty voted against granting him an honorary degree, the Florida House struck back for former Gov. Jeb Bush. The House Schools and Learning Council unanimously voted to name the College of Education at the UF the "Jeb Bush College of Education." The push to rename the college was led by Rep. David Rivera, a Miami Republican, who said legislators were upset by the March vote of the UF faculty.

"A lot of us felt insulted that a former governor should be treated in that fashion,'' said Rivera. Rivera argued it was appropriate to name the UF College of Education after Bush because of the former governor's "passion for education," a reference to the A+ education reforms that Bush championed.

Despite their differences with Bush, Democrats on the panel went along with Rivera's proposal. Under state law, only the Legislature can name state buildings after people who are still alive. "While I don't agree with Gov. Bush, I think he was sincere about education,'' said Rep. Shelley Vana, a Lantana Democrat.

Rivera also amended the university naming bill to rename the presidential house at Florida International University after President Ronald Reagan.

Crist high-fives teacher union president

It was a scene unthinkable during the last eight years--the governor of Florida giving a high-five to the head of Florida's teacher union. But it happened this afternoon shortly before Gov. Charlie Crist signed a bill that overhauled the maligned performance pay plan that lawmakers passed last year. Florida Education Association President Andy Ford then went before the microphones and thanked the Legislature and Crist for giving those in the profession a "voice" when it comes to deciding who should receive merit bonuses.

Lawmakers in 2006, at the urging of the administration of former Gov. Jeb Bush, passed a performance pay plan that offered $147.5 million to school districts for bonuses, but it tied the bonus to how students fared on standardized tests, including the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. It also limited the bonus to no more than 25 percent of the teachers working in a school district. The new law gives more discretion to prinicpals to decide who should be eligible for bonuses and does not cap how many school employees are eligible. Bush had an antagonistic relationship with the teacher's union, which spent millions trying to help Bill McBride, who lost to Bush in the 2002 governor's race.

Jeb named by Romney as possible running mate

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was called "quite a guy" by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney during a presidential campaign stop in South Carolina on Wednesday who went on to say that he would consider Bush as a possible running mate. Bush, who has ruled out running for the presidency in 2008, steadfastly refused to rule out a run for vice president when asked by reporters. More about Romney's remarks here.

Jeb's son to join Navy reserves

Former Gov. Jeb Bush's eldest son, George P. Bush, has been accepted in the Navy Reserve and will begin the two-year training to become an intelligence officer with an the eight-year commitment in the reserves. According to the web side, Politico, which broke the story on Wednesday, George P., made the decision after attending the dedication of the aircraft carrier named for his grandfhater, the USS George H.W. Bush.

The 30-year-old son has been widely seen as the next hier in the Bush political dynasty. Although he grew up in Florida, he graduated from Rice University and now lives in Fort Worth.

Senate kills attempt to undo Bush legacy

After a lengthy and passionate debate, the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday morning killed a bill sponsored by Sen. Frederica Wilson that would have ended the A-F school grading system that was a key part of the A+ education reforms championed by former Gov. Jeb Bush. The split was along party lines.

Wilson argued that only black schools received F grades and she pointed out how a magnet school in Miami-Dade County was attracting students yet because of juvenile delinquents told to show up to school, as well as an influx of Haitians and Cuban students, the school fared poorly on the FCAT, thus leading to a failing grade.

"Who gave us the right to be God and grade schools where children have to go every day?" questioned Wilson.

Her arguments, however, did not sway the Republicans on the panel, including Sen. Don Gaetz, a former school superintendent. Gaetz said getting rid of the grading system would just hide what was really happening at a school. "Taking down the scoreboard won't change the score,'' said Gaetz, who added "I believe getting rid of the accountability reforms Jeb Bush put in place is not the step to make our schools better."

Bush excites conservative faithful

What's a true conservative looking for a presidential candidate to do? The top three choices: a Mormon from liberal Massachusetts, a senator who lashed out at Jerry Falwell, and a former mayor who thought it was fun to get dressed up as drag queen.

Ah, if only for Jeb Bush, who defended conservative Republican principles yesterday at a gathering of the Conservative Summit in Washington.

Read the Washington Post story here, and then check out another Post story here in which he compares very favorably to his presidential brother.

The growing celebrity of George P. Bush

The eldest son of Florida's former governor is tapped to give the keynote address for the Martin Luther King celebration in Tifton -- Georgia. You've got to start somewhere. More here.

Crist's ethics code drops some of Bush's restrictions

Gov. Charlie Crist signed an executive order on Wednesday that calls for the immediate adoption of a new code of ethics for top employees in the governor's office and state agencies, as well as a code of personal responsibility.

But the new code, which replaces the one adopted by Gov. Jeb Bush in 1999, has a handful of significant differences. Bush, for example, strictly prohibited all employees in his office and top agency officials from moonlighting and getting paid by someone from outside of state government. Crist's code instead says that senior employees can't moonlight "without prior approval" from the governor's general counsel.

Bush's code of ethics also "strongly encouraged" lobbyists to bring their clients if they wanted a face-to-face meeting with the governor or lieutenant governor. That wording has been stricken from Crist's code of ethics.

Another big change: Crist will allow senior employees who earn frequent flyer miles while traveling on state business to use that perk for their own personal use. Bush in 1999 banned the practice, saying instead that frequent flyer miles should be used to cut future travel costs for the state. Crist's code, however, states that senior employees deserve the perk because the state does not always reimburse them for all the out-of-pocket costs they incur while traveling.

Lastly, Crist's code of personal responsibility made a substantial change in the drug testing policy for all new employees.  Bush required that all new hires to senior positions in his office and in state agencies submit to a drug test. Crist's new policy states that drug testing "may" be required before an applicant is hired.

Jeb: Thanks for the memories -- and toiletries

After his official portrait was unveiled yesterday, outgoing Gov. Jeb Bush spoke with reporters and said he’ll not just miss those loyal to him or the chance to make a difference as Florida’s chief executive, he’ll leave behind fond memories of the governor’s mansion.

Especially the perks of the Executive Restrooms.

"What am I going to miss about the mansion? It’s beauty, it’s tradition, the food (chuckles), the hot water. The hot water and the water pressure is unbelievable. I told Charlie, be careful… in Miami, you know, water doesn’t come on that fast and it doesn’t come on immediately hot….

"Fresh towels all you want. I don’t know how it is in your life, but most of the time, you know, most people you take showers, you use towels six or seven times before you put  the next one on. Here, although I’ve been trained to do otherwise, it’s just any time I want I can have many towels."

High-octane Bush creates ethanol board

Gov. Jeb Bush, with family ties to oil and state ties to agribusiness, made one of his final policy announcements Monday when he promoted the use of alternative fuels by establishing the Interamerican Ethanol Commission.

Joining Bush: Roberto Rodrigues, a former Brazilian agriculture minister and head of the nation's agribusiness council, and Luis Alberto Moreno, head of the Interamerican Development Bank.

From spinning for Jeb to Spinning for Sachs

Alia Faraj, Gov. Jeb Bush's communications director since 2004, is heading to Ron Sachs Communications after Bush leaves office next month.

Voucher guru peeved by story

A letter from venture capitalist turned schools reformer John Kirtley:

Marc Caputo's article on 12/17 stated that school choice programs in Florida have no "scrutiny" because students using the programs don't have to take the FCAT. What he failed to mention is that students in the tax credit scholarship program for low income children must take a nationally recognized standardized test approved by the state, such as the Stanford 10. The tests must be comparable to the FCAT and the scores reported every year to a research group chosen by the state, so that the progress of the students can be measured--including against similar public school students. Of course the schools educating these children face the additional "scrutiny" of empowered parents, who can take the scholarships to a different school if they are unsatisfied--a scrutiny underperforming public schools do not face.

When Caputo stated that "every lower court" found the Opportunity Scholarship Program unconstitutional, he did not mention that the Appeals Court unanimously rejected the grounds used by the Florida Supreme Court to kill the program---that it violated the mandate for a "uniform system of public schools". Your readers should know that the Wall Street Journal called this verdict "the worst by any state court in decades" due to its tortured legal argument and its damage to school reform.

Jeb's furniture store epiphany

Even standing in a furniture store, Jeb Bush couldn't help but think he could
do a better job running the place.

"I found myself in the midst of reorganizing the logistics of a probably pretty successful company," said Bush, who was shopping to furnish the Coral Gables apartment where he will move after leaving office Jan. 2.

Then the truth hit Florida's most powerful governor as he thought of fixing the way the store delivers goods to customers.

"I realized they probably don't give two hoots about my opinion," Bush said chuckling. "So there's going to be a little bit of a learning experience to kind of not try to solve problems for everyone. It may take a little bit of getting used to."   

That's especially true after spending eight years as Florida's self-fashioned policy-wonk in chief, a macro- and micromanager with poll numbers that are the envy of other chief executives -- including his brother, the president.

Now, this extraordinary calm voice in Florida's storms, a conservative icon and luminary of one of the nation's greatest family dynasties, must become more ordinary as he fiddles with his Ipod or gets annoyed in shops and the Post Office.

Story here.

Click the links for pieces on Jeb and the judiciary, schools, outsourcing, One Florida, and his unmet goals.

Affirmative action foes expect Crist to keep One Florida intact

Ward Connerly, the anti affirmative action foe who once launched a ballot drive in Florida only to see his efforts struck down by the courts, declared Wednesday that he and his supporters are ready to take their battle to other states during the crucial 2008 presidential election. Connerly announced his group has opened up exploratory committees in nine states and will eventually launch a petition drive in two to five states.

But a spokeswoman for Connerly said Florida is not one of the states under consideration. Diane Schachterle of the American Civil Rights Coalition said the group feels that it does not need to come to the Sunshine State because of Gov. Jeb Bush's One Florida plan, which six years ago ended racial preferences in university admissions and state contracting.

"Florida is not high on our radar right now,'' said Schachterle, who said the decision had nothing to do with the passage of Amendment 3, which requires all future constitutional amendments to pass by 60 percent. She noted an anti-affirmative action amendment in Washington State cleared that higher margin.

But Schachterle added that she hopes that Governor-elect Charlie Crist keeps intact the One Florida plan when he becomes governor. When asked about it on the campaign trail, Crist said he had no plans to alter One Florida _ whose contracting provisions were implemented by executive order.

Bush still unsure about his next step

Gov. Jeb Bush, whose time in office will come to an end on Jan. 2, sat down with news organizations on Friday and gave extended interviews on his two terms as governor. But while he spoke at length about the past, Bush said he's still not sure about what's next for him after Governor-elect Charlie Crist takes over.

Bush, who has already moved most of his possessions out of the governor's mansion, said he expects the Foundation for Florida's Future, the 501c4 he set up, to continue to advocate for the education changes he pushed as governor. The organization has raised $1.82 million.

But beyond that Bush said he still doesn't know what he will be doing.

"I want to get out of the way to allow Charlie to create his own agenda and lead this state. I want to find a way to stay involved in some fashion in public policy that is not intrusive. I can't do that until I know what I am going to do,'' said Bush.

When asked again about his reluctance to rule out a vice presidential bid in 2008, Bush grew a bit weary of questions about his future: "I thought this was supposed to be a nostalgic look back at the last eight years."

Crist and Bush have tough decision to make

Gov. Jeb Bush and Governor-elect Charlie Crist will have a tough decision to make this morning: Whether to release from prison three women sentenced to life for murder. Bush and Crist and the rest of the Cabinet will meet this morning as the state clemency board. Domestic violence advocates will argue the three women were abused by the men they killed. More here.

Elder Bush sheds a tear for son

As a favor to his departing son, President George Bush stood before a packed crowd in the House chamber and talked about leadership. During his remarks, Bush began to cry when recounting how Jeb Bush lost his first bid for governor in 1994.

Right after recounting how his son "didn't whine" after losing to Lawton Chiles, Bush began to cry and stopped speaking, prompting his son to come up and put his arm around his dad. "I can do it," said the elder Bush who regained his footing after drinking some water.

President Bush also gave a not so subtle nod to his son, saying he wondered what Jeb planned to do once he leaves office.

~ Gary Fineout

The Bush and Bloomberg show

Gov. Jeb Bush and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are scheduled to take their message of student achievement and accountability to Miramar Elementary School today. The duo made a similar pitch at a conference in New York City, and they co-wrote an Op-Ed article for The Washington Post.

Whatever Bush decides to do after he leaves office, it seems likely that he will stay involved in education.

Lucy Hadi calls it quits

Department of Children and Families Secretary Lucy Hadi announced Friday that she is retiring from state government. Until recently it had appeared that Hadi was a top contender to remain in her post under the administration of Governor-elect Charlie Crist. More here.

Jeb moving on up

First Gov. Jeb Bush got a new car. Now he's getting a new place to live. Bush is going to move into the Segovia Tower, a fancy condo in Coral Gables. Rent is $5,500 per month for the 3,949 square foot unit. The condo has three bedrooms, overlooks Granada Golf Course and is walking distance to Miracle Mile. More about the governor's new digs here.

President to campaign Monday in Pensacola

President George Bush leaves the White House tomorrow for a four-day campaign swing that includes a visit to Pensacola on Monday. The president and first lady are scheduled to attend a Florida Victory Rally 2006 at the Pensacola Civic Center at 1:15 p.m. central time.

The question of the day: Will Republican candidate for governor candiddate Charlie Crist be there, or will he keep his distance from the president whose approval ratings in Florida continute to decline? "I'm still working on an answer," said Crist campaign spokeswoman Erin Isaac.

The White House says that's the point of the president's visit. He will be
campaigning in Pensacola, the heart of the military
communities