There was a time when Jeb Bush was just a 39-year-old real estate developer in Florida who had never run for political office. Although he would eventually become one of only two Republicans to be defeated in statewide elections in 1994, the rookie mistakes made in his campaign against incumbent governor Lawton Chiles taught Bush lessons he still draws on today. Like learning how to shake hands, for example:
Mr. Bush soon learned the difference between being an adviser on the sidelines and being the person in the spotlight.At one fund-raiser, he waited to shake the hands of a long line of people eager to meet him. [Republican consultant Alex] Castellanos videotaped Mr. Bush and showed him the result: a candidate looking over the shoulder of the person he was supposed to be greeting and instead peering at the crowd stretching to the door."I was more worried in making sure that people waiting in line would get to see me," Mr. Bush said. "So I was looking beyond the person I should be talking to." He added, "It was painful to watch." [The New York Times]
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