Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush predicts that history will view his older brother, former President George W. Bush, as a leader who served during a period of “great turbulence,” who always made decisions based on what he thought was best for America.
The two-term Florida Republican shared his observations on Monday during a wide-ranging, candid interview with Newsmax.TV.
The former president is in the midst of a promotional tour for his book "Decision Points." It appears voters are reconsidering his legacy.
In early November, just before the book tour started, a Gallup poll showed the 43rd president’s favorable rating had risen to 44 percent. Gallup shows President Barack Obama’s latest job approval rating at 46 percent.
The former Sunshine State governor, who often is mentioned as a possible GOP presidential candidate himself, says several factors have contributed to his brother’s rebound in the opinion polls.
In part, people tend to focus on positives as time passes, he says, adding that “history is always a better judge of the effectiveness of leaders, not popularity in the here and now.”
“And I think people over time begin to assess my brother’s tenure as a time of great turbulence, and that he made tough decisions based on his love of country.”
But he also says there’s no escaping the fact that politics is a comparative exercise.
“And as the current president’s popularity, his shine has been lost over time and you know reality has set in for President Obama and people’s perception of him, I think people have viewed my brother in a kinder light,” Bush told Newsmax in the exclusive interview.
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