By Terry Vanderheyden and John-Henry Westen
WASHINGTON, May 10, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – U.S. President George W. Bush has endorsed his brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, as a potential future U.S. president.
Jeb would make a “great president” of the United States, the U.S. President said, according to An AP report. The president admitted he did not know whether his brother had any intention of running for the Oval Office: “It’s up to Jeb to make a decision to run,” he told reporters at a roundtable interview with several Florida newspapers.
“I have no idea what he’s going to do,” Bush added. “I’ve asked him that question myself. I truly don’t think he knows.” The president emphasized that Jeb’s “political future is very bright – if he chooses to have a political future. But he is an independent-minded guy. His priority is his family.”
The Florida Governor has been featured in numerous LifeSiteNews.com stories as a defender of human life and family values. Jeb Bush is also a devout Catholic, and has joined the Catholic fraternal organization the Knights of Columbus which is known for its strong pro-life and pro-family stands.
He was a key reason why Terri Schiavo was able to live as long as she did, before the courts eventually ruled against “Terri’s Law” – a law initiated by Gov. Bush to prevent the starvation of Terri Schiavo when her estranged husband attempted the manoeuvre in 2003. (https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/may/04050601.html)
In 2004, the Governor attempted to have the unborn child of a severely disabled woman be appointed a court guardian. (https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jan/04011202.html)
The Florida Governor was successful in implementing parental notification laws in the state, after nearly two decades of wrangling between the courts, the legislature, voters and governors. The law, which requires physicians to inform parents before their minor daughter is scheduled for an abortion, was signed into law by Bush last May. (https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/may/05052701.html)
The Governor lamented the loss of life of an unborn child when a 13-year-old in his state was given permission by a judge to have an abortion. (https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/may/05050405.html)
Last year, the younger of the Bush brothers unveiled a counselling plan for women considering abortion to help them consider alternatives such as adoption. (https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/mar/05030202.html)
The Governor has been on the cutting edge of pro-life initiatives. When a pro-life film by a Hollywood filmmaker was yet to be released, a copy had already been requested by Jeb Bush. The film, A Distant Thurnder, is a courtroom thriller which exposes the horror of partial-birth abortion. (https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/oct/05101105.html)
On the pro-family front, Jeb Bush has been no less active. The governor applauded the US Supreme Court last year for rejecting an appeal of the state’s ban on adoption by homosexuals. Florida is the only state with a complete ban against same-sex adoption. (https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jan/05011004.html)