Jeb Hearts Mitt?

Via Mark Levin at NRO: Jeb Bush is putting his foot on the scale for Romney:

Jeb Bush, who hasn't publicly picked a favorite in the Republican presidential race, privately is talking up the candidacy of Mitt Romney and steering some of his closest advisers to the campaign.

[...]

Governor Bush said, 'Before you commit, I want you to meet Mitt Romney. He is the kind of guy you will like no matter what,'" said former Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings. "The governor was very candid about the fact that he really liked this guy."

Jennings, the woman Bush chose as his lieutenant governor, is one of several former Bush confidantes in the Romney camp. Others include his hand-picked, former state party chairman Al Cardenas, and Sally Bradshaw, Bush's former campaign manager and chief of staff.

Now on Romney's payroll, these former Bush stalwarts are working to help the candidate overcome his lack of name identification in Florida.

Jeb has uber-cred among conservatives these days (at least among those who don't believe that he murdered Terry Schiavo). I missed his talk during the conservative summit, but understood that he brought the house down.

I'm increasingly convinced that Romney's efforts to court social conservatives will pay off. I know everyone is skeptical - he's a Mormon and he once endorsed failed to totally oppose gay marriage. Well as far as I'm concerned, unless Giuliani somehow emerges unscathed from the mass release of the skeletons in his closet, Romney is the frontrunner-in-waiting.

Labels: 2008, Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney, Presidential election, social conservatives

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 10:05 AM