Jeb Bush bemoans "mean-spirited" politics

A "putrid" and "mean-spirited" political atmosphere for both liberals and conservatives discourages good people from seeking public office, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Thursday.

"I can't watch the news, as a brother who loves my brother," said Bush, the brother of President George W. Bush and son of former President George H. W. Bush. "The food fight has to stop, and there needs to be a restoration of civility."

Bush spoke at a news conference at the University of Mobile Thursday afternoon before giving the keynote address for the school's third annual Scholarship Banquet at the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center.
During his banquet speech, Bush said good leaders must set "big, hairy, audacious goals." In addition, he said, leaders should be transparent about their plans and must not be afraid to fail.

"Today, politics at the national level is risk-averse," Bush said. "Candidates are fearful of making a mistake." But Americans yearn for bold leadership, he said.

Since 1980, a member of Bush's or former President Bill Clinton's family has appeared on every national ticket. That trend would continue if Clinton's wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., maintains her lead in the run for her party's presidential nomination.

During the news conference, Bush said that in a country of about 300 million people, two families dominating the top post is "an unusual circumstance" but added that he wouldn't characterize it as a dynasty.
"To become president of the United States ... there's no coronation. You go out and earn it," Bush said. "Sen. Clinton's not going to be elected unless she works hard and makes a compelling case."

If Clinton becomes president, she will likely have to do so without the help of Bush, who wouldn't single out a favorite presidential candidate other than to say "he's a Republican."

Asked whether he might someday run for president, Bush said, "I don't think about that at all."

The banquet generated about $130,000 for student scholarships and attracted about 580 people, according to school spokeswoman Kathy Dean. She said that about 700 people attended each of the two previous scholarship banquets, but despite the lower attendance the university considers the event a success.

Then there is the chilling statement Iran-contra insider Al Martin told Dowbenko that Jeb Bush made to him in 1986, during a visit to Jeb’s Bush Codina Realty office in Miami:

“The truth is useless. You have to understand this right now. You can’t deposit the truth in a bank. You can’t buy groceries with the truth. You can’t pay rent with the truth. The truth is a useless commodity that will hang around your neck like an albatross—all the way to the homeless shelter. And if you think that the million or so people in this country that are really interested in the truth about their government can support people who would tell them the truth, you got another think coming. Because the million or so people in this country that are truly interested in the truth don’t have any money.”

Online Journal, March, 2003