Jeb Bush may not be ready for prime time


The principal rationale of Jeb Bush's presidential candidacy is that he is best in class, a polished politician with both experience and savvy who is a grade above the rest. He may be genetically tied to an unpopular former president, but he is the closest thing the Republicans have to a complete package.
That's the theory, anyway. But the ongoing controversy over his position on the Iraq War shows that Bush does not seem to have done even basic homework on his most obvious weakness. First, in an interview earlier this week, he said he would have invaded Iraq, even with the knowledge of how the war turned out. Then he backtracked somewhat on Tuesday evening, telling Sean Hannity that he misunderstood the question. Then, when given the chance to clarify his position, he dissolved into inscrutability, saying the question was a "hypothetical."
Perhaps most painfully, he even repeated one of his brother's most infamous lines: "Mistakes were made."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Political observers are surprised, to say the least, that Bush has not figured out a way to address this issue. As Dan Pfeiffer, a former aide to President Obama, put it, "I would have loved to have been in the meeting when the Bush campaign decided not to prepare for the Iraq question." His competitors are bound to suggest that Jeb Bush is not as ready for prime time as he thinks he is.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.
-
The state of Britain's Armed Forces
The Explainer Geopolitical unrest and the unreliability of the Trump administration have led to a frantic re-evaluation of the UK's military capabilities
By The Week UK
-
Anti-anxiety drug has a not-too-surprising effect on fish
Under the radar The fish act bolder and riskier
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Sudoku medium: April 21, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump says electronics tariff break won't last
Speed Read The tariff exemptions on smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are temporary, the administration says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Man charged in arson attack on Pennsylvania's Shapiro
Speed Read Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping when someone set fire to his Harrisburg mansion
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
White House pushes for oversight of Columbia University
Speed Read The Trump administration is considering placing the school under a consent decree
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Supreme Court backs wrongly deported migrant
Speed Read The Trump administration must 'facilitate' the return of wrongfully deported migrant Kilmar Ábrego García from El Salvador, Supreme Court says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Two judges bar war-powers deportations
Speed Read The Trump administration was blocked from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport more alleged Venezuelan gang members
By Peter Weber, The Week US