Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Jeb Bush nixes VP talk

(CBS News) As Mitt Romney continues his hunt for a suitable running mate, Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, flatly dismissed the notion that he might consider the job.

"I'm not gonna do it and I'm not gonna be asked and it's not gonna happen," he told CBS' Charlie Rose in an interview with "CBS This Morning" that will air Thursday morning. "That doesn't mean I don't have a voice. Doesn't mean I don't wanna enthusiastically support Mitt Romney. I intend to do that. I'm doing it. But I'm not gonna be a candidate with him."

Bush, the brother of former president George W. Bush and son of former president George H. W. Bush, has long been considered a potentially desirable VP pick - not only due to his powerful political ties, but also because of his popularity in Florida and with the Latino community.

He says, however, that "under no circumstances" would he consider the role, and that he'd turn down Romney if he asked.

"So if he comes and asks, you say, 'Sorry, go somewhere else'?" asked Rose.

"Yes," Bush said. "He's got a great list of candidates that I'm sure he's thinking about. We have a wealth of talent in the Republican party. He'll pick somebody that will be very capable to be president and to help him in the election."

When asked about his own presidential ambition, however, the former governor left the door open.

"I've not made that decision," Bush said, when asked if he had decided he does not want to be president.

Still, he suggested that 2012 may have, in some ways, been his "window of opportunity" to run for the nation's top executive job.

When pressed on whether or not he missed a chance to make a successful bid for the office, however, Bush demurred.

"You know, you never know," Bush said. "That's pure speculation. And one thing I know for sure is you don't-- you don't-- you don't worry about 'could have, would have.' You focus on the things that you can control, and that's what I'm doing."