The GOP's ghosts of campaigns past

Enough with the Bushes and Romneys!

(Image credit: YouTube.com/TheTonightShow)

Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. But are those who cling to history doomed to forfeit their future?

That question hovers over the Republican Party, as not one but two figures from its recent past vie to claim the party's leadership in the upcoming presidential primary. A few weeks ago, that issue appeared to be limited to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who surprised everyone by jumping early into his first campaign in a dozen years. Bush skipped the more obvious cycles of 2008 and 2012, likely due to the fatigue of his brother's presidency and the clear antipathy of the electorate to anything related to the Bushes. But the burden of that past still remains, as does the ten years of civilian life that will lie between the end of Bush's last term in Florida and the general election, if he wins the GOP nomination.

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Edward Morrissey

Edward Morrissey has been writing about politics since 2003 in his blog, Captain's Quarters, and now writes for HotAir.com. His columns have appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Post, The New York Sun, the Washington Times, and other newspapers. Morrissey has a daily Internet talk show on politics and culture at Hot Air. Since 2004, Morrissey has had a weekend talk radio show in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and often fills in as a guest on Salem Radio Network's nationally-syndicated shows. He lives in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota with his wife, son and daughter-in-law, and his two granddaughters. Morrissey's new book, GOING RED, will be published by Crown Forum on April 5, 2016.