Jeb Bush

Who among us can contain their excitement? The GOP presidential primary season has begun! By my count, there are 24 people who are beneficiaries of nontrivial presidential buzz: Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, John Thune, Tim Pawlenty, Mitch Daniels, Mike Pence, Rick Santorum, Haley Barbour, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Paul Ryan, David Petraeus, Ron Paul, Jeb Bush, John Bolton, Bob McDonnell, Jim DeMint, Chris Christie, Herman Cain, Gary...

If his son won't be on the ballot, former President George H. W. Bush says he could support Mitt Romney for his party's nomination for president in 2012. As for Barbara Bush -- put her in the "Anybody but Palin" camp. The 41st president claims he's long quit politics, but he did offer his thoughts on a range of subjects during an interview with Larry King, the suspender-clad host who is retiring after a quarter of a century on CNN. So did his wife, who was characteristically blunt when asked what she thought of Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor who now dominates the conversation about the Republican presidential race.

George W. Bush was conspicuously absent during the midterm election campaign, despite Democratic efforts to resurrect him as a political punching bag. But on the eve of the release of his memoirs, the former president is back in the public eye in a big way, starting a publicity tour that includes a prime-time network special and a visit to Oprah's couch. Excerpts from the book and interviews about it offer new insight into Bush's presidency, but show a familiar certainty and self-assuredness about the decisions he made.

Jeb Bush is ruling out a presidential bid in 2012, but he sounds bullish about the future of another Florida Republican, describing Senate nominee Marco Rubio as "Reaganesque. " The former two-term governor and brother of former President George W. Bush said in an interview with MSNBC's Joe Scarborough that although he would not run for president, he does plan to be active in the political scene. "I'm troubled about the future of our country. I think we're stuck when we need to be explosively moving forward to transform how we do things," he said.

Former First Lady Barbara Bush was hospitalized Saturday morning after "not feeling well," according to a family spokeswoman. At the request of her doctor, Bush, 84, was admitted to Methodist Hospital in Houston at 10 a.m. to undergo routine tests. Her husband, President George H.W. Bush, accompanied her to the hospital. "He's concerned, but has great faith in the doctors," said Jean Becker, the chief of staff for the office of the former president. She is expected to be released within a day or two. Although Bush hasn't been feeling "like herself," she's been keeping up her public schedule.

By now there is little doubt that hypocrisy has become Washington's standing policy on foreign affairs. What is astounding is the lack of shame in such overt duplicity as Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's (R-Fla.) accusations in her Dec. 14 Times Op-Ed article that Iran is a state sponsor of terrorists -- when she herself has a track record of supporting terrorists. In February 1988, Orlando Bosch was arrested in Miami and implicated in the 1976 plot to blow up Cubana Flight 455, a terrorist act that killed 73 passengers.

The son watched his father, vowing not to repeat his mistakes. The weekend before George W. Bush defeated Texas Gov. Ann Richards in 1994, he stood in the backyard of his Dallas home hitting tennis balls into the swimming pool for his dog to fetch and ruminating about the future with his media strategist, Don Sipple.

Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and brother of President Bush, has decided not to run for the U.S. Senate, ending weeks of speculation that he would try to preserve a family power center in the nation's capital. In contrast to his older brother, Jeb Bush left office with high approval ratings and a reputation as a master of policy. He was considered the strongest contender for the seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Mel Martinez in 2010.

President Bush renewed his efforts Saturday to address a major domestic policy challenge -- one that possibly remains in reach -- by telling graduating students that the United States must build new immigration laws around economic needs and border protection, while helping newcomers join American society.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Thursday dropped some names of potential running mates in the 2008 race, adding that such speculation was premature. Among those Romney mentioned for the second slot on the Republican ticket were three Southerners: South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. "There's some wonderful people right here in this state, as you know, Gov.