A LESS THAN BURNING BUSH – AT 8:46 A.M. ET:  Jeb Bush is a very calm, reasoned guy, not given to bursts of high emotion.   He was an effective governor of Florida, and has shown considerable personal appeal.  Whether this translates into a presidential candidacy is another matter.  We'd have to see more of him.

But Bush's name has been all the rage recently, with powerful Republicans lining up to support him financially, the better to keep the party out of the hands of Rand Paul.  And Bush is now responding by discussing a candidacy openly.  He has also made a very controversial statement on illegal immigration.  From Fox: 

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush has said that he would make a decision on whether to run for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination before the end of this year and said that some immigrants who enter the United States illegally do so as an "act of love" for their families.

Bush made the remarks in an interview broadcast on "Fox News Sunday" while attending a celebration of the 25th anniversary of his father's inauguration at George H.W. Bush's presidential library in College Station, Texas.

Without ever officially entering the race, Bush has emerged as a tantalizing Republican candidate. The Washington Post reported last week that some prominent Republican party officials and donors had launched a campaign to draft him into the race as an alternate to scandal-hit New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and libertarian-leaning Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.

On Sunday, Bush said all the speculation about his candidacy is actually getting him more attention than if he had already entered the race.

Bush, who served two terms as Florida governor between 1999 and 2007, described the state of politics as "crazy right now," and added that one factor in his decision will be whether he can deliver an optimistic, hopeful message without getting drawn into a political "mud fight." He says the other main factor in his decision will be whether it's OK with his family if he ran.

And, on illegal immigration:

"It's an act of love. It's an act of commitment to your family," Bush said. "I honestly think that that is a different kind of crime. There should be a price paid, but it shouldn't rile people up that people are actually coming to this country to provide for their families."

COMMENT:  Obviously, that is a statement that will enrage some conservatives.  But it may be a brilliant political stroke.  We know that we aren't going to deport 12 million illegal immigrants.  We know that some path to their staying here legally must be found.  We also know that if the GOP can make a dent in the normally Democratic Hispanic vote, it could sail to victory in 2016. 

Jeb Bush is married to a Hispanic woman.  His children, as he likes to say, are brown.  By taking a stand on illegal immigration that combines both penalty and compassion, he may be heading for the only practical course open to the nation.  If his stands start showing dramatic poll results, he moves closer to a presidential nomination.

I'm certainly not saying that Bush is the best candidate, or would make the best president.  We should look over the whole bunch of prospects.  I'm saying that he's maneuvering, and he maneuvers well.  I have no problem with a presidential candidate being a shrewd politician.

April 7, 2014